The Man Who Found God

There seems to be no way, in which I can better teach you about this life, so strange to you, than by telling my experiences and conversations with men and women here [in the world of spirits].

I said, one night long ago, that I had met more saints than philosophers, and I want to tell you now about a man who seems to be a genuine saint.

Yes; there are little saints, and great saints, as there are little sinners, and great sinners.

One day, I was walking on a mountaintop. I say “walking,” for it seemed about the same, though it takes but little energy to walk here.

On the mountaintop, I saw a man standing alone. He was looking out and far away, but I could not see what he was looking at. He was abstracted, and communing with himself, or with some presence of which I was unaware.

I waited for some time.

At last, drawing a long breath, for we breathe here, he turned his eyes to me. and said, with a kind smile―

Can I do anything for you, brother?

I was embarrassed for a moment, feeling that I might have intruded upon some sweet communion.

“If I am not too bold in asking,” I said, “would you tell me what you were thinking, as you stood there looking into space?”

I was conscious of my presumption, but being so determined to learn what can be known, if sometimes I am too bold in making inquiries, I feel that my very earnestness may win for me the forgiveness of those I question.

This man had a beautiful beardless face, and young-looking eyes, but his garments were the ordinary garments of one who thinks little or nothing of his appearance.

That very unconsciousness of the outer form may sometimes give it a peculiar majesty.

He looked at me in silence for a moment; then, he said―

I was trying to draw near God.

And what is God; and where is God?

He smiled. I never saw a smile like his, as he answered―

God is everywhere. God is.

“What is he?” I persisted, and again he repeated, but with a different emphasis―

God is.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

God is, God is.

I do not know how his meaning was conveyed to me, perhaps by sympathy, but it suddenly flashed into my mind that when he said, “God is,” he expressed the completest realisation of God, which is possible to the spirit; and when he said, “God is,” he meant me to understand that there was no being, nothing that is, except God.

There must have been in my face a reflection of what I felt, for the saint then said to me―

Do you not also know that He is, and that all that is, is He?

“I am beginning to feel what you mean,” I answered, “though I doubtless feel but a little of it.”

He smiled, and made no reply, but my mind was full of questions.

“When you were on earth,” I said, “did you think much about God?”

“Always. I thought of little else. I sought Him everywhere, but seemed only at times to get flashes of consciousness, as to what He really was.

Sometimes when praying, for I prayed much, there would come to me suddenly the question,

To what are you praying?

And I would answer aloud,

To God, to God!

But though I prayed to Him every day for years, only occasionally did I get a flash of that true consciousness of God.

Finally, one day, when I was alone in the woods, there came the great revelation.

It came, not in any form of words, but rather in a wordless and formless wonder, too vast for the limitation of thought.

I fell upon the ground, and must have lost consciousness, for, after a while, I awoke, and got up, and looked about me. Then, gradually, I remembered the experience, which had been too big for me while I was feeling it.

“I could put into the form of words, the realisation, which had been too much for my mortality to bear, and the words I used to myself were,

All that is, is God.

It seemed very simple, yet it was far from simple.

All that is, is God.

That must include me, and all my fellow beings, human and animal; even the trees, and the birds, and the rivers, must be a part of God, if God were all that is.

“From that moment, life assumed a new meaning for me.

I could not see a human face, without remembering the revelation, that the human being I saw was a part of God.

When my dog looked at me, I said to him aloud,

You are a part of God.

When I stood beside a river, and listened to the sound of its waters, I said to myself,

I am listening to the voice of God.

 

When a fellow being was angry with me, I asked myself,

In what way have I offended God?’

When one spoke lovingly to me, I said,

‘God is loving me now,' and the realisation nearly took my breath away.

Life became unbelievably beautiful.

“Theretofore, I had been so absorbed in God, in trying to find God, that I had not given much thought to my fellow beings, and had even neglected those nearest me.

But from that day, I began to mingle with my human brethren.

I found that, as more and more I sought God in them, more and more, God responded to me through them.

And life became still more wonderful.

You are literally what you think.

As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he embraces the whole of your being and reaches out to every condition and circumstance of your life. 

You are literally what you think, your character being the complete sum of all your thoughts.

For All Who Suffer Sleepness Nights

Repeat morning and night―

Tonight, I sleep with angels.

Like attracts like!

Remember; like attracts like. 

Like energy attracts like energy. 

Like thoughts attract like thoughts. 

In life, like begets like!

Life-affirming Words

Work hard. 

Look to the future with enthusiasm and hope. 

Accept responsibility, not only asking, for your own rights, but accepting responsibility for yourself, for other people, for nature, and for future generations.

Think about what you want most in your life for you, but know that you find your love and happiness within your own self first.

Radiate this, and it will attract those to you that you are searching for. 

There are good things out there for you.

When a door closes, another one of equal, or better value, is opening.

You do make a difference.

It does matter.

No matter how bad it gets, remember it could have been worse.

Never give up.

Never accept failure, no matter how often it visits you.  Keep on going.  Never give up.  Never.

—Dr Michael Smurfit

Determine to succeed despite obstacles.

You are much more likely to succeed if your willpower is awakened and brought into play than if you are merely told to do your duty and hope for the best because hoping is not willing and though it may be indicative of a firm faith in the existence of Divine justice and foresight, yet it fails to rouse the energies so well as the earnest longing, which is supported by a determination to succeed in spite of obstacles.

Stop and smell the flowers.

Do not hurry; do not worry.

 

You are only here for a short visit.

So be sure to stop and smell the flowers.

―Walter Hagen

Why worry? It will probably never happen.

Remember; why worry? It will probably never happen.

Live completely here and now.

These roses under my window do not worry about whether they are better than former roses, or whether succeeding roses will be better than they.

There is simply the rose; it exists with God today.

But human beings, heedless of the riches, which surround them, are always on tiptoe to foresee a future, and they do not know how to live completely here and now.

―Emerson

There are good things out there for you.

Think about what you want most in your life for yourself, but know that you find your love and happiness within your own self first.

There are good things out there for you, and for all of us.

Direct your thoughts and feelings.

Begin now to control and direct your thoughts and feelings.

Devote your whole day to God.

Devote your whole day to God―in prayer, thoughts, words, and action.

 

What is logical Law?

Through your thoughts and inspiration, you weave for yourself your future place in the next dimension. This is a logical Law.

Keep your thoughts pure.

Keep your thoughts pure that you may not be the means of doing injury to others. 

It is equally true that you may unconsciously do considerable good in the world by simply living a good life, and thus influencing others, not so much by your example, as by your personal magnetic sphere, which is beneficial to the morally diseased with whom you come into contact. 

An unequal amount of good may be done by one who leads a pure life in the midst of the impure, as by one who gives thousands away in charity. 

The one gives spiritual benefits and the other bestows temporal advantages. 

You confer benefits by your example but also by your personal magnetic sphere; the good is not only confined to the healthy influence of your own presence but is likewise enhanced by the healthy influence of the spirit friends you bring with you. 

Set your own devil to serve your own god.

Set your own devil to serve your own god.

You are not your brother's keeper.

You are not your brother's keeper. If your brother delights in the devil, let him have the pleasure of his preference. Will is free.

Walk in the paths of wisdom.

All this is done for you—

Flowers blossoming in beauty and fragrance; the forests and fields clothed in variegated tints; the life-giving, refreshing waters, welcomed by the thirsty land; the cooling, strength-imparting breezes; the stones, which form our homes, and the metals, which supply us with tools; the precious stones that bedeck the crown of the monarch—these, and a thousand beside, are your gifts. 

You are a child of Infinite Intelligence; be mindful of your great origin. Why should you take up with the fleeting sensual pleasures of Earth—you, the offspring of the Eternal Spirit? 

Thrust these aside, as things beneath your dignity, and walk in the paths of wisdom. Strive to obtain knowledge, for that is a treasure that can never be taken away from you.

How can you add to the holiness of the world?

Rest in the peace of mind, certain and sure, that the Father—because He is your Father—understands you, and more than that, that He will lift you out of your lesser self into the self you long to be. That God, being your Father, can do what so often it is impossible for you to do yourself—raise you up into truth and holiness and peace.

Remember, that, in demonstrating God—even in the little that you think you are able to do—in demonstrating Him so you are adding to the strength and the holiness of the world.

Get a little higher up, as it were, and stand on the side of the hill and look down on physical life, when from a little distance, things will be seen in their right perspective and as your mind is able to traverse farther up the hill of understanding, so your view will be broadened and the perspective at each point will be seen to be better still.

It is impossible for one to injure another without that injury having to be made good. 

It is a spiritual law that one cannot think of one good thought in connection with another without the fruits of that good thought being gathered to oneself.

Look at it in God's way—when, as is often the case, you are brought up with something of horror against ingrained selfishness—that consideration only of individual comfort and desire—when you see examples like this, thank God that their responsibility is not your own; thank God and pray that the Light may come to them before it is too late—too late in the sense that the accumulated burden is so heavy that much suffering and effort must be forthcoming before they are free to walk with happiness in the Gardens of the Lord.

Remember the shortness of your little earth life—when there are those who make you suffer—sometimes unconsciously and sometimes with intent—then take it in a spiritual way and be glad that when you step free, there will be that less to make good on your own account; remember that although the pangs of the physical heart and mind may seem terrible to bear, yet in a way, so wonderfully kind, those pangs are instantaneously turned into power and beauty and holiness.

Find within yourself sufficient spiritual resources to put faith to the test, to approach your Maker with trust and to ask Him to heal that which is hurtful and harmful where the body is concerned.

God's ways are best.

Do not overlook this one great fact—

Consider God's mighty plan—God's overseeing care.

Put away the thought that God extends mercy as an act of grace in the spirit of condescension, for such is impossible to the Father's Mind. You can think and dwell and ponder on His merciful intervention between the physical and the spiritual self, but when it is a matter between the Father's Heart and your errors and mistakes, mercy is swept out of being by His enveloping Love and understanding.

Regard faith as a star—the star which reflects God's Love, that star which not only shines during your life's journey but when you are free will be seen in all its magnificent glory, calling you on and on to those heights which have no end.

The going may be hard; the sensitive mind and the shrinking heart may be lacerated again and again, but for every barb that finds a resting place, so God compensates in a way you can never grasp until spiritual sight is your own.

Do you not see God's magnificent Justice? 

That the one who suffers—ignorant of the spiritual laws which are working so harmoniously—that the sufferer lying there in his or her helplessness, by the very fact that he suffers, he is able to contribute to the spiritual resources of countless others. 

And do not forget the wonderful gain to the individual because pain is so hard to bear! Then trace back the sources. Remember those who are far distant, unable to render help in physical form—remember that these—by their thoughts, by their prayers—are helping the sufferer, helping those who are tending the sufferer and by their wish to help are helping themselves as well.

God's Justice never fails—

In the wish for faith, in that raising of the mind—hoping for faith—because the thought is directed to Him, the effect of that wish and thought will last forever.

Think this over and remember the responsibility of the lesser self towards the greater self.

Do not think because God is the Creator, you must approach Him and ask for mercy to avert that which earthly justice bestows.

Remember that God regards you as something precious, something that is a treasure indeed and that on all sides help is provided—that everywhere, in every phase of life, running through every act, through every incident—is that deep, strong river of His Love.

See in your life, in the trend of events, the Guiding Hand of God—rest content, not worrying over what the future holds, covering the past with forgetfulness because once the body is laid aside that past will bear a totally different representation.

Fear is a great enemy and is not an easy thing to circumvent; if you kill it at one point it springs up at another. You might call it self-preservation and it is true in a way that you have never considered—the preservation of self—the preservation of the lesser self, which evil fosters and feeds.

God directs and God guides in a way no words can explain. Therefore, worry, anticipation or foreboding are totally out of place. 

Anticipate that God will provide not only the things of your material life but also those great contributing gifts which are necessary for the harmony of the spirit with that which is Love Divine.

Continue your way in confidence, remembering to ask for the Holy Spirit to guide you; putting worry and anticipation of sorrow behind you and stretching out for those things which are in front. 

Strength, understanding and greater faith will make all things clear.

Do not forget that the giant of despair was the last big test before the Summerland was reached!

—Spirit John Bunyan

Belief is a magical thing!

In life, like begets like. This is a simple truth.

If I believe I am unloved, I think and feel I am unloved. This belief attracts life experiences or conditions that mirror back what I think and feel. It’s that simple! I create my own reality.

Let’s consider this simple prayer—

Dear God

Please send me someone to love.

What is the thought behind my prayer? What is my reality here now?

Love eludes me.

Let's consider a new approach:

Dear God

Thank you for loving me.

Do you see?

There is a shift in awareness. Love is all around me. I AM loved.

Belief is a magical thing!

I AM loved attracts life experiences or conditions that mirror back what I think and feel—I live my being in truth, love and joy.

Our birthright is to be happy.

Please let's not forget!