The Information Channel Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ | [ http://unityway.wordpress.com ] Unity Way | | | | October 1, 2006 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | Courage of Being Ourselves | | by Andrei Yashurin | | | | "Blessed are they who have been persecuted for righteousness sake! | | For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven". | | | | Let us note again that Beatitudes of Jesus are be-attitudes. They | | call us for inner transformation and for deeper alignment with the | | Reality of our being. When we begin this inside job, others might | | easily misunderstand us. Tensions in relationships with people | | around us often arise. And if we are not ready for this challenge, | | we might never see the personal progress. | | | | A subconscious fear of rejection is the reason why some people fail | | in their search for better life. The plain fact is, it is | | impossible to change our life and to stay as we used to be at the | | same time. It is impossible to change our life at our own terms. It | | is impossible to change our life without paying the full price. | | | | "Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist", said Ralph Waldo | | Emerson. It is a noble trait of a spiritually mature individual to | | trust oneself. There is no reason to follow social customs, | | religious practices, and behaviour patterns which do not agree with | | our understanding of what is good and true. | | | | But let us note that reaction of others to our inability to get | | along with them have nothing to do with "persecution for | | righteousness sake". Genuine love and kindness toward others, no | | matter how different from us they might be, is the acid test of our | | spirituality. When we are enlightened, we recognize the divine | | nature of others - and relate ourselves to this core of their | | being. We do not judge by the appearances. | | | | Yet there is a deeper aspect of this statement of Jesus regarding | | persecutions. Outer "persecutions" are but manifestations of inner | | struggles we experience in our progressive movement toward deeper | | understanding. | | | | We've been thinking in certain ways for many years, and built | | crystallized thought forms. They surround our "ego" as defence | | walls. When new and fresh ideas enter into our conscious minds, | | "ego" often considers them as a threat - and plots to destroy them. | | Divine thoughts meet resistance - and we need to realize that there | | is nothing strange about it. If we persistently look for the Truth, | | lies won't stand for too long. Their authority is but temporary. | | | | Let us not be afraid of our inner processes. Let us not be afraid | | to search for the Truth, because an honest doubt is much better | | than false security of commonly accepted doctrines. Let us get rid | | of attachments to prejudices and preconceived opinions. This | | freedom will lead us to mental clarity and better understanding. | | | | Not so long ago I received a message from a lady who wrote that she | | is afraid of losing her faith. She did not want to become cynical, | | pessimistic, and disillusioned. But she mistakenly tried to keep | | her faith alive through fear. Nothing good could be maintained | | through fear - we will receive exactly what we're afraid of. Such | | is the law of mind action. | | | | Perhaps, the best solution for that lady would be not to suppress | | her doubts, but to use them constructively in building a better set | | of convictions and values. Our ideas about God should not be fixed | | graven images. They are not to be objects of our worship. | | Intellectual constructions could easily betray us, especially if we | | give them undue significance. But the great Reality will never | | betray us. It always exceeds our greatest thoughts - and it is | | always on our side. This Reality is God. This Reality is Love. | | | | Jesus teaches us to maintain courage in the face of | | misunderstanding outside of us and doubts within us. Cowards are | | never happy, and they never enter the fullness of life. | | | | (to be continued) | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | Recommended Reading: | | | | [ http://astore.amazon.com/talksontruth-20/detail/1419639218/ | | 102-7508442-6870560 ] Prosperity Step by Step: The Secrets of the | | Universe by Brad Jensen | | | | Previous Articles of Andrei Yashurin: | | | | [ http://unityway.wordpress.com/2006/09/16/purity-and-vision/ ] | | Purity and Vision | [ http://unityway.wordpress.com/2006/09/09/ | | mercy-and-wholeness/ ] Mercy and Wholeness | [ http:// | | unityway.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/the-great-fulfillment/ ] The | | Great Fulfillment | [ http://unityway.wordpress.com/2006/08/26/ | | meekness-not-weakness/ ] Meekness, Not Weakness | [ http:// | | unityway.wordpress.com/2006/08/19/true-comfort/ ] True Comfort | | | | [ http://zme.amazon.com/exec/varzea/pay/T3FSLT9BWIHSWQ ] If you | | find these messages helpful, please send a donation to Andrei | | Yashurin | | | | If you like our list, please recommend it to others. | | | | To be unsubscribed, click the link at the bottom of this message, | | do not write to the author. | | | | E-mail: [ mailto:yashurin@gmail.com ] yashurin@gmail.com | | | | Information: The publisher of this list technically cannot | | subscribe/unsubscribe anyone. You are responsible to do it | | yourself. Please check links at the bottom of this message. | | | | All messages (c) 2006 by Andrei Yashurin | +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: http://felist.com/member/unsub?grp=lit.unityway&email=e@mail http://felist.com/ mailto:ask@felist.com