Life itself is a prayer. Why do I believe that? Unity minister, Eric Butterworth, was one of my mentors in Unity who wrote in one of his books that he dedicated himself to a life of prayer. “I dedicate myself to living a life of prayer.” There is a little more to it and when I find the actual copy, I will tell you where I found the quote. I kept it in my wallet for years and it got quite tattered, so I took it out. I have also shared it in prayer classes, making copies.
Why would this be so important to keep with me? I had made the decision to put God first in my life. This would prompt me to do that. I had learned this from Unity’s cofounder, Charles Fillmore. There was a gradual transformation that began to take place in my life. I had begun meditating every morning and began tuning in for signs from God during the day. I had a landscaping business I had started just before I discovered Unity and was outside all the time in nature.
When living a life of prayer then everything I think, say, and do is a prayer. It is a prayer even if one isn’t dedicating a life to it. One of my classmates in ministerial school would say, swearing isn’t a prayer. I would say, yes, that is what you are affirming or putting out there to the Universe! What do you want for your life? I would ask him. It involves taking charge of one’s thoughts. This practice changed my life, one word at a time, one sentence at a time to one thought, to the outer manifestation of that thought.
Some of you may find the above paragraphs familiar if you have been following my articles that also show up in the Unity Center for Spiritual Growth newsletter. It is worth repeating because it has been the foundation of my life in Unity. Gradually through studying the teachings of Unity and Eric Butterworth, that the Christ presence was inside me as my GPS.
In the book, Go to Elf! by Lauren McLaughlin, the character Tony in the story asks his friend Molly if she believes in something inside of her that guides her. She calls this presence fairies that she talks to. She said that when she recently asked them a question, she didn’t hear from them. Tony said that she might want to try rephrasing the question. Also, he tells her to listen to her feelings.
Eric Butterworth, writes in Practical Metaphysics: A New Insight in Truth,“You can become what you really desire because your divine potential or, as Paul would call it, the Christ, is within you always. Not some of the time, not if you take a class and acquire more knowledge. Human potential studies don’t put potentiality in anyone, but they help you to understand the potential that is always present. You can become what you really desire to be, not because of some divine intervention, not because of some newfangled metaphysical system you’re going to learn, not because someone puts his hands upon you and works some spiritual magic. You can do this because your divine potential, the Christ of you, is always present within you as the Allness of the infinite process expressing as you. This is an important principle by which you can deal with life.”
In living a life of prayer, the Christ presence inside you is guiding you 24/7. When you spend time listening to your feelings and in focused prayer and meditation, it makes it much easier to achieve your dreams and goals. Meditating helps you still your thoughts and listen to guidance. I find myself telling people who are feeling helpless and powerless that they always have choice even if it doesn’t seem that way on the outside, that it begins with our thoughts. If I don’t like what I am feeling and how it is affecting me physically, what have I been thinking and giving the power to? When I realize that I haven’t been following my inner GPS, God’s Positioning System, and giving the power to something else, I can make the course correction.
What is it that you have been ‘praying’ in your life and how are you feeling about it? Let me know if you choose to do this, or have been, what insights you have discovered and leave a comment here on the blog. Rev Airin
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