The Miracle Minute

Once I was seated in front of Russell’s desk he pulled out my second list and said, “Last week, your first discovery from the mirror was, ‘I have not lived up to my own expectations as a son, husband, and father.’ Is that correct?”

 “Yes,” I replied.

“Do you honestly believe that you’re alone? That you’re the first person to have regrets and feel guilty? Every caring son, father and husband believes he could have done better. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t feel guilty.

“The truth is, at every crossroad you did the very best you knew how to do—at that time. Life is a classroom, and what you become is a work in progress. If you had known better, you would have done better. This is true for everyone.

“Richard, remember my list with ‘born in sin’ on it? That statement didn’t make sense to me the first time I heard it, nor the next hundred times that followed. On the literal level some statements just don’t make sense. But, on the spiritual and mystical levels, new meanings appear.

“Consider this: You began your life without a clue and didn’t know what to do. You had no knowledge of the laws of nature, the laws of physics, the law of cause and effect, and, of course, no knowledge of how to deal with yourself or others. Your mind was a clean slate. It had no knowledge of the very things you need to know to live a rich, rewarding life,” Russell said.

“Doesn’t everyone?” I replied.

“Yes, on a conscious level. Yet, on a subconscious level, not everyone begins with the same set of intuitive skills. Some people arrive as old souls, people with highly refined intuitive abilities. Other people arrive so green that it seems three lifetimes might be required for them to achieve common sense.

“In terms of survival, every child arrives ignorant of the very things needed to survive, totally unaware of what must be done to effectively live and get along with others. And, what if the greatest sin possible was remaining ignorant of God? Then might ‘born in sin’ mean ‘born in ignorance’?

“That’s how I see it, Richard. And, by nature, through trial and error, we make mistakes on all levels, in every role—son, husband, father and creative worker.

“However, mistakes are not really mistakes. Mistakes are how we order our lessons. What separates the high achievers from the also rans is a willingness to learn. Some people find the time to learn, while others blame the world and blunder on, repeating the same mistakes over and over.

“Finding fault with what you’ve done, haven’t done, or could have done better is fine for a moment or two. However, blaming yourself for being born and being human is a waste. Confucius said, ‘He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.’

“Richard, what does ‘born again’ mean?”

The look on my face gave Russell the answer and he continued, “Some people say they’ve been saved at a precise moment, on a specific day, and they claim that life has been fine ever since. That hasn’t been my experience.

“My view of being born again is to begin anew. It is not something anyone can do for us. I feel it is up to me to pick myself up, start over and do things differently. Waiting to be saved hasn’t worked for me. I need to re save myself daily.

“Another key worth exploring is, ‘Seek the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.’ The Truth you need to seek includes the Truth about God, the Truth about love, the Truth about talent, the Truth about your mind, the Truth about your failures, and the Truth about your life and how it should be lived.

“Why should you invest the hours required to read, re read, ask questions and seek the answers? Because the Truths that you discover will set you free from the barriers holding you back—barriers of low self esteem, anger, guilt, frustration and fear.

“Fear is driven by a belief in things that are false. Frustration is Nature’s way of saying you can do much better. Stress is Nature’s way of trying to inspire you to take action. And, the very things holding you back from all of your desires are false beliefs—the “sins” that you need to break through.

“Rather than search for the Truth about stress, headaches and frustration, most people pop pills, blaming other people and outer conditions for their inner misgivings. Remember, life is a classroom. We are here to learn.

“The truth, which is very difficult to see, is that you are One with Something—a Something that wants to be found. And the peace that you desire cannot be achieved until you begin to discover that Something within.

“My telling you about this Something doesn’t get you there. This Something is within you right now, and sometimes you feel It. This Something gives you the ability to find light in a darkened world. It gives you the ability to become a creative genius. It gives you the ability to heal yourself, save yourself, and begin to know yourself. Yet, you are not going to believe me until you begin to prove It to yourself.

“The only God you will ever know is the God you uncover within your soul. To find that greatest of all gifts, you must walk away from the false beliefs and misconceptions you have been given.

“The fact that an all knowing, all powerful, all loving Something is within you, awaiting discovery, is the greatest secret of all—the mystery of mysteries. You are not separate and apart from God. There is no place where God ends and you begin. You walk, talk and have your being within the One Mind, the One Something holding this universe together.

“What separates people from this awesome source is their belief in separation. Separation is a lie that has been passed down from one generation to the next. People cannot see It. Therefore, they cannot believe in It.

“During the first half of my life I didn’t know this. I thought God was high in the sky, keeping score, and judging. I had my head down, going through the motions of a believer. I didn’t think I was following a herd, but I was. People who didn’t have a clue told me what to do.

“Back then when someone asked if I believed in God I always said ‘yes.’ That was the thing to do. Every person I knew did the same thing. Yet how many people truly believed?

“The acid test of belief is what people do when their backs are up against the wall. Where do they turn? Most people turn to bankers, lenders and friends. They have more faith in dollars than they do in God.

“That’s not their fault. They’ve been taught to believe in a God that doesn’t exist—and in a Hell that doesn’t exist, either.

“Hell, damnation and guilt trips were created to control the fearful and fill collection plates. Look closely at the words of Jesus; the God he spoke of was a loving God, a forgiving God, a healing God, and a providing God.

“God is a tough concept to grasp when all you’ve got are claims and unanswered prayers. What I see in your eyes, Richard, causes me to believe you still have doubts. Is that right?”

“You’re right,” I replied.

“If you stick with me, follow along, and do the things I ask, breakthroughs will occur. You will make the discoveries that set you free. First, however, you must be willing to prepare your house, your state of mind.

“If all you ever heard about God and Truth came from me you would surely think I was crazy. Therefore, a vital part of preparing your house is reading what others have found.

“Thousands of people have made the discoveries that I have made. To help you build faith in the unseen It, I will be asking you to read several books. And, what you must find is not in the words. Words only point us in the direction of understanding. To become aware—at a level that makes a difference—you must go beyond what any author claims by testing what has been said. We are all self taught, because that is the way we learn.

“The very best any statement of Truth can do is point the way. Until something is proven by you, to you, it is only someone’s opinion you have been given, one that may or may not be true.

“As I have said before, opinions cannot and will not give you the mental strength and security you’re seeking. With opinions, slivers of doubt weaken your will. Rather than change, you sit and consider.

“Tonight, after you leave, please stop by the Book Cache on 4th Avenue. See if they have a copy of Henry Drummond’s book, The Greatest Thing in the World. The book is short, simple to read, and every reader finds different meanings. Filters within each reader’s mind modify the author’s message.

“Your assignment for the week, assuming you get the book, is to read The Greatest Thing in the World and then, when we meet again, I want you to share with me the insights you gained from reading the author’s words. Will you have time to pick up the book?”

“Yes,” I replied.

We both stood, shook hands and Russell handed me two cards as I turned to leave.

Printed on the cards: