The Ellsworths write in Come Apart For Awhile that when we lift our thoughts and words in praise and gratitude, allowing love to flow freely through us, we enter a higher state of consciousness. This state of being is what we call Christ Consciousness in Unity and prayer is the path to understanding our inner oneness with God in Christ.
"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" ICo. 3:16
Eric Butterworth, Unity minister and author of Discover the Power Within You, wrote about finding and living up to the divine potential in each one of us.
"Our humanity is but the degree to which we have given expression to our divinity. We are human in expression but divine in creation and limitless potential."
and
"The difference between Jesus and each of us is not one of inherent spiritual capacity, but a difference in the demonstration of it."
Self-talk is a key factor in our emotional and spiritual life. It reflects and colors our outlook, our expectations and our experience. Our perception of people and events creates our experience of reality. When we criticize ourselves or others, we are criticizing the Creator's work.
Am I praising God in my body and in my world or am I running a constant litany of criticism and condemnation of myself and others? At the first sign of trouble do I shift into disaster mode or acknowledge God as my source of strength and begin talking myself through the crisis? Even when I cannot change the facts or events, I can choose how I hold it and where I go from here.
William James, a philosopher and psychologist, wrote that "positive self-talk and uplifting prayer changed people's lives"...bringing about what he called"a religion of healthy mindedness." As we draw from the inner well-springs of Christ Consciousness through affirmative prayer and praise, we transform our lives and relationships.
When I learn to set aside criticism and begin to love myself and my neighbor, then, and only then do I learn how to love God. The Prayer of Self-Acceptance is a good place to begin:
I love you, no matter what!
I love you even when you stumble and fall.
I love you even when you make mistakes.
I love you, no matter what!
Rev. Claudia Naylor
