“What happens when you shine the rays of a lamp into the darkness? Does it make the darkness greater? No, the light overcomes the darkness. When you bless a man you appeal to the child of God in him. When the child of God in him feels this blessing, he becomes more alert and powerful. Blessing an enemy does not mean that you give him more power to harm you, but you help him to be more friendly. The law is: Bless good and it increases. … You know the law, are you willing to use it?”
Lowell Fillmore, Weekly Unity, May 1936
Here in the U.S. it feels like we are in a period of waiting – waiting for a covid-19 vaccine, waiting for safe in-person re-opening of our economy, our schools, and our houses of worship, waiting for racial justice to flourish, waiting for decisions to be made through upcoming elections. Waiting can get wearisome, and our emotions get stirred up. In such a mind space, it is easy to look around for somebody to blame for our discomfort. Doing that, however, has a steep price. Blaming our disquiet on conditions outside of ourselves may bring temporary relief, however, it doesn’t resolve the core problems. In addition, we have added our anxiety to a polarizing blame game that is already well underway.
In the midst of a seemingly boxed in situation we can take a stand that not only lets us out, but also opens the way for others. Our approach can make room for respectful interactions that create real solutions. We can decide to stand for blessing, for holding high the lamp of Spirit, for brimming over with the harmonizing power of love. That doesn’t mean that we condone outer actions that are harmful – we may even choose to speak up about or take constructive action on our concerns. We can acknowledge our own feelings of concern and also make the choice not to indulge in condemnation.
What taking a stand for blessing means is that we see each person, no matter how much we may disagree with them, as God’s beloved child. When we think of them, we think of and speak to the inner person, “I see God’s Light and Love in you.” Even if at first we don’t really mean it, the Christ in us does! And after a while, our attitude and emotions will soften, and our whole self will mean it. We’ll see that this person with whom we have felt so upset is tied up in their own fears and worries. We’ll see that situations that have distressed us also stem from fear. Compassion will bud in our soul. And when that happens, look out! Compassion, respect, and connection can now blossom and take hold in our community, our country, and our world. From that place we have the capacity to work together to create solutions that uplift everyone.
The time is now to take your stand for blessing. What we think, what we express, what we do today is the consciousness that creates what happens tomorrow. Transform this time of waiting into a time of creating what you want most deeply and fervently from the depths of your own soul. The time is now to sow the seeds of love and light for a bountiful harvest. “The law is: Bless good and it increases. … You know the law, are you willing to use it?”
In the Love and Light of the Christ,
Rev. Anna
