Lessons In Truth - Lesson 6 - Annotation 9
What is desire? What is man's true desire?
9. Desire is an inner urge or impulse of God, the Good, seeking expressing through man, which was brought out in Lessons in Truth Lesson 2 Annotation 10.
The God-urge or impulse within is interpreted by us according to our understanding as a desire for something specific. For one person it may be the longing for more material good. To another it may be the desire for release from the burden of material possessions. One person may long for more power, while another may have the desire to channel his power in another direction than what he is now using. A very artistic person may have a longing that causes him to desire things that will satisfy his love of beauty. Another person, just as appreciative of beauty, may desire the simplicity of life that sees beauty in nature, in simple things, rather than having many beautiful objects around him.
"Desire is the onward impulse of the ever-evolving soul" (Prosperity 27).
Our true desire, whether we are aware of it or not, is to know God consciously. We really desire to know God as the wisdom of our intellect; the love of our heart; the life of our body; the harmony, peace, happiness of our relationships; the success and prosperity of our affairs.
All good results in our life come from seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness, whether we have realized it or not. However, all the desires we have ever had, have now, or will have in the future, are part of the one desire -- to truly know God, not merely to know about Him. Our desires may seem to be just for healing of the body, for food and clothing, for a home, for companionship, for prosperity and success, yet back of all these desires will be the one yearning of our soul -- to know God!
"If you desire a thing, you set in motion the machinery of the universe to gain possession of it, but you must be zealous in the pursuit in order to attain the object of your desire" (The Twelve Powers of Man 131).
Being "zealous in the pursuit" is made possible through our periods of prayer that put us in direct contact with the ideas back of our desires. We use the processes of denial and affirmation to prepare our consciousness to lay hold of the God ideas, then we follow through in the outer with actions based on this new state of consciousness.
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Preceding Entry: Does asking for the thing we desire play a part in spiritual demonstration?
Following Entry: In reality, can we desire that which belongs to another?
