Wash Your Bowl
by Rev. Greg W. Neteler
(September, 2002)
Father, I am one with Thee. One through all
eternity.
One forever in the past; one as long as time
shall last.
Thou in me and I in Thee; life of endless unity.
This, my soundless song shall be: Father, I am
one with Thee.
Father, I am one with Thee; greatest thought of Truth to me.
I am filled with life, divine; therefore
boundless good is mine.
All my life is lived in Thee; perfect life of harmony.
This my constant thought shall be: Father, I am
one with Thee!
I don’t think there is
one of us who has not, at some time or other, glimpsed a vision of a life that is better
and greater than we have known so far. I think each one of us has seen—if only
through a glass darkly—another world, of life and health, joy and harmony, if only
for a moment. There have been certain souls who have passed through this human experience
who have seen and lived it fully and then tried to tell us about it while we have caught
only a glimmer of the possibilities.
Many say that they are
spiritual beings living in a spiritual universe and still look to a greater life only
after leaving this one—still believing that the spiritual life and physical life are
separate and different. When, in Truth they are one and the same. We are spiritual beings
living in a spiritual universe which is all around us and in us. It is all interconnected
and the same. There can be no separation of the Source and any part of its creation even
for an instant.
Jesus said, "The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand." (Mark 1:15) Here and now is the
time and the place to realize that all of God’s good is already present. There is
life, peace, joy, love and substance enough here and now. Jesus did not say that we have
to die first, nor that the time was a little way off. The kingdom of God is at hand; all
good in the universe is right where we are. But Jesus placed a codicil after his
declaration. "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and
believe in the gospel." That is where it becomes difficult for us. Repent. It does
not meant to feel regret or guilt nor does it mean we have to beg God for forgiveness. It
does mean to re-think. To re-think is to begin to see this world differently, to
realize that everything you do is a spiritual act and every place you go is a spiritual
place.
How can I say that wherever
you are and whatever you are doing is spiritual? Because God is omnipresent. There is no
place you can go where God is not. All knowledge, all power exist at all points in time
and space. "Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there."
(Psalm 139:7, 8) Sheol is the most commonly used word for the netherworld or the realm of
the dead. This was about as far from God as one could get. Yet, no matter how far you
think you can go, God is there because God is omnipresent—everywhere throughout the
universe. The divine Spirit interpenetrates everything. So in every experience, we can
realize the presence of God. An inaccurate paraphrase, yet one which conveys the essence
of the idea in the psalm, would be, "If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make
my bed in hell, you are there." There is no place we can go to escape the divine
presence.
There is an old story of a
young Buddhist neophyte studying under a Zen master. He was a particularly eager disciple.
Like us when we first begin our journey of spiritual discovery, he wanted to become highly
evolved quickly. "Master, I want to know what I can do to become an evolved
soul."
His master said, "Have
you eaten?"
"Why yes, master, I
have eaten."
"Then wash your
bowl."
God is not only everywhere
making every place spiritual, but also everywhen or present in every moment in
time. Therefore, every point in time and space is spiritual. Our problem is that we do not
recognize it. We have our eyes closed and walk in darkness. And when we walk in darkness,
we stumble with what we call "disease." We trip on "inharmony" and
fall upon "lack". Not because the universe withholds any good from us nor
because God moved, but because consciousness is closed to it. When we do not recognize
good’s presence, we cut ourselves off from the flow.
The way back into the flow
is to re-think, repent. Re-think who and what you are; re-think every act you experience
in life. Have you ever gone to the grocery and thought as you chose items from the
shelves, "God, I do this unto you." Or while doing dishes, painting your house
or paying bills? You can recognize in every moment that you are in the presence of God and
an expression of God.
"The kingdom of heaven
is at hand; repent." But there was one more thing Jesus added. "Believe in the
Gospel." Believe in the message of Truth that he taught, that God is your loving
Father and is supplying your every need now and always. Believe in the good news of life
and health, that no condition is too great for God to heal. God created you as His
image-likeness and placed you here with everything to meet every need. We all catch
glimpses of this world. There have been those who lived fully in this world and tried to
teach us about it. Now imagine if we all "got it." What a world this would be.
The metaphysician, Emmet
Fox, wrote a piece called "Blessing and Cursing" which expressed the idea that
we are always either building up by blessing or tearing down by cursing. This occurs
constantly through every thought and word, however idle or unconscious. Blessing is the
act of affirming good’s presence and our oneness with the omnipresent life, substance
and intelligence of God. Cursing is just the opposite—the silent or expressed
statements of negation and separation from good. Sometimes our cursing is so subtle that
we do not recognize it for what it is until we have made our bed in Sheol. Still, God is
there. Our good is there awaiting the word of blessing.
May this, your highest thought, be: Father,
I am one with Thee.
Copyright 2002, Greg W.
Neteler
Used with Permission.
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