Positive Spirituality

 

LIFE IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME

By Rev. Dr. Arthur Chang

 

 Life is your opportunity to become. Quantum science informs us that in each moment the whole universe changes—it comes into being and perishes. Miraculously, we have the power to guide change for manifesting our best life. Paraphrasing Hindu mystic, Aurobindo, “We do this to the delight of God!”

 Nonetheless, guiding change through our thoughts and beliefs is challenging. Like an Olympian preparing for an event, the life we choose for our best becoming demands the best consciousness and application of which we are capable. This does not mean it has to be perfect.

 As part of the universe in its eternal springtime of becoming, the life process is one of constant change. The Law of Change cannot be hindered or stopped. It is also the Law of Actuality or Reality in which we live, move and have our becoming. When change is experienced as loss, it can bring about great anxiety and hurt. However, only change can bring us our most rewarding life. The great secret is in realizing that the Law of Change is, at once, the Law of Creativity, which we can use through the power of thought.

 As redesigning the landscape of our yard brings a happy transformation of mind, even more so, will redesigning the chaotic landscape of our mind bring a profoundly spiritual vision to direct our best becoming.

 Though fear is rendered as the culprit that will stymy our best becoming, this is a profound misrepresentation of fear’s true function. Fear is designed as an early warning system for an ancient world that was far more dangerous than it is now. Mental disease resulting from fear is an abused use of this alarm system.

 As a car alarm can be timely turned off after serving its warning function, so must the fear warning function be controlled. We should not dismiss fear resulting from change as a mental disease. Jesus’ poetic rendering of neutralizing fear is beautifully stated as follows,

 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 5:25-26)

 Do not be anxious about your life means, do not be anxious about change because change is life in process.

 Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? means your greatest gift is life itself. Don’t put other things above your life.

 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? To “look at” means to shift your attention. In this case, be aware of how the invisible air supports the bird’s flight as the invisible god supports your life. This turns off fear and turns on faith.

 Jesus was aware humans cannot responsibly ignore sowing, reaping, and storing, or they will physically starve. However, time must be made for the mental and spiritual nourishment needed by taking a Sabbatical from duties. To do so will be to discover our right becoming rising naturally from the depths of our souls. Lao Tzu, the great Chinese sage, puts it this way,

Can you be still until the mud settles

And the water is clear?

Can you be unmoving

Until right action arises by itself?

 To guide your becoming is to work from your peaceful mind.