Sunday, February 5, 2012
-Receiving and Giving
~ Rev. William M. Heller
It doesn’t take long to be at Unity before you hear the term, “Thoughts in Mind produce after their Kind.” The Law of Mind action, this speaks to our making our perspective of how we see the world, our life, and the meaning we give to whatever crosses our path. We can explore this further when asking a simple set of questions: what do you value? And how do you value it?
As God’s creation, all we receive is going to be in direct relation to what we give. And what we give is going to be based on what we value, how much we value, or believe in something. No more, no less. As you sow, so shall you reap! It is as simple as that. This truth has produced both positive & negative experiences and results for us. With a greater awareness how this is playing out we have the opportunity to direct our thoughts towards the positive. The question we must ask, again, is what do I value (or believe in)?
In our dealings in the world, through our ego perspective, we’ve been trained to follow the guidelines, “buy low, sell high.” The message here is I can pay a low price, (value low); I can put less into a matter than what I expect to get in return (value high). And this is considered how we “get ahead” in our life. And when that does not happen, we surely can feel we’ve been shorted, or it’s not fair. When not working out this manner, our expectations can surely end up thwarted, and disappointing.
Let’s look at this at the level of presence, at the level of being, as God’s creation. What is it you have had in your heart, that you have made your focus into in life? And how have you been rewarded for this? Have you reaped what you have sown? Alternately, were there matters you valued that were developed mentally or intellectually, with no foundation in who you are?
For a good part of my adult life, my focus has been on my belief in getting ahead through business. That if I do the job right, I will be suitably rewarded. And in truth I was. I worked hard; and I was suitably valued in compensation: bonuses, promotions, increases, stock options. How cool was that, how great; I’m on the right track, I thought. Never mind the bitterness, the resentment, the workload that I carried. Never mind the time away from my children, or the less value I put in making my relationship work with my then wife.
After all, what I valued was getting ahead, and I was doing this for the sake of my family, and for myself. I clearly see that the rewards I was given back, the value I received, was in direct proportion to what I gave. I reaped what I sowed. The work, the effort I gave subsequently manifested what I was paid. That was what I valued. It was based on the valuation that the world would give us. I can also see what I had given up along the way, in this pursuit. Clearly, this was not founded in my heart; it was in a belief in this world, that it would provide what I needed. This experience was not based in love!
I’d like to bring up another example of the distinction between the world view and Spirit; between the belief in materiality and in love. In the way of the world, if I have something, and I give it to you, I no longer have it; your gain is my loss. Whatever this was, money, property, resources, attention or energy, is limited, finite in nature.
What happens when you have a loving thought, a loving experience, you then share with another? Is that thought, that experience of love, lost to you? NO! Not at all! And further, if the other accepts your loving thought, isn’t that experience increased? As they have accepted it, it has been strengthened in you and it has been enhanced further.
The world and our belief in the world is based on lack, limited resources. It is based on the belief in scarcity. If we are living our lives based on the beliefs in the world, our returns will be equal to what we give out; nothing more. In Love, our reality, our experience of life is increased by giving it away, by sharing this with others. If what we are doing is derived from a perspective of love, of grace, of being, we are in the creation business; we are extending God’s Love; we are touching on the magnificence of our life, and the oneness which we share with the allness of life.
So I go back to my career, and I recognize how much of it has been invested in the realm of giving to get; to give, such that I get what I need. Sacrifice was at hand; self-centered thoughts, where I was worried about my “betterment,” my “getting ahead.”
At Unity in the Foothills, our mission, our vision, is focused on you being able to deepen your experience of this choice playing out in your life. You have the opportunity to recognize the distinction between giving from a perspective of love, and giving from a state of the world. You are in the driver’s seat of how you are experiencing your life. You are the one making the choice of what you value and how. When you are involved with us, be it through giving of your time, your talent, or your treasure, my prayer is you are able to experience the meaning of giving and receiving through love: to see you have that choice throughout.
In all areas of your life, Let your spirit, your heart, be the source you use to direct your consciousness. Whatever you’re involved in, you’ll find yourself giving and receiving love. Maintain the high watch by valuing this highly, and you will be rewarded highly. Give at a high level, and you will receive at a high level. What is it you want more of in your life?
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