Within Our Grasp

WITHIN OUR GRASP
Self-Enrichment by Unselfish Means
by Val John Jennings



INTRODUCTION

In his famous speech, Acres of Diamonds,the late Russell H. Conwell, founder of temple University wrote: "Greatness consists not in the holding of some future office, but really consists in doing great deeds with little means. ...To be great at all one must be great here, now. ..."
Truly the answers to our greatest needs are near. They are WITHIN OUR GRASP!

As a boy scout I remember being taught that stinging nettle was an edible plant. To brush against it lightly was uncomfortable and irritating, but to boldly grasp it and pull it out of the ground would result in little or no discomfort. I had to learn the truthfulness of that council by trying to gather nettle myself. My faith in the understanding of others was not disappointing. I was able to gather nettle without gloves or fear.

Getting rid of poison ivy, however, was a different matter. Any direct contact to the skin was to be avoided at all costs. It didn't matter that some who seemed to "bathe" in the stuff went without ill effects and others were contaminated by merely touching one so exposed.

Many of life's choices carry their own poisons. Cigarette smoking, sexual promiscuousness, greed, hate, envy, covetousness, fear, reinforced failures, etc. can harm not only ourselves but have a residual effect on others.

The proper treatment for poison ivy contamination is to cleanse immediately. Proper washing of both person and clothing can reduce the effects of the poison and reduce or remove the consequences. Perhaps the greatest aid in preventing contamination is identification of the offending plant. The saying, "Leaves three. Let it be." and field trips, where an informed leader points out the plant in its natural settting, have saved many a hiker from exposure.

Why do so many young people ignore the wisdom of their elders and rush headfirst into potentially damaging and foolish adventures? This question has been asked by parents, friends, and observers throughout the ages. Perhaps we all have a part of that impatient desire to enjoy the fruits before the seeds are planted.

Patience is a virtue. We need to stop and smell the roses. To await the instructions of the informed before heading forward into new adventures can reduce the possibility of contamination and is effective poison control.

"My mind is made up! Don't confuse me with facts." is a mental set based on impatience. Truth is stronger than error. It withstands inspection. It is worth waiting for.

Waiting patiently is much more than wishing for good things to happen. Much time is spent, often wasted, just standing around, waiting to see what happens. With no purpose, motive, ambition or direction, many of us are drawn into the first activity that attracts us. Too often it becomes a mad rush through the fields of poison ivy.

When eating out we usually ask to see the menu. We may have previously learned the selections and have our choice made. We do know that there are choices involved.

America has been called the great land of opportunity. Many have gone from ordinary to successful, from rags to riches, from dispair to hope, by capturing the American Dream. Those who made the best choices first waited patiently to see the menu.

This book is intended to invite the reader to ponder; to prepare before imbarking on an ongoing adventure; to warn of distractions, hazards, and false paths observed by earlier travelers; and to help chart a healthier, more satisfying, and purposeful course.

We do not need to do everything. To do it only because it is there to do it is folly. To act without purpose is to react to our impatience. Wait! Wait until you are prepared.

Let's read the menu, select the course, prepare, and then begin. May each journey you select enrich your experience and give you lasting satisfaction.


Chapter One
Reading the Menu

We don't order pizza in a chinese restaurant, nor do we usually order cake and ice cream for breakfast. Creating our own menu may satisfy our individual desire for self-expression. It may not provide for all our needs unless we also own the restaurant. If we find choices unsatisfactory, we can always go somewhere else. Even when selecting, dining, and digesting our selection, we are free to choose whether to repeat the experience or look further for a more satisfying one.

Unless we have committed to a grand adventure such as marriage, employment, religion, etc. we are free to vary our selections and choose our next experience from the unexaustable variety of untried opportunity. To be disatisfied when the food is delicious, our stomach full, and our host pleasant and agreeable requires us to ask ourselves, "Why?". Are we impatient? Hunger does not go away immediately with the first bite nor does anxiety go away immediately when the cause is remedied. We must savor the taste and learn to enjoy the experience.

"The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." is a strong incentive for hungry cattle. It is folly for a wise man to give up a grubstake for a mistake. To make the best of the adventure around you may ultimately lead to new locations and exotic places. We can travel in the security of inner peace or the discontentment of lost dreams. We can always hope for a better tomorrow and still make today the best experience it can be.

Someone once remarked that no one should ever starve in the desert because he can always eat the sand which is there. Seriously, we should not depart our oasis until we have mapped out the next watering hole.

An excellent plan for mapping out a new adventure is the PIER formula. It is to:

P L A N

I M P L I M E N T,

E V A L U A T E

R E V I S E

No plan is adequate that does not involve pondering. We should seek to discover cause and effect and the counsel of God before making a final decision. Man is finite, but God is infinite. We should counsel with Him to uncover all the possibilities.

PLAN

All truth is centered in the author of truth. It has been said that God plus one is a majority. Certainly no parent has greater insite into the needs of his children than does our eternal parent.

God has given us the perfect example of planned preparation in his Son, Jesus Christ, who was with the father from the beginning. His will was to do the will of the Father.

Obedience to precept is a new concept for some. In this modern age of do your own thing one soon comes to realize that no one can do everything and that we are all unique. Each of us can, and should, contribute to the good of all. Christ taught us to magnify our talents. To know thyself is the beginning of planning. We then begin to realize that, in sharing, we magnify our talents and enlarge our opportunity. When we give of ourselves, we increase in others without diminishing our own store. Love multiplies when it is divided. To understand faith, hope, charity, and love is to embrace the tools of the divine planner. No one can plan farther than they can invision. God helps us with the eternal perspective.

An excellent planning tool used by many is the Benjamin Franklin method. It helps us to look at our concerns from contrasting perspectives. Used properly, it gives us the necessary forethought to effectively ponder and pray for that eternal perspective.


. . . . . * * * . . . . .
Problem Statement:

Pro (list all possibilities, on left below the line ) Con (list all concerns, and center below the line)

All problems are not solved by an appeal to common sense nor to rational thinking. With eternal perspective we can see beyond the obvious to the reality that is truth.

Generally, satisfactory choices bring satisfactory feelings. Bad choices bring anxiety and uncomfortable feelings. Great choices bring joy and enthusiastic feelings. "'Tis not ours to reason why. "Tis but ours to do or die." is a false standard. Blind faith and unreasoned action usually lead to heartache, misery, and death; a slow death by poisoning. Dead ideas like dead leaves need to be raked away for us to see the green grass of renewed opportunity.

If a plan's properly made we can face, unafraid, our journey into tomorrow. But plans, delayed, or hastily made most often lead usto sorrow. Fortunately plans can be altered, adjusted, tested, and trusted in a mental sense before we actually carry trhem out. Once our mental set is established and our course determined, we can embark with faith in our new adventure.

A sign along a muddy country road read: "CHOOSE YOUR RUT. YOU'LL BE IN IT FOR THE NEXT TWENTY MILES!". Fortunately, there is a process to correct, adjust, and compensate for poor or inadequate planning or just plain wrong choices. But first we must test, or impliment, our plan.

IMPLIMENT

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step."

My father used to say as we pulled out of the driveway, "Well, were half way there! Because getting started is half the trip."

A carefully planned trip is one in which we are prepared for any eventuality. What do we do if things go wrong? What backup plan is available? If faced with difficulty, do we abandon our plan or regroup and try again?

Some decisions must be instantly made and the consequences determine the response. It is far better, when possible, to have designed and engineered the outcome. When we survey the possibilities, we are likely to survive the catastrophies.

Acts of haste create waste and an unplanned reaction could put us in traction. A thoughtful plan, well carried out, usually succeeds. We can usually finish the trip when a small leak occurs along the way. Stopping for repairs slows us and causes delay. But we're up again and on our way. A blowout usually occurs only when neglected and undetected damage is stressed. The consequence can be fear, injury or death.

Trite but true is the saying, "Plan your work, then, work your plan." As we carry out our grand designs we can see where our faith is taking us.

EVALUATE

When I was learning how to drive, the instructor gave me this advise, "Aim high in steering!" This meant to look down the road and to anticipate what was coming toward you, not to just gaze across the front of the car and on to the roadway.

When moving forward we check our speed, observe our surroundings, keep a lookout on the path ahead, and anticipate outcomes. Unexpected or unscheduled variations require adjustments.

we need to keep before us our final destination. Joy riding, as unplanned traveling is sometimes called, can loose its joy if harsh and brutal comsequences occur. This is more likely when unplanned, poorly planned, or dangerously inflexible action occurs. We need to be prepared to modify, adjust, improve, or cancel when things first begin to depart from our planned objective.

REVISE

As I approached the first half century of life, I began to notice that my arms had become to short when reading or holding the songbook in church. The remedy came with my first pair of reading glasses. As trying to read became harder and progressively more out of focus, I gradually came to realize that my visual sense was not adequate to all conditions. I had to make adjustments or suffer the consequences. At work, I found that using a magnifying glass became a necessary tool to accurately record certain data. As we evaluate our progress, we need to be certain our vision hasn't become blurred, or if it has, we need to magnify our perspective. Adjustments should be made to bring us back into focus, to be measured according to our original premise or plan. Unless we determine that our original plan was faulty or no longer applicable, we revise to compliment the plan. After revision, we are again subject to continued evaluation and revision.

If we have covered all the bases and our plan is in harmony with eternal laws, our effort to make it work ought to become progressively easier.

To quote Emerson: "That which we persist in doing becomes easire to do. Not that the nature of the thing has changed, but our power to do it has increased.

Someone wrote, "DO IT!" as "DOn't quIT!" Most problems are solved by sustained effort. Too many people quit just short of success. Those who maximize their successes have learned to endure until they realize their goals. Achievement is a means to an end, not the end itself.

Mr. Anonymous also wrote: "When you're through trying, you're through!" If we truly desire to achieve, we see obstacles as challenges, not failure. Failure is surrender. Faith and action accomplish growth. Fear and indecision can keep us from obtaining the desired outcome. Loss of vision is a loss of eternal perspective.


Chapter Two
Letting Go

I remember, as a child, visiting my aunt and uncle at a lake resort they managed. During my visit, my brother and I caught a chipmunk and put it in a cardboard box in the car. On returning to my grandmother's house, I anxiously went back out to the car to check on the chipmunk. As I opened the door, the chipmunk was emerging from the box. I grabbed the chipmunk and it bit my finger. I grabbed it with my other hand and it wouldn't let go of my finger and I wouldn't let go of the chipmunk. My dad, on hearing me yelling, rushed from the house and slapped me until I let go of the chipmunk, which quickly ran away.

Sometimes, in spite of our best efforts and well laid plans, we find ourselves holding on to the very thing that is injuring us. That is when we must let go. If we don't, the divine law of cause and effect will slap us about until we submit or suffer the abuse of unwise persistance.

Patience, persistance, and practice are essential tools used to cultivate the seeds of faith. Impatience can be the cause of negative action. Doing wrong does not produce right results. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. Eternal factors can also disable our efforts. Unless we can recognize the conditions affecting our difficulties, we remain helpless to correct or adjust. Pondering and prayer can help us reach beyond ourselves and discover the divine perspective which is truth. A friend or advisor can also serve to provide us with another viewpoint.

In map & compass field work, two seperate bearings can triangulate or cross each other at a specific point allowing for pin point accuracy. Too often we wander down the same road looking for solutions that may be past history or future opportunity. Without proper perspective, we remain confused and discouraged.

President Calvin Coolege said this about persistance: Nothing in the world can take the place of persistance. Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccesful men with talent. Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not! The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistance and determination are omnipotent. The slogan, 'PRESS ON', has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

When we are sure of our facts, faith in our decisions dictates followthrough. To persist when common sense suggests otherwise, may be folly. It certainly is a time to re-evaluate and draw upon the eternal perspective.

Practice works toward perfection. As we improve in both ability and agility, we find it easier to accomplish our objectives. Even with new obstacles to overcome, our skills and our resolve have increased.

Repitition is not necessarily practice. Repitition can dull the senses rather than enhance them. As with memorized or prescribed prayers, it often serves as an excuse not to increase or renew our efforts. It is better to work harder and lengthen our stride than to establish a comfortable rut. Practice, like exercise, has a stretch factor.

The motto's I learned in scouting: "Do Your Best!","Be Prepared", and "Our Best Today For a Better Tomorrow", have served to remind me that we must be constantly striving to improve and that there is no standing still. If we stop moving forward, we are soon left behind.

My Mormon pioneer ancestors were a hardy lot. These pioneers who crossed the plains in covered wagon and handcarts had to let go. Many fine items of furniture and a large portion of personal goods had to be left behind as conditions demanded sacrifice and hard choices. Many let go of loved ones who died or were buried on the plains. For many, letting go means starting over. Unless one is willing to let go of the prejudices and improper habits that load one down and put their perspective out of focus, they cannot move forward.

To be truly able to grasp eternal concepts, we must be willing to let go. We must unload our prejudices, misconceptions, stressed relationships, feelings of anger, guilt, and despondant feelings. We must recognize that to grasp the hand of God is to let go of the worldly things we cling to so comfortably. Letting go is a change of attitude more than a change of circumstances. It is an expression of faith.

In order for a hot air balloon to soar, it must have more lifting power than ballast. Unloading sandbags is needed in order for our aspirations to be achieved. There is altitude in attitude. Repentance, release, reform, and redefinition help us achieve realization, reality, and reward. As we dump the restraints of our mental outlook, our desire to look upward increases. As we allow ourselves to soar heavenward, we become increasingly aware of the eternal truths.

The apostle, James said it best when he said:

"Draw nigh unto God and he will draw nigh unto you." James 4:10
To begin to know the author and finisher of our faith is to begin to grasp the reality of divine truth, "...for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Hebrews 11:6
As we grasp the concept of eternal truth, letting go of personal restraints and doubts becomes an adventure in faith.

Chapter Three

Self Realization

The quotation I remember most, other than scripture, is from Shakespeare:

"To thine own self be true and it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
I have been fascinated by the work of the lapidary artist. The most common of stones become a thing of beauty when polished. When shaped by skillful hands, both gems and rocks of more abundant guantity gain symetry and beauty. Some stones are used for sculpturing. I have heard that a famous artist and sculpture, Michelangelo, saw the work within the stone and just chipped away what didn't belong. He said, "The idea is there, locked inside, All we have to do is remove the excess stone."

William James, a renoun psychologist, made the observation that the greatest discovery of his generation was theat people can change their circumstances by changing their attitude of mind. He also said, "If you want a virtue, act as if you already have it."

Napolian Hill, in his book "Think and Grow Rich", siad, "Anything the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve." Our local school board had bumper stickers made that read:


BELIEVE - ACHIEVE - SUCCEED
No one of us is a carbon copy of another. We are all unique. We have many and varied talents. Many of them go unnoticed and undiscovered until something awakens in us the desire to try. For most of us this chapter is unfinished. As we gain self-awareness and reassurance our final inventory should include a nmber of recently tried, new, or rediscovered talents.

Historical archeologists and geologists have been able to recreate history through careful research and study. Many of the tradeships that sailed to America beginning in the early 16th century made detailed accounts of the cargo within their hold. These ship's manifests along with the captains' logbooks, have given much information about the period. Each of us has a manifest of what cargo lies within ourselves. Unconciously we have selected and stored countless treasures of varying degrees of wealth.

Life's experiences are a blend of our doing and a recording of our surroundings. Certain moments of reflection, recollection, and awareness come back to us as we stimulate or are stimulated in our thought processes. Writing a personal journal, reading the scriptures and other thought provoking literature, dreams and prayertime reflections. reflective conversation, and pondering following stressful, exciting or depressing experiences help us find an increased awareness of our inner self. These are times to enrich ourselves and others by recording our reflections. They can be organized into a more refined form later. Having been recorded, they become conscious reminders of newly discovered unconscious truths. Poetry, music, great literature, paintings, sculpture, photography, etc. are often the result of special moments being recorded. Suppose prophets and playwrights had failed to record their works. Except for those whose followers were faithful scribes, their work would be lost to future generations. Your own uniqueness may give the world a gift. If no one, except yourself, is enriched by your efforts, you have at least improved your own perspective and performance.

There is a story of a man who fell from the top of a cliff and caught hold of a protruding branch part way down. He was in quite a predicament. There was no way up and no safe way down. He prayed fervently for help and heard a voice say, "Let go, my son."

Most of us come to crossroads that place us in a situation that requires acts of extreme faith. Often the choice is between holding on or letting go. Letting go of fears allows faith to enter and lift us up. Letting go without sufficient faith can pull us down to destruction. When help comes from above it provides a lifeline. we must learn to recognize it. Clinging to eternal truth will lift us up.

Sometimes it is necessary to be lowered to safety. With our feet firmly planted on the ground we can begin the climb back to the pinnacle with a careful approach, avoiding the obstacles we confronted earlier. We can use our experience to overcome similar obstaclea with the ease of the experienced climber. As life is made up of bumps and bruises, the shame is not so much in falling down. It comes with failure to get up and try again.

I remember a particular winter day when the road was snowpacked and I was a young teenager walking home. A neighbor driving a dump truck, which had a bumper at my chest height, stopped and asked if I wanted to hold on. I did and rode home with my shoes skiing along on the snowpacked ice. Letting go would have been easy at first, but, as we picked up speed, I realized I had chosen my course to the final destination.

Letting go without something else to hold on to can be like quitting your job before you have found another. it may seem like a good idea at the time due to emotions and limited thinking, but is poor judgement. We must realize that the law of cause and effect continues the motion when we let go. If we cannot control the inertias, we are due for a spill.

Our value in society is sometimes stated as our net worth. In financial value it is "what we've got". In true value it is what we've caught!

Most children are ready to try most anything and everything imaginable. If guided, they soon discover what is acceptable and what isn't.

Certain illnesses are described as the childhood diseases. Having caught one of these, the body learns from the experience and immunizes against a repeat attack. Our body learned from the experience. Even when immunized by modern medicine, our body learns from the experiences of the past. Teaching children habits of cleanliness and good manners can help prevent both viruses and vices.

Character is learned by example. If we show ourselves to be infected, we may be avoided. If we are unconcious of our vices or agressive in our wrongful acts, we can do irrepairable harm. Jesus said of those who offend children: "It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he were drowned...". Why? Because we can infect unto death - the death of the enthusiasm, zest, and optimism of life's greatest adventures. Jesus said that unless we become as little children we cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. (see Matthew 18:3)

Ask a young child who he iis and he might reply, "I'm me!" Do we know who we are? Have we become so infected or afflicted that we fail to see the child within us? If so, then we need to seek the divine physician, take our medicine, and recover our eternal youth.

Perhaps the greatest virtue of childhood is innocence. Innocence is cleanliness, openness, and latent obedience. Becoming like a child is returning to that responsive state. It requires unloading prejudices, overcoming sin, accepting faith, and letting love in.

When we become so calloused that we guard against every intrusion, expecting hurt, and when doubt replaces faith, we have immunized ourselves against the very thing we need to catch. To catch hold of faith is to grasp the golden ring of opportunity.


We must first want to,
then we must try,
patiently striving, to identify
what we are growing
and pull out the weeds.
What's left in our garden
are godly seeds.
Watered and nurtured
loved and caressed,
their fruits are virtues.
Our growth, happiness.
Planted within each of us is that moral awareness called conscience. Whether we are aware of it or not, it has been planted inside us. As we respond to its swelling nature and allow it to grow within us, we become progressively able to make correct choices. Our truly best decisions are made when we seek the divine perspective. Then we can act in good conscience.

A popular t.v'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">t.v. show of the '60's was entitled, "The Millionaire". A wealthy philantropist would select certain people and "bless" them with a million dollars. The stories were told of how it affected their lives. Today, in many states, the Lottery is making a rare few of its victims rich in material wealth and leaving some morally bankrupt. Certainly the enabling effect of instant wealth has the power to displace faith, virtue, persistance, and hard work and can be a curse rather than a blessing. The greatest wealth we can possess is knowledge (or as spiritually defined, wisdom). To know we are growing onward and upward; that our faith is toward virtue, truth, and eternal promise is of far greater value than a million bucks.


Chapter Four

Service
Living in a military community, I have constantly seen the effects of sacrifice and committment to an employer that demands discipline and obedience. Although primarily a Navy community, the ports of Hampton Roads are served by all branches of the military. Often called the armed forces, they employ thousands who have made a committment to honor, serve, and defend our country. The demands of family and the faith, hope, and concern by loved ones when a serviceman is away from home are not unique to servicemen. They do make up'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">make up a concentrated example of people sacrificing for a cause. The hardships associated with seperation and the faith required to sustain that seperation have both bonded and shattered marriages. It is a testing ground for character.

To be armed is to be prepared. The physical stockpile is only a portion of the readiness required. Loyalty, duty, training, responsibility, and leadership are all part of being armed and ready. Whether in the military or serving our fellow beings in any other capacity, we serve best if we are armed and ready.
Christ spent 30 years preparing for his short ministry among men. He said: "...but he that is greatest among you shall be your servant." Matthew 23:11
Of those who prepare but don't share, it could be said that they are "ever learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth." 2 Timothy 3:7
"Be Prepared" is the admonition of the boy scouts. It is also the admonition of the Savior. Christ described it as magnifying our talents. To truly serve we must know the master. Christ said, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matthew 25:40

Truly, to serve mankind is to serve God. It is not important where we serve, but how. Wisdom dictates making favorable choices that might determine the scope and location of our efforts, but the growth comes from what we do. Where we are is important only in our being where we ought to be, "on the job."

Service is how wee perform. it may be in our employment, our dealings with our family and friends, our attitude and actions toward strangers and the less fortunate.

Being armed for service is being prepared. The Epistle to the Corrinthians records Paul's counsel to put on the whole armor of God. As with soldiers , we need his shield and protection.

"Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:13-17

Good armor gives us confidence. Great comfort is felt in knowing that God's protection is extended toward us.

Being skilled is necessary to overcome the clumsiness of inexperience and the folly of overconfidence. A good soldier is skilled in defense. A well prepared serviceman is skilled in the 2ualities of service which include faith, virtue, brotherly kindness, righteousness, purity, and truth. Being thus prepared we can render service in confidence.

Soldiers stand in readiness. The day to day task is to support and sustain. They are prepared for the eventuality of having to defend the cause and may willingly give their life for it. But the major role they play is as a deterrent. We, too, can guard against the evils of our day. Our attitude and obedience can help us stand above the crowd, our armor radiating sunshine, peace, and hope to those who find comfort and r4eassurance in faith. A strong subversive tactic used to conquer is to weaken the enemy by attacking the moral fiber of the soldiers. A weakened and confused army looses its effectiveness. It no longer serves. Service is giving. If we do not replentish our storehouse of life sustaining support, we cannot help others, nor ourselves.

Service given in love is like working with morrors. We can concentrate reflected sunlight and put it where it does the most good. As long as we can draw upon the source, we can share the warmth. To share with one another makes it easier for both. Many a long and difficult task has come to its conclusion where people working together and having fun have commented: "Are we through already? That wasn't so hard! We must get together more often! We MUST get together more often. Every kindness we do is uplifting to another. The job becomes easier, the outcome more promising, the reward greater. If we truly and unselfishly give of ourselves in service, the return that we can use for our own self improvement and self fulfillment increases. It is a divine gift.

In the miracle of the loaves and fishes, the Savior gathered the meager stores of the crowd and when shared they fed the multitude. He magnified the gifts'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">the gifts to enrich the givers. We too can help feed the needs of the hungry. We can give of ourselves in such a way that God increases in us our outpouring and we magnify our gift. We must have something to share. You can't feed from an empty basket.

My experiences in dining out have varied. I have often desired another roll and had the basket empty. I have been in restaurants where the service is so good that your water glass in never empty. The people waiting tables do not wait to see that your glass is empty or that you are thirsty. They give a little or a lot depending on need and have determined beforehand that noone will have an empty glass.

Whether we realise it or not, God wants us to enjoy the bounty of his blessings. He freely offers his assistance. He responds when we call on Him. Christ is the source of "living water." He has promised to those that drink from Him that they will never thirst (John 4:13-14) He has invited us to sit at his table. (Luke 22:30) There the water glasses are never empty.

Chapter Five

Self Enabling

In January of 1992, my mother had a heart attack. As we made plans to travel from the eastern United States to the west, my daughters efficiency in securing tickets and planning the trip resulted in over 50% savings in travel costs. She made it possible for three of us to travel together instead of traveling seperately for personal economic choices. Foresight in planning helps people to respond to emergencies, allowing for an easier and more efficient response. People helping people can result in accomplishing good things that might not be achieved throuth individual effort. Family plans over the years resulted in a reunion fund that allows for assistance to family members less able to participate when they might otherwise not come due to distance and/or economic reasons. A heartfelt appreciation goes out to those who help us reach beyond ourselves and accomplish that which was otherwise extremely diffcult if not impossible.
Enabling others, however, has its down side. when we draw upon the kindness, resources, and love of others to the neglect of our own effort toward self-reliance and self-sufficiency we become able to sustain a lifestyle or social-emotional pattern beyond which we are morally entitled. We also begin to resent the benefactor. Why? Because our own moral conscience cries out in protest and our personal dignity is offended at being enabled or sustained in our roadblocks to personal growth. Self-reliance comes from self awareness. As we recognize both opportunity and the constraints of adversity we begin to aspire to grater self-sufficiency.

Helping one to attain to a higher level of achievement such as completing school, estabnlishing a career, overcoming personal problems, repairing health, or avoiding disaster can be responsible growth for both. When one finds comfort in anothers contributions but feels manipulated, restrained, and unappreciated, he resents, rather than appreciates, the benefactor. Worse, they sometimes come to feel that what they receive is an entitlement and that the world owes them a living.

Our founding fathers declaired our hope by stating certain inalienable rights. Among them, life, liberty, and the pursiuit of happiness. Enabling one to subsist in a false economy of sustained support can take the energy out of life, restrict personal liberty, and limit our happiness. Someone once declared that its not so much the pursuit of happiness by the happiness of pursuit. Unless we feel the freedom of acceptance and the ability to pursue our own grand adventure, we are bound by the enslavement of constraint and false security. True freedom allows for growth. Complacency, resentment, dispair, anger, and other emotional and economic constraints are disarming. When desire and aspiration are gone, happiness seems an illusion. Although we enjoy the fantasy, no one truly believes the fairytale. When our future is based on fear and dread, we find pleasure in daydreams and pipe dreams. Our hope is for a miracle to deliver us. As we learn to enable ourselves, our fear turns to faith, our dispair to hope, and our problems into opportunity. We begin to climb upward to a happier and more fulfilling life.

AS story has been told of a man crossing through a graveyard at night. Se fell into an open grave. After much struggle, he sat exhausted in a corner. Later that night another man met the same fate in the same open grave. As he struggle to get out the first man reached out and, touching the new victim, said, "You'd just as well rest. You can't get out"! but he did!

When our life's experiences become the means of helping other, they become blessings to ourselves. As we begin to add joy to the lives of others, they become blessings to ourselves. As we begin to add joy to the lives of others, we become enfused with hope. Everyone has obstacles to overcome. kWhen we discover that the stumbling block and the stepping stone are the same object, then, like a person staring at an optical illusion, our perception changes and we see things we had overlooked from so limited a viewpoint. As our perception increases so should our conception. As we become aware of opportunities and can conception. As we become aware of opportunities and can approach the possibilities with optimism and self-confidence, we begin to apply our abilities toward the solutions to uor problems.

Self-help or do-it-yourself books have become the vogue. When we do our homework and are prepared, we can gain from the experience without loss of confidence or fear of self-defeat. We create a win-win situation where all can benefit. Self-reliance is not only enabling, it is enobling.


Chapter Six

Practicing the Peter Principle
In 1969, Dr. Lawrence J. Peter and Raymond Hull authored a tongue in cheek book called "The Peter Principle" which contends that people tend to rise up the corporate ladder, passing the area where they are the most happy and successful, until they reach their first level of incompetance. There they become stuck and miserable and, thereby, unsuccessful. Another view looks at the tired aspirant who used to be enthused but, having lost his vision and also his drive, says that he is petered out. One employer, observing and employee who had lost his drive and desire for success and achievement, said to his employee, "If you don't get fired with enthusiasm, I'll fire you - with enthusiasm!" Surely self confidence, self assurance and self-worth are more valuable assets than place, position or politics.

I'm not subscribing to the Peter Principle. I am suggesting that the measure of the status quo should be, "Am I happy with myself, my choices, my direction, my opportunites? If not, why not? Where and when was I happier?" Many successful people, including couples, look back and access an earlier time when they were struggling and advancing as their happiest moments. Often current stresses, job and social demands, family responsibilities, and the in-the-rut feeling, rob us of enjoying the here and now. Perhaps fear and doubt have robbed us f the confidence and view we had when we were happier. Were we not then looking outward, accepting challenges and opportunities with enthusiasm, and feeling good in doing good? Were we not happier because others radiated in our happiness?

Another Peter gained great strength in the service of Christ. He had such faith that he walked a while on the water of the Sea of Galilee toward the great source of happiness. We, too, seem to be walking on water when we are bouyed up by enthusiasm, love, and faith. Peter's darkest hours were just before the dawn. He feared for his safety, doubted himself, and denied knowing his Savior. Where he had risen above, he began to sink beneath. When he realized what had been done he wept bitterly.

Peter learned his object lessons well. He rose above his self denial and discovered his divine potential. Just hours before, Christ had said to Peter: "...behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee that they faith fail not; and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Luke 22;31-32

May I declare unto you a divine principle - a greater "Peter Principle". In 1 Peter 3:10-18, Peter wrote:

"For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile.
Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace and ensue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
But if ye suffer for righteousness sake, happy are ye; and be not afraid of their terror, neither be ye troubled;
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear;
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
For it is better, if the will of God be so, tthat ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
For Christ hath also suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God , being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit;"

Peter is saying that if we would find happiness (success) we must enthusiastically accept and emulate Christ, the eternal source of happiness. Peter stresses that happiness continues through hardship and suffering, if we suffer in righteousness. We receive strength from the divine source that draws us into the light. the source that lifted Peter up as he sank into the water on the Sea of Galilee, also taught him faith sufficient to rise above his doubts and dispair, and taught him to look outward.

Peter also declared:
"And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves; for charity shall cover the multitude of sins."1 Peter 4:8

Again Peter emphasises that enthusiasm, generosity, and unconditional love are the keys to success and happiness. Someone said: "Each year countless numbers worry themselves into endless graves, but once and a while there are those who forget themselves unto salvation."

Christ said: "He that findeth his life shall loose it; and he that looseth his life for my sake shall find it." Matthew 10:39

Of those possessing charity and following Christ, Peter declared them to be: "...a peculiar people; that ye may show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."1 Peter 2:9

Christ said: "I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

This is the true "Peter Principle" that happiness is inherent in righteousness; that to follow the author of righteousness is to enjoy safety, comfort, and peace. We cannot remain stuck, miserable, and unsuccessful if we are being warmed and comforted and are full of radiant life.


Chapter Seven

Onward and Upward
As a child, I enjoyed playing a game called "Hot or Cold". One of us would hide an object in the room and the rest would hunt for it. The hider would say cold, colder, warm, warmer, hot, hotteer, until we found the object we were hunting. A sense of excitement and achievement was felt as we got hotter and discovered the prize.

Christ said this regarding hot and cold: "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." Revelations 3:16

To stay lukewarm is to stop playing the game. To move into and remain in colder regions means we are not listening. The integrity of the game was never questioned. No one lied to keep us off track. The desire was to aid the seeker and keep him progressing toward the goal.

An athlete performing at his best is said to be "hot". One who stops progressing and gets left behind is said to be "stopped cold" or "frozen in his tracks". As heat expands and cold contracts, so does ones awareness grow as it becomes a burning desire. As popcorn begins to dance i the pan just before it bursts into a "popped" corn virtually turning inside out, so can we experience enthusiasm, excitement and growth as we warm inside, anticipating a bursting forth of new ideas, opportunities, or experiences. Faith leading to action is sometimes expressed as a "burning desire". Good feelings and joyous observtions are said to "warm the heart". Hesitancy, doubt, and uncertainty in our response is sometimes referred to as having "cold feet". One who stands aloof, distant, and uninterested is said to be "cold".

Those who fly do so because they have learned to utilize the rising air currents and apply the physical laws of air flow which provide lift because of an increase, or rise, in pressure as air passes around the wings. We can soar like eagles.

As we have learned to work in harmony with natural law, we have been able to break the barriers imposed by gravity and expand our adventure into outer space. As we learn to work in harmony with divine law, we remove barriers to our spiritual insight and are able to soar to new heights of self-awareness and increased vision. As we see further from the mountain top than from the valley, so we can see farther looking upward than downward. Our gaze upward lets us see the stars.