April 4, 2020
I greet this day in prayer and meditation. I pray that you are warm and dry on this gray April day, that you are at peace, and that you know you are loved. Because you are.
As I settle more deeply into being home, I feel a deep sense of comfort and freedom in being able to sit still. Even in my work, I am grounded in the silence. But I must admit, this has not been my constant experience as I do what is prudent to promote the health and well-being of myself and my community. While the majority of the time I find working from home an easy and enjoyable experience, there are moments when I need to practice determination. This word was presented as the focus of this morning’s contemplation from Unity’s Fasting and Feasting 2020. “I feast on determination.”
I have always been a fairly determined person. Some might call me stubborn…I call it determination or perseverance. The point was made that we often think of determination as “persevering through physical struggle and hardship.” And unfortunately, there are many people who are struggling right now, and who are called to this kind of determination. But there is another way of understanding and practicing this quality of being. Rev. Kurt Condra says that it “may be less about sheer force of will and brute strength, and more about openness and creativity.” He uses the story of David and Goliath as one example. David is a shepherd, not a soldier. He is a quiet man, not a fearsome warrior. How is it that he is able to kill Goliath with his “trusty sling and five smooth stones?” David trusts his own ability, his connection to God, and he knows he can do it…he is determined.
He is also open to being the one…willing to step forward. He is creative…creating the outcome he desires…by his choice of weapon, and by choosing to wear no heavy and unfamiliar armor. He doesn’t need it – he has faith in himself and faith in God. When we take the meaning of determination back to its Latin roots, we find this definition: de – completely; terminare – to terminate (which means to end); and tion – the act of…the act of completely terminating, or bringing to an end, whatever we are facing. With determination, there is no other possible outcome. The Spiritual Laws of Attention, Expectation, and Faith are called into action and there is no way he can fail
But I would like to suggest that David, the young shepherd, displays another, and less-talked-about quality, one that I feel was even more important to his victory over the giant. David was prepared, and prepared in a very specific way. He had been defending his sheep from wild animals and thieves for many years, without heavy armor or weapons, but rather, with his trusty sling. Not a slingshot like we know them, but a sling.
In ancient times, there were three kinds of warriors. First were the calvary on horseback with chariots; then came the heavy infantry, the armed foot soldiers with swords and shields; and finally, there was the artillery, which were archers and slingers. The slingers were the most accurate and the most dangerous of all soldiers. A slinger could shoot a flying bird out of the air, could hit a kill a target at 200 yards away. David was a slinger…not in the military, but in the protection of his flock. We might even pull in Dan Millman’s well-known book title and call David a Peaceful Warrior. Anyone who has read this book knows that self-discipline and self-awareness are required of anyone living up to this lofty title. And clearly, young David had done his Work. He was self-assured as he approached Goliath, getting so close that the Giant started to wonder what David was up to.
David was not an underdog…his victory was not improbable. He was prepared. And when we are prepared, there is no foe we cannot overcome. While I would agree that this well-known story has much to teach us of determination, it seems to me that its deeper message is, “Be prepared. Do your work.” Be prepared on a personal level, and be prepared as a culture.
For me, that means Spiritual Work. It is my prayer, meditation, study, and communion that prepares me for whatever life may bring. When I am fully prepared, there is no giant that I cannot slay. I have faith that, as a society, we are learning better preparedness for the future of our nation. And individually, I trust that we, the Light Workers of our time, know what a powerful set of tools we carry, and that we are fully able and willing to use them in the global transformation that is occurring here and now. I know that prayer has the Power to shift fear to Love, and where there is Love, no dis-ease of any kind may endure. We use our Vision in a hands-on, minds-on, hearts-on way…We Practice the Possible through Prayer.
I am reprinting a prayer written by one of my teachers, Dr. Tom Sannar. I sent his letter as an attachment a couple of days ago, but this prayer cannot be read or spoken too often. May you find it useful…may it speak to your heart.
A Spiritual Mind Treatment
I recognize the Presence and Power of Universal Spirit. It creates everything in the universe out of Itself.
Therefore, that very Presence and Power is in me. I am unified and one with It.
I realize there is only Life and more Life. Everything in the universe is alive and wishes to express. Everything in the universe responds to love. Love lifts up everything from the smallest virus to the largest galaxy. Love permeates the consciousness of every human being on our planet down to the cellular level. Harmony and cooperation prevail and anything unlike harmonious life now disappears or is transmuted into the harmony of love.
Our world leaders and our scientists are guided and directed by love. Solutions to scientific problems are immediate and life changing. All rise to the occasion of healing and wholeness. What previously appeared to separate us, brings us together as one people, one world and one earth. And so it is.
May we all be well…stay in touch…know our Unity…and thrive!
And may we know the Absolute Beauty and Wonder of this Grace-filled, once-in-a lifetime day…
