| If God is, then I am. I cannot say, "I am yesterday," and I | | | | Some have an automatic knee-jerk adverse reaction |
| cannot say, "I am tomorrow." All I can say is "If God is, I | | | | to the word church or God. Somewhere in their |
| am." Joel S. Goldsmith, The Art of Spiritual Healing | | | | background they may have been forced or pushed to |
| "God as man, in man, is man". The Science of Mind, | | | | go to whatever church their parents did. So rather |
| page 482 | | | | than deal with it, they choose to deny any belief in a |
| Many of us have searched for more meaning in our | | | | Creator or Divine Presence. However, when we stop |
| lives. This inevitably leads to a search for God. In our | | | | long enough to sit and contemplate, we may recognize |
| search we find something that brings us to a deeper | | | | that there is something deep within us that begins to |
| realization and awareness of the Divine within each of | | | | stir. There is something there. We can call it whatever |
| us. Meditation is the key that opens the door to our | | | | seems appropriate to us: Inner Being, our Higher |
| awareness of the Presence that is within. In his book | | | | Power, Spirit, the Divine Essence, the word we use is |
| Practicing the Presence, Goldsmith recommends | | | | not important, it's the knowing that there's something, |
| meditating four times a day. Right away that thought | | | | some power, some force of nature that is just beyond |
| can knock many of us out of the ballpark. We know | | | | our understanding. |
| we can't possibly meditate four times a day. Some of | | | | I have a deep realization that there is a power and a |
| us are challenged to meditate once a day. However, | | | | presence, a creator and a source and I call it God. |
| twice a day might work. There are many different | | | | There is no other power. God is the All in All and lives |
| ways to meditate. There is a Buddhist meditation | | | | in through and around all people and all things and is |
| which calls for putting a smile into each part of your | | | | present everywhere. Being Omnipresent there is no |
| body, "a smile even into your liver." How healing that | | | | place where God is not. Spirit lives and expresses in |
| can be. | | | | each and every person. No matter how another |
| In Elizabeth Gilbert's wonderful book, Eat, Pray, Love, I | | | | person appears to us, to God that person is perfect. |
| found a mantra she used and tried it myself. It was | | | | My mother used to say, "What are they going to |
| simply "Ham-sa," which means "I am that." For as it is | | | | say?" Or "They might see you." She was always |
| often said, "God is closer than hands and feet, nearer | | | | worrying about what people might see or think about |
| than our very breath. "I am that" goes to the heart of it. | | | | us. I used to wonder who "they" were. However, it |
| God simply is. In the realization that if God is, and we | | | | doesn't matter how others see us. We can let go of |
| are created by God, we come to the realization of "I | | | | worrying about how we are perceived and simply |
| am that." | | | | remember the mantra "Ham-sa," "I am that." |
| There are many who do not want to be involved in an | | | | Affirmation |
| organized religion because of guilt and bad memories. | | | | I am one with the God that simply is. I am that. |