God Will Provide the Food, But He Will Not Cook the Dinner
Great excerpt from the book Forget Selling on how our own perception is the window to opportunity or the road block that traps us.
An experience Gandhi had when discovering his purpose and developing his vision well illustrates the Law of Attraction. When a man arrived from a distant country and volunteered to join Gandhi, he asked Gandhi if he was surprised at his unplanned appearance. Gandhi simply replied, "When a person discovers what is right and purposeful, and begins to pursue it, the necessary people and resources tend to appear, as if attracted to the cause." Gandhi is a supreme example of influence and resonance, for he never had any official position in government or business, had no wealth, and commanded no armies. However, he influenced, mobilized, inspired, and transformed millions of people.
The power of expectation is revealed in numerous studies with varying names. Most people are familiar with the Placebo, the Pygmalion, and the Halo Effects which all verify the power of expectation and suggestion. In the 1970s, psychologist Dr. Robert Rosenthal revealed how the expectation of one can alter the behavior of another. Students of the same IQ were randomly divided into two groups and teachers were told that one group was gifted and had high IQs, and that the other group was dull and had low IQs. After only eight months, the supposedly high IQ group performed at an A level while the supposedly low IQ group performed at a D level. The only variable in the study was that of the expectations of the teachers involved.
There are numerous studies in medicine where the Placebo Effect has, in some cases, been more effective than the medication given after negative side effects of the medication were taken into account. Studies have shown that people often get better just making an appointment with their doctor. They continue to improve and symptoms subside even while sitting in the waiting room. I guess if they wait long enough, they may not even need to see the doctor. Now, that's a clever way to cut healthcare costs. In another study, doctors performed a false surgery for breast implants, and although there was no actual surgery, the breasts were increased because of the patient's expectations. In the Korean War, there was a shortage of morphine to relieve the pain of suffering soldiers. Thus, doctors gave sugar pills and suggested that their pain would soon be relieved and approximately 25 percent of the soldiers reported a reduction in pain.
Your brain is not your mind, but your mind's instrument, just as your body is the instrument through which thoughts and feelings are expressed. Your mind is the envelope of the soul. A positive, confident, expectant mind renders you receptive to creative forces. It is because of the receptive nature of this divine creative faculty that thoughts are manifested and you become unstoppable. Faith is the unseen world and thought that gives substance to things unseen. You can actually think of only one thing at a time, thus, you cannot have positive thoughts as negative words are spoken. Select your words carefully for they predict your future success.
Elizabeth Browning states, "We carry within us the wonders we seek without us." However, all of life's forces can only manifest to the degree that you confidently believe that they can and will materialize. The intricate reciprocity of your mind and the Universal Mind is the key factor to how and when we blossom. This integral relationship was confirmed by Genevieve Behrend in her interviews with Judge Thomas Troward at the turn of the century, "God will provide the food, but He will not cook the dinner." Co-dependent relationships don't work in life nor in the symbolic world. Things are symbols, and it is important to remember that the thing symbolized is more important than the symbol itself. Remember also that the mind is not fickle. If you start and end your day with a well-directed meditation, but the rest of your day is filled with fear and anxiety, you are sabotaging your success. Judge Troward continues to explain to his pupil that "will" is a thought stabilizer and holds a thought to a given purpose until it is consummated or manifested. He insisted that you get into the spirit of your desire. "The spirit of a thing is that which is the source of its inherent movement."
Share on FacebookThe Difference in Perception & Reality
The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. - Proverbs 16:9
In the mornings, I-405 has a reputation for having bad traffic. For most of the summer, it had been a pretty easy drive. I would just hop on the interstate, weave through Redmond, and coast to work. Fairly simple and easy but it all changed Monday.
What changed Monday?
School started. It is kind of shocking how the traffic changes when kids are back in school. All the families that would sleep in are now up and driving. This didn't add too much to my commute, just about 5 minutes. We will find out about the 5 minutes as I have only driven in the traffic for 3 days. But it got me thinking about perspective. I like to think that I have my future in place. That I am going somewhere. I like to feel in control of my situation.
With the added 5 minutes, it gave me some more time to think about life. If you are anything like me, you try to find the fastest lane on the interstate. If not, please stay in the FAR right lane and exit off the freeway. Thank you in advance. You weave from left to right predicting the amount of cars ahead of you, the pace of the car in front of you, and openings from cars behind you. You know the quick lanes, when and where they happen. You know that some lanes slow down because of a merger or speed up because of the extra lane. You control your vehicle within your given parameters. What we have is a lateral view of the lanes. In other words, we have a horizontal view of life. We don't know if the lane we are in will be faster than another lane. We do know from experience how lanes 'act', but we don't know for sure how the lane will 'act' that day. We just hope there is no accident up ahead.
All of God's perspective is from an aerial view. He can see from beginning to end. He knew you before you were born. He knows where you are going. He is protecting you. He is guiding you. He is directing your steps! If He knew of a blockage up ahead, He is not going to direct you toward it. Now if you can't hear His voice, you may just cruise without getting direction on where to go and end up waiting longer than you should have been. If there is a blockage up ahead, God is not here to direct you toward it. However, He may want you to slow down. He may want to teach you a few things in 'traffic'. He may want to teach you some patience. Or maybe that He is in control. Not you.
The aerial view sees things from beginning to end. Even though you may think you are stuck in a rut, you may not have known about a stalled car in the supposed 'fast lane'. In your limited lateral view, you see cars zooming by you. You wish you were in that lane but the cars are too close. No room to merge in. They are closed doors of opportunity. In reality, you think you are stuck. Stuck behind the old asian grandma who got her license by another old asian instructor. You get frustrated at life. You get mad at the situation, the 'allotment of life'. You say things like: It's unfair. If I only had this. This situation (car) needs to get out of the way!
Yet, you don't know reality. Did you realize you got to your destination? Safe & Sound? What is an extra five minutes on the road if you got to where you want to go?
NOTE: If you are late to everything, that 5 minutes is bad. Please be a better time coordinator or you will get fired!
Did you realize that after all this traffic, you are in the 'fast lane' right next to the car that had zoomed past you? Traffic is temporary. Once things clear up, you can cruise. Most of the time you can prepare for traffic and avoid traffic. Sometimes you can't. You just have to go through it. Either way, your perspective should be held in an aerial view and not a lateral view; so don't begrudge your situation. Because in the end, you will make your destination! Even if you are 5 minutes late!
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