Humility comes with the recognition that God is greater than any of us. He is the sole creator of the universe. When you pray, the aim is not to give God all kinds of information, telling Him what you want or need. Just the opposite. As you listen to the thoughts that God sends, listen with a willingness to accept them for the healing love they manifest. Harmony is present, no matter what the material senses seem to be saying.
Those same senses claim to take in all the life is-to see, hear, taste, smell and feel reality. Yet because they are material, they can't actually do that. They can only suggest that what they're reporting is real and true.
Acting, if done without convincing imagination, is typically an imitation of behavior, without real connection or emotion. It's fake. For example, imagine that right now I'm drinking lemonade, which is icy cold, a bit sour, and so refreshing. Feel the chilled glass, hear the tinkling of the ice cubes, and picture a squint in my eyes as I take a few sips. Before you know it, your mouth is watering and your lips are puckering up. Yet the truth is, I'm not drinking lemonade. I'm not drinking anything. Your imagination wasn't conveying the truth, only the suggested truth.
Listening spiritually to God silences the physical senses and so keeps us from being misled by them. Through prayer, the unity that truly exists between God and us in established in our consciousness, and in this way the divine governs the human. We're governed by the harmony and love of God, which has a healing, restoring effect on oiur lives. We are blessed.
This is the blessing acting on the Christ. The author os Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, offers many beautiful, concise explanations of Christ, such as this one: "Christ is the true idea voicing good, the divine message from God to men speaking to the human consciousness" (p. 332). Prayer is listening to this Christ message, which conveys the truth that there is one all-good God, who is infinite Spirit, and that what Spirit creates, which includes you and me, is spiritual and good. Obviously this spiritual reality is far different from what the physical senses suggest. Prayer puts us in touch with the truth, spiritual truth, and reveals our intimate relationship with God.
While I was in theater college, I had the opportunity to put the listening techniques I was learning into practice in a metaphysical way. My father and I were
Within no time I had outlined a pretty awful trip ahead and begun to pity and prepare myself for more unhappiness. Suddenly, the thought came to listen, really listen. I found myself responding with a positive attitude to the negative memories I was "hearing." "I am not going to argue with my father,: I said out loud. "God, You are my Father; I'm listening. Tell me what to do and I'll do it."
My heavenly Father did exactly that. What came into my consciousness were several lessons about listening I had recently been practicing in my acting classes. I realized then that I had not really been listening ot my dad. I had only been hearing my own, self-righteous point of view. Over and over the question came: "What doesn't my father hear from me?" "What does he want to hear from me?" I refused to listen to any other voice but God's. I prayed with vigor to listen to His answers. I became like Jacob wrestling with the angel, unwilling to let the angel go until it blessed me (see Gen. 32:24-30). This prayerful thought lasted the ten-plus hours of travel from my New York apartment to my father's home in California. Sometimes the "conversation" I was having with my dad seemed so real. The temptation seemed forceful to concede at least one negative thing about him. Yet the inspiration from that divine message from God kept rejecting these negative thoughts. Then, revelation! It was this: My dad didn't know that I loved him. And then God gave me a task. He showed me how to spiritually listen to my dad, how to love and respect him, not because of what he was saying, but because of what he was, in fact, being the child of God. My dad's true nature reflects the nature of God, our divine Father. That's the truth. How could I not want to hear what God's reflection has to say? Immediately upon arrival I listened keenly to the unique way my dad spoke; I listened to his rhythm of speech, totally captivated. I was enormously content just listening. I asked question after question, and loved him more than the answers, satisfied to be about my Father's business of unconditional love. My dad commented immediately on our reunion, and before the end f the day, he said this was the most joy he'd ever felt with me. Healing had taken place.
By listening to my heavenly Father; I heard His message of love, and was blessed, becoming His angel messenger. "For whom even as a father the son in whom he is delighteth" (Prov. 3:12). Listening, with no objective but to learn and love, is a most rich activity.
NE OF THE ELEMENTARY lessons you learn when studying acting is that of mastering the senses. Listening, for example. Real listening requires effort, concentration, and focus.
I discovered early on that it's valid to apply this observation to praying, or listening spiritually to God, as well. We turn on to God's voice by turning our own, off. Listening requires humility, commitment, and concentration. So does prayer.
going through a difficult time: a lot of arguing via long distance telephone calls. I had been imagining negative conversations all morning as I packed for spring break.
