"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
For many months our family wanted to move to the country. We tried house after house but nothing worked out. Then at last the doors opened and we were able to move.
For the first few weeks we painted and unpacked our new home, nestling in to the whole experience and finding our way around, exploring new places and loving every minute. Just as I painted the last room and came downstairs to wash the brushes, I went into the kitchen and found my husband on the floor in a very sad state. Eventually I got him into bed and then I started my discoveries about the city I lived in!
I was bombarded with feelings of inadequacy and doubt, and also the feeling that I couldn’t cope with any more. I knew it was time to get on a very different level of thought, and really see where I was and what was governing everything.
Some time before this I had spent a lot of time studying Revelation, so I went back and read an article on The Holy City, and looked up the meaning of some of the words. One piece I found very helpful from the article was this: “To spiritual sense this divinely satisfactory state of Life is spiritually substantial. It is practical and is evidenced as the natural peace, health, and abundance of our every day living. This heavenly state is consistently and permanently within us.”
This was all that could ever be within me or ever had been within me. I also loved the fact that ‘city’ meant ‘consciousness,’ because the only consciousness I had or ever could have was the expression of Mind. Certainly there was nothing little or fragile in that!
I also spent a lot of time with the hymn by our Leader, “O gentle presence.” The first verse was wonderful. I saw it as such a beautiful prayer of affirmation that I was the expression of God’s ‘gentle presence, peace, and joy, and power,’ not a little person who could feel overwhelmed by anything. Where it says, “Keep Thou my child on upward wing tonight,” I saw this as letting God keep my spiritual consciousness high and soaring through every doubt and fear. What a wonderful promise this was!
During the following weeks there were many very deep times to face, but I could feel myself getting stronger all the time. My husband had to be cared for away from home, so I suddenly had to adjust to being on my own in a new home and area. Whenever thoughts of emptiness would try to sneak in I would replace them with the statement from our textbook, “…this seeming vacuum is already filled with divine Love.” Sure enough this was evidenced at every turn. The phone would ring and another friend was on the way over. All the family were there too at every turn, bringing us all closer together. New friends appeared in the village, two of whom insisted on inviting me over for dinner every evening.
One evening while with these friends they told me about their son who was unable to work owing to severe depression. Before long I was introduced to him – such a dear, loving young man, always wanting to be of help to people. It was wonderful to be able to see that only this heavenly state of consciousness could be his. He never could be outside the city, and it was four square, perfectly balanced and protected. At the end of the evening we all hugged each other, and he too was able to join in, instead of withdrawing on his own as he used to.
For days I walked around singing the hymn from our hymnbook, ‘City of God, how broad and fair outstretch thy walls sublime. The true thy chartered freemen are, of every age and clime.” Every time something new cropped up I would immediately affirm my completeness and balance. Many practical things had to be done connected with our business affairs, all very new to me, but that wonderful sense of being in the city supported me at every turn, and help kept appearing in the most unexpected ways.
One morning just before Easter there were yet more challenges, and I could feel the sense of down-pulling; but immediately came the thought: we celebrate the resurrection at Easter and not the crucifixion. I then started to dwell on the resurrection and went out into the garden to weed and cut the grass. I could separate the tares from the wheat and throw those old weeds away! They did not belong in my garden – my consciousness. I then went to a nearby village and bought some new plants which look wonderful where once the weeds grew. New buds and blossoms were there to greet me every day, and brought such a promise of unfolding good.
For several weeks my husband was away from home and there were deep times to be faced; but he now laughing again, and is due to return home right after I get back from the Association meeting.
This whole new sense of living in the holy city, knowing that my consciousness is whole and complete, has been a great strength. I knew that every member of our family lived in that city, and there could be no danger anywhere. The gates of the city were open, day and night, because there was no threat from within or without in the consciousness of Love.
I cannot be grateful enough to have learned how wonderful it is to live in the city!