How I Used Truth - Lesson 4 - Annotation 5
What causes a person to seek that which is higher than he is now experiencing?
5. That which causes a person to seek that which is higher than he is now experiencing is the call or urge of Spirit (God). It is a prompting to all of us to come into the conscious knowledge of our true destiny -- the manifesting of our spiritual Self, the Christ or I AM.
No matter what another person may be experiencing that is undesirable, we can relax in the realization of each man's divine destiny. We are then able to behold another person free to follow the leading of his own indwelling Father. The call of God to seek something higher will come to him, as it does to all of us, as desire.
"Desire in the heart is always God tapping at the door of your consciousness with His infinite supply" (Emilie Cady Lessons In Truth 6:27) .
Desire, which was discussed extensively in Lesson Six of Lessons in Truth, is the God-urge to express life, substance, intelligence, and all of the divine qualities through man. Desire makes us conscious of a longing or hungering to know the Author of our being and to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. The text (page 50) states very definitely:
"No one will seek anything higher than he is today, until he feels the need of something higher" (How I Used Truth 50).
We may tell another how he should rid his life of unwanted thoughts and actions. However, until he himself desires to be free from unpleasant conditions, he will not call on the God-energy within that can lead him into a changed life. We cannot implant a desire for something better in the mind of another person. Such a desire must be born out of his own needs.
"Sincere desire is a form of prayer. Deep desire is essential for spiritual growth. It is desire -- earnest, intense desire -- that draws the whole being up . . . into the power to appreciate and receive real spiritual blessings" (Keep a True Lent 146).
The development and growth of a seed into plant or tree is an allegory of our own lives. The moving of the life, substance, and intelligence of God in the individual seed allows of development and subsequent fulfillment. It is not dependent upon another seed lying beside it in the dark earth. The urge to seek the light, to draw sustenance from the soil, comes from the life principle within the seed itself. As the "seed of God" we are individually dependent only upon the God principle within us, which we term Christ, or I AM, the Father within. So it is with our fellow men. We may, through love, seek to inspire another to seek something better than he is manifesting, and to point out the joys of a changed life. However, only as the other person becomes conscious of the moving of Spirit within is he able to desire a new life and direct his thoughts toward that goal.
"To think is to make manifest in the world of forms. Every time you hold a thought in your mind, you are forming a body for that thought ... if you want a body of freedom and light, think thoughts having at their base freedom and light. Man never rises higher in expression than his thought, and his thought never rises higher than the idea back of it" (Pamphlet: The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand 11).
The "inner voice" of God, which we often term "the still small voice," is speaking constantly in each man's soul. However, only as one desires the abundant life, rather than a life of limitation, will he listen and accept the guidance of his own indwelling Christ Spirit. We can inspire others to desire more good for themselves, but not by forcing our opinions upon them. The prodigal son was inspired to change his manner of living by remembrance of the good in his father's house. Sometimes our silently-spoken prayer or word of blessing can help someone who seems lost in the fog of his own frustrations to remember that joy and happiness are his birthright. Such a remembrance could be the very spark that will cause him to desire something higher than he is experiencing at the moment.
You are not higher than your lowest thought,
Or lower than the peak of your desire.
And all existence has no wonder wrought
To which ambition may not yet aspire.
O Man! There is no planet, sun, or star
Could hold you, if you but knew what you are!
-- Selected
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Preceding Entry: What does it mean to proselyte? Why should one not be anxious about the welfare of another's soul?
Following Entry: How do counselors, teachers, and friends often stand in the way of a person's attaining a desired consciousness?
