The Information Channel Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ | [ http://unityway.wordpress.com ] Unity Way | | | | October 22, 2006 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | Good Works | | by Andrei Yashurin | | | | We express our awareness through our actions. This is why Jesus | | said, "You are the light of the world... Let your light so shine | | before men that they may see your good works and glorify your | | Father". But which works are "good ones"? | | | | Many of religious people think that good works are acts of charity | | and selfless service - something that we do without any thought of | | reward. According to them, such works are different from our | | everyday life activities. These ideas sound lofty and noble, but in | | fact they put unnecessary burden upon those who subscribe to them. | | They open the way to continuous self-doubts: "Do I sacrifice | | enough? Am I selfless enough?" | | | | Some of these doubts are justified. The fact is, many of attempts | | to do acts of "selfless service" lead to the opposite results - | | they reinforce ego of those who are doing them, making them | | secretly proud of themselves and their spiritual achievements. | | | | Perhaps, the best solution of this dilemma is not to divide our | | life into "good works" and "all other works" but to perceive it in | | its wholeness. All works could be good if they are done in the | | right attitude. "Just by existing, I make a positive difference to | | the world. Every thought that I have adds to the existence of every | | being. Every moment of courage encourages all beings", writes Brad | | Jensen. | | | | Good works are the ones which proceed from the realization of our | | goodness and goodness of the entire world. | | | | Why this is important? | | | | If I believe that I am a worthless sinner, I doubt in my abilities | | to make a positive difference. I doubt in my creative impulses and | | intuitive guidance. At the same time, I am trying to earn God's | | approval through my works, even if I do not admit it. Most often, | | these "good works" are attempts to imitate "godly" behaviour of | | others, or to follow instructions outlined in religious books. | | | | On the other hand, if I believe that I am good (that I am the light | | of the world), I am doing that which is natural to me. I can allow | | myself the luxury of being spontaneous and creative. There is no | | need for me to compare myself with others or to obey strict rules. | | I can love without even questioning whether am I "loving enough". | | | | What if I believe that the world is bad and full of evil? Such | | mindset creates a superiority complex within me. I consider myself | | to be a little saviour and redeemer. I become self-important - and | | ignorant. Listen to what some religious people say: "We bring good | | news to the hurting world". While they are looking to save the | | world from supposed "hurt", they remain blind to the fact that | | there is still enough hurt among those who accept their "good | | news", and there is enough joy and happiness among those who don't | | care about their dogmas. | | | | The world is good, but you won't see it until you are offended at | | the world, or until you are trying to "save it from sin". If you | | want the world to disclose its goodness to you, dare to accept that | | the world is good. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". And it | | is not difficult to think that the world is good once you agree | | that the world proceeds from God, the Source of all good. | | | | The world does not need preaching. But it would be benefited by | | powerful examples of actualized and creative individuals who | | allowed their inner light to shine. Let us quit all attempts to | | make others happy, and allow them to learn their own lessons. | | Instead, let us get busy with doing good works - the ones which | | proceed from the realization of our goodness and goodness of the | | entire world. | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | Recommended Reading: | | | | [ http://astore.amazon.com/talksontruth-20/detail/1401904599 ] Ask | | and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires | | | | Previous Articles of Andrei Yashurin: | | | | [ http://unityway.wordpress.com/2006/10/14/ | | freedom-through-awareness/ ] Freedom Through Awareness | [ | | http://unityway.wordpress.com/2006/10/07/truth-about-temptations/ ] | | Truth About Temptations | [ http://unityway.wordpress.com/2006/ | | 09/30/courage-of-being-ourselves/ ] Courage of Being Ourselves | | | [ http://unityway.wordpress.com/2006/09/23/practical-peacemaking | | / ] Practical Peacemaking | [ http://unityway.wordpress.com/ | | 2006/09/16/purity-and-vision/ ] Purity and Vision | | | | [ http://unityway.wordpress.com ] Talks on Truth Blog | | | | [ 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