Easter symbolizes the final overcoming in the Bible story of man's journey into
light. It represents the triumph of Spiritual Consciousness over the last Outer
Intimidation of man.
In New
Magazine a Unity publication from the seventies, Harold Whaley writes in his article
Easter an Answer to Fear:
“A survey…
listed various fears such as failure, being misunderstood, economic collapse,
and disability, and many of the students polled reported fear of death as their
main concern. It is an issue that men of all ages have pondered. Plutarch,
early Greek philosopher and biographer, tells about a man who was asked during
his last illness if he thought himself dying. He replied, “really friend, I care
not whether I am or not; for if I die I shall be with God; if I live, he will
be with me”. The message of the Resurrection is likewise that there is no
separation between God and his own, come life, death, or any other issue for
which man holds fear.
Charles
Fillmore spoke of the remedy for fear as being divine fearlessness:
“When
you know that there is but one mind and that mind is all-powerful, you have
nothing to fear. You must establish yourself in the fearlessness of spirit. Do
not depend on anything outside of yourself to save you. Take an active part in
the work by laying hold of the indwelling Spirit and making yourself
consciously one with it. When you find yourself invaded by fear thoughts, say: ‘there
is nothing to fear from these foolish thoughts. Omnipotent goodness reigns in
my mind.’”
With such an understanding fear of death
itself can be overcome.
Many fears
are good, they give evidence of areas in which we need to exercise control and
take dominion, to meet an obstacle head-on and dissolve it. Fear comes to all;
it is no respect or of persons. It cautions us to be watchful and wary but not
panic stricken or helpless. First as Timothy expressed it,
“God did not
give us a spirit of timidity
but a spirit
of power and love and self-control”.
If we are
timorous we stand on the circumference, we window shop when we could possess;
we eat leftovers when we should be dining at the King's banquet table. We need
not be preoccupied by what others think when we are doing the best we can, or
because we feel that our life doesn't appear to them to be a success story.
This type of thinking keeps us from launching out into something new. We hold
on to the old life out of fear of failure when it no longer meets our need.
There is
something about this time of year, and especially the Easter event, that
inspires us to put fear aside and go forward in our search for greater good in
our life. Paul suggests we identify with the resurrection:
”if
then you have been raised with Christ, seek to things that are above….”
This implies
climbing on up rising above doubts which, if we allowed them would keep us
down. James Dillet Freeman expressed it this way:
“Christ
is the upward urge. Christ is the love that creates a cosmos out of chaos.
Christ is the light that all always overcomes the dark. Christ is the life that
bursts the bonds of old fears and seeks to fulfill itself in ever more joyous
and living ways.”
Grieving over the passing of a loved one, having the children
suddenly grown and gone, living all alone for the first time, having friends
one loves dearly move away, being released from a working situation that was
gratifying, meeting retirement with its challenges of accommodation to a
different way of living, all of these can leave us feeling bereft but we do not
have to remain that way.
If ours is an alive faith, we are not going to remain
entombed in fear, sorrow, or self-pity. We will roll away the stone and come
alive!
An adequate faith in our own ability and distinctive
individuality, coupled with your faith in God, gives you strength to face life “square
on”, and not retreat. You do have “what it takes”! God has built it into your
inmost being. Go forth in confidence now, to claim the good new things that
await you as an unbound, fearless child of God with whom all things are
possible!”
On Easter Sunday when greeted with:
“Christ has Risen!” respond “Surely
Christ has Risen in You!”
and know
All things are possible!
Love
John and Suzanne
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