Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Those Pesky Mosquitoes

Back in the day, I worked on a "hot shot" (fire line) crew for the US Forest Service. Early one Spring morning at a swampy tree farm in the foothills near Lake Oroville, I found myself standing at attention with a group of several others. We were sawyers (chainsaw operators) getting advanced instruction on falling large trees. Out of nowhere we were besieged by a cloud of mosquitoes that were intent on our little group supplying their breakfast. I was not wearing mosquito repellent, and apparently the instructor was since he kept the lecture / demonstration rolling. At this point the only thing I was learning was the expression "being eaten alive." I couldn't focus on anything but the sound of the swarm and the irritation of their bites. Seriously, I had to cover my mouth and nose because I actually inhaled a few.

Getting to the point where I could not stand it anymore I decided to get to work metaphysically -- this was my only option-- since walking away, complaining, or asking for a break was not an option. The treatment (or argument) was simple and precise. The thought that came to me was, "As a child of God, Spirit ... I am not a piece of meat for another creature to dine on."

In the midst of torment, "I am not a piece of meat" became so clear in my thought that there was no way I was going to back down to the evidence of my senses -- or let go of this truth. Immediately the mosquitoes vanished. In fact we did not see another one the rest of the day. Best of all I walked away that morning without any evidence of being bitten.

Driving home that afternoon, the two individuals with whom I carpooled with described in dismay how they had never seen so many mosquitoes ... how miserable they were ... and how weird it was that the humming black cloud of blood sucking insects seemed to vanish all at once.

;-)

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Brief & Powerful

Do not resent your body. Do not get discouraged because there appears to be a stubborn physical claim to meet.

Your body is your opportunity to "unsee" (devitalize) world belief.

Friday, February 1, 2008

What Matters Most

There was a point in my life where I found myself living in a small cell-block room adjacent to my place of employment. I felt a lot of pressure from family and friends for working there – in a position that they all felt I was over-qualified for. On the surface it appeared that I wasn't going anywhere careerwise or financially.

I would spend my free moments studying The Bible, and my employment was such that I was able to spend my working hours contemplating the ideas that had surfaced through my study. One evening I was sitting in this little bedroom looking at all my possessions stacked up to the ceiling, feeling sorry for myself and actually considering the thought that I was being a loser. Then I randomly opened the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures and my eyes fell on the following passage:

“To calculate one’s life-prospects from a material basis, would infringe upon spiritual law and misguide human hope. Having faith in the divine Principle of health and spiritually understanding God, sustains man under all circumstances;”[1]

BOOM! It hit me, this (my life) might not look like much at the moment, but I am growing spiritually… and that is EVERYTHING!

From that realization left all fear and self pity. Shortly thereafter a job offer came out of nowhere – the position wasn’t even vacant yet. Moreover I ended up moving into a new place on the beach with an unobstructed view of one of my favorite surf breaks, the Golden Gate shipping channels, and daily sunsets…two blocks from the Golden gate park. The point here is that regardless of how pathetic and discouraging the battle ground of the day is … we can take heart and know that as long as we’re growing closer to God – “All is well.”


[1] S&H 319:5-9


Monday, January 7, 2008

A Prayer for Today

There have been times when I have found it difficult to focus on the next step ... over the years this poem has been a helpful prayer in clarifying my thought.
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OBEDIENCE
by Marceline F. Jones
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What is Thy will for me, Father, to-day?
What shall I do for Thee? What think? What say?
... Thine is my life, my wish, my will;
... Use me to-day, and Thy purpose fulfill.
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Guiding the stars through the heavens' great span,
Guide Thou my life through Thy infinite plan.
... There is a place, a work, for me,
... Loving, rejoicing, and living for Thee.
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*Christian Science Journal, November 1924, page 419
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