By Robin Volker

One of our greatest tasks in this life is to know God and to understand the spiritual energy that forms all things in the universe.   Gaining a spiritual understanding of our relationship with God enables us to release our human concepts and thoughts about God.   When we release these concepts and thoughts about God, we also release our pre-formed concepts and thoughts about others and ourselves.   One of our deepest longings is to know God and to understand God as Principle Creator and as Personal Comforter.  We also want to know ourselves as the likeness of God.   And we ultimately want to know that this energy that is Principle Creator and Personal Comforter is within us.  And we want to know what that really and truly means to our lives. 

Meister Eckhart wrote, "The seed of God is within us all."   Jesus said, "I am the vine and you are the branches."  Here Jesus is referring to the Christ within as the core or vine of us all.   Out of this core grows the branches that can be identified and labeled the powers and attributes of God. 

In Unity, we believe that we are basically good.   We believe we are made in the image and likeness of God and God is good; therefore, we are good.   People often asked, "If I am basically good, why do I do bad things?"  "Why do others do evil and hurtful things?"  

We are spiritually growing expressions of God.   Some of our God faculties and powers are more developed than others. Sometimes we misuse and abuse our God–given powers and abilities.   Just as a seed knows what it is to become someday, we too have within us the spiritual knowledge of what we are to express in this life.  What some people call "evil" or "bad" is an imbalance of God's powers within us.   We have not yet learned to understand and discern the right expression of who we truly are.   Sometimes we live in this place of imbalance. Our lives become strained and stressed.  Every day seems difficult; each situation unmanageable.  Our human ego runs rampant through our emotions, and we act out unhealthy or fearful personality disorders.  Some imbalances cause us to behave with meanness, hatred, and cruelty.  If any of these actions are showing up in your life or in the life of someone you know, you can trust that there is an imbalance of God's magnificent powers in the person's life. 

We get back into balance when we stop and seek to understand.   We have to stop the frenetic mind activity of shaming, blaming, and judging and allow ourselves to become still and go within to our inner temple.  How do we get spiritual understanding?  Charles Fillmore gave us some good advice when he said, "…make your mind receptive to the higher understanding through silent meditations and affirmations of Truth."  When the mind is in its crazy-making place, the last thing it wants to do is surrender control and meditate.   Yet we cannot find inner peace, the peace that comes with understanding, unless we become still and quiet.  

This week, I encourage you to take five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening and just sit in the silence.  During this time, don't try to change what you are thinking or feeling.  Just be quiet and alone with yourself.   You may gain deep insights if you take another five minutes and journal about what may come up for you.  

In order to understand God, be still and know God within.

Namaste`

Rev. Robin