Love the work you do, and you will do the work you love.  Our attitude will either open for us the way to ascend, to improve our life and work conditions, or keep us closed to all the possibilities of progress. There is no lack of love in God’s universe which is made of love. There is no lack of opportunities to become happy and fulfilled. However, there are various degrees of realization of this universal abundance. Self-absorbed individuals unknowingly reinforce their mental estrangement from the world and their consequent sufferings.

Love makes us attuned to life. What is life? It is the all-inclusive process of growth, development, and never-ending unfoldment. When we act with love, the whole universe responds to us with love and contributes to our own unfoldment. Regress and stagnation are signs of death, and they results from lack of harmonious adjustment to love.

Love makes us attuned to our work. It allows us to see and to use its opportunities for our benefit and all-round development. The fact is, we don’t have to search for the “perfect work” for self-realization. The inner transformation may occur right where we are – there is no need to go anywhere or wait for anything.

Some sociologists talk about alienation of a worker from work. However, the root of alienation is not in a given society or work settings, but solely within an individual. No matter what proponents of social changes could say, our individual lives are lived from inside out. We cannot blame others neither for our lack of love nor for our lack of passion for creative expression. Even if others around us are negative and pessimistic about their work, we can remain positive. Our optimism will become a self-fulfilled prophecy.

Love awakens our creative energy. If we think that we are not capable enough for our job, let love will be our answer. When we work with love, we become patient and persistent. We don’t spare our time or energy. As the result, we become more skilled. New ideas on how to work with efficiency and ease come to us. Energy is generated to be used, and we might never know what our true energy level is until we give ourselves fully to our work.

I would like to finish with insightful and inspiring words from “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran. They are the best description of what is true work.

For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons, and to step out of life’s procession that marches in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite.

And I say that life is darkness save when there is urge,
And all urge is blind save when there is knowledge,
And all knowledge is vain save when there is love;
And when you work with love you bind yourself to yourself, and to one another, and to God.

Many individuals find themselves in situations where their job brings them no satisfaction. They dislike the work they’re doing and working conditions, they dislike their employers, their customers, and their co-workers, and so on. Often they also think that they are trapped in their position, and there is no way to escape. After all, if they could get out, they would did it long time ago! So, they continue their unpleasant routine. Are there spiritual ways to resolve their difficulties? Yes, and one the useful methods is to look for love. Love is the answer they need.

One is the greatest truths about us is that we are eternal beings in the process of eternal journey. At the same time, every work we do is temporary. Rarely do we find employees which occupy the same position in the same company even for 20-30 years, especially in our rapidly changing world.

So, no matter what is our work, there will be time when we will leave it. Every project and every task will be completed, and we will move on. But let us be aware that our attitudes which we developed while we were occupied with our work, will stay with us. Attitudes are mental habits, and they don’t just turn on and off at our will. Once we have a deep-seated attitude, it will take efforts to change it. That’s why I am convinced that we need to develop positive to attitude to any work we are doing – even if our initial reactions to it are negative. Our attitude will cause us either to rise up higher, or to fall down.

Life is progress, and our destiny is to evolve. The universe propels us to greater self-expression, but this process goes along with our growing understanding and inner unfoldment. If there is no progress in our life, it is because we still haven’t learned the lessons at the present level of our development. To put it simple, if we want a better job we should do a better job – an inside job.

There is another reason why we cannot afford resentment toward our work. Resentment creates an attachment to the very thing we resent. This is why so many people feel that they are locked in a prison of unpleasant working conditions. They locked themselves through their own thoughts and attitudes, but they hold the key unlock the door.

Love is the opposite of resentment. We get rid of resentment not through fighting against it, but by giving our undivided attention to love. True love is the universal power of unity. Love recognizes the universal wholeness, and this recognition brings healing.

Love is found in everything and in everybody. Our part is to discern love in everything we encounter. We may affirm:

“The universe is made of love and sustained by love. Wherever I go, I find love.
My inner eyes are open to behold love. My inner ears are attuned to the gentle voice of love.
I recognize love. I radiate love. I attract love”.

As we look for love, let us be persistent. Chances are, soon we will see positive aspects of our work which we haven’t noticed before, while we were blinded by resentment. First of all, we will see opportunities to for spiritual development.

There is no difficulty without a corresponding opportunity – this is one of Life’s greatest secrets. As Marcus Bach advises, let us make it an adventure not to follow our usual behaviour patterns and emotional reactions. Let us make it an adventure to love and to forgive more than ever before. Let us make it an adventure to remain peaceful and to respond to all challenges in creative ways.

There is no place in life where growth is impossible, and growth is the life’s greatest adventure.

We might think that we serve the world by doing things for people. In a sense it is true. But the greatest help to others is the power of our example and the power of our attitude. We translate our influence through invisible channels. We surround ourselves with an aura of love, peace, creativity, and positive expectations. Every person which comes into mental contact with this aura, becomes blessed.

Practical-minded people sometimes laugh at an idea of trusting in God. For them, it justifies passivity and irresponsibility of a believer. From their experience they’ve learned that success comes from consistent efforts – and they think that asking God for help is equal to trying getting something for nothing.

I can see their point. However, we need to have in mind that there are different kinds of trust. There is the one which suits a person who wants to achieve success and happiness. It makes such person a co-worker with God. Briefly it can be described in this way: Do not trust that God will do something for you. Trust that God will work with you and through you.

This attitude makes us fully responsible for discovering and using of God’s gifts within us and outside of us. It shifts our focus from the realm of manifestations to the inner realm of creative activity. It makes us seek for the wisdom and inspiration within.

There is nothing mystical about working with God. In a sense, every person works with God шт some degree, because we cannot be outside of God. It have been said that “in God we live, and move, and have our being”. But there are different stages of our partnership with the Creative Power of the Universe – and there are different levels of consequent happiness and fulfillment.

One of the major problems of practical-minded people is their focus of outward things which often makes them unbalanced. For instance, when things go wrong, they tend to become pessimistic. When everything is well, they tend to become overly excited and boastful. When they cannot control certain events or do not have enough information, they tend to become anxious.

Why should we be centered in the inner realm? Our point is not to ignore outward events, but not to be dominated by them. We should not allow them to distort our perception and to limit our creative self-expression. Our inner calmness and ability to stay focused within will lead us to clear vision. We won’t be overwhelmed by difficult situations. When they will arise, we will see both difficulties and ways of their resolution. Even more, we will accept challenges not as personal offences, but as stepping stones to greater personal development and success.

Our actions won’t be motivated by fear, guilt, resistance, or self-importance. They will express our true values and highest understanding. At the same time, we won’t feel inadequate to deal with our circumstances. We will be aware of hidden resources of wisdom and strength within ourselves.

How do we know that we’ve made a contact with divine wellspring of inspiration? By renewed desires to create and to achieve, to bring the spirit of freshness and newness into all areas of our life.

These desires will compel us to move forward, no matter what difficulties we may encounter. And as we move forward, we will be moved upward. We will be lifted up to even greater awareness and wisdom.

While we are working with God, God is working on us.

We express our awareness through our actions. This is why Jesus said, “You are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father”. But which works are “good ones”?

Many of religious people think that good works are acts of charity and selfless service – something that we do without any thought of reward. According to them, such works are different from our everyday life activities. These ideas sound lofty and noble, but in fact they put unnecessary burden upon those who subscribe to them. They open the way to continuous self-doubts: “Do I sacrifice enough? Am I selfless enough?”

Some of these doubts are justified. The fact is, many of attempts to do acts of “selfless service” lead to the opposite results – they reinforce ego of those who are doing them, making them secretly proud of themselves and their spiritual achievements.

Perhaps, the best solution of this dilemma is not to divide our life into “good works” and “all other works” but to perceive it in its wholeness. All works could be good if they are done in the right attitude. “Just by existing, I make a positive difference to the world. Every thought that I have adds to the existence of every being. Every moment of courage encourages all beings”, writes Brad Jensen.

Good works are the ones which proceed from the realization of our goodness and goodness of the entire world.

Why this is important?

If I believe that I am a worthless sinner, I doubt in my abilities to make a positive difference. I doubt in my creative impulses and intuitive guidance. At the same time, I am trying to earn God’s approval through my works, even if I do not admit it. Most often, these “good works” are attempts to imitate “godly” behaviour of others, or to follow instructions outlined in religious books.

On the other hand, if I believe that I am good (that I am the light of the world), I am doing that which is natural to me. I can allow myself the luxury of being spontaneous and creative. There is no need for me to compare myself with others or to obey strict rules. I can love without even questioning whether am I “loving enough”.

What if I believe that the world is bad and full of evil? Such mindset creates a superiority complex within me. I consider myself to be a little saviour and redeemer. I become self-important – and ignorant. Listen to what some religious people say: “We bring good news to the hurting world”. While they are looking to save the world from supposed “hurt”, they remain blind to the fact that there is still enough hurt among those who accept their “good news”, and there is enough joy and happiness among those who don’t care about their dogmas.

The world is good, but you won’t see it until you are offended at the world, or until you are trying to “save it from sin”. If you want the world to disclose its goodness to you, dare to accept that the world is good. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. And it is not difficult to think that the world is good once you agree that the world proceeds from God, the Source of all good.

The world does not need preaching. But it would be benefited by powerful examples of actualized and creative individuals who allowed their inner light to shine. Let us quit all attempts to make others happy, and allow them to learn their own lessons. Instead, let us get busy with doing good works – the ones which proceed from the realization of our goodness and goodness of the entire world.

Temptations come to people only because of their ignorance. The light of Truth discloses all the secrets of desires, so those desires which might have painful consequences don’t look enticing to us anymore.

We are not to battle with temptations through willpower. It is a mistake of many sincere spiritual seekers: they are trying to suppress their “negative” desires, not realizing that their conditions only become worse. According to the law of mind action, when we resist someone or something, we make it stronger in our life. We become attached to those things we fight against. This is why Charles Fillmore and other New Thought teachers insisted that the process of denial (mental cleansing) does not require any strain. “Make denials as though you were gently sweeping away cobwebs”.

The key to overcoming temptation is awareness; the key to greater awareness is directed attention. We are to focus our attention at the light within. This light is our divine nature.

Unlike those believers that label people as weak and sinful, Jesus saw them as divine beings. “There is light within a person of light, and it shines on the whole world”, says Jesus in the gospel of Thomas. But we should not presume that it is a “strange teaching” from a forgotten Apocrypha. The same message is found in all the canonical gospels!

“Has it not written in your law, “I said, You are gods?”

“You are the light of the world. So let your light shine before men”.

According to Jesus, our primary problem is ignorance of who we are – and it is the root of all other problems which we call temptations, sins, and sufferings. And the only available remedy is self-knowledge.

One of the greatest temptations is to forget our divine identity and to exchange truth or our being for illusions.
One of the greatest temptations is to be of a low opinion of ourselves, and to buy into such destructive feelings as fear and guilt.
One of the greatest temptations is unwillingness to grow and to rise up again every time we fail.

Once in a while we become attracted by temptations and act in unwise and unproductive ways. But our failures cannot indicate our intrinsic badness. Those mistakes just disclose certain areas in our life where growth and greater awareness are needed.

I agree with Brad Jensen that every challenge is a miracle waiting to happen.

“Think of yourself in a large way, and the little things of life will lose interest for you”, wrote Charles Fillmore. This is the best method of dealing with thoughts and desires which we don’t want in our life. Let us not fight against them, but substitute them with lofty thoughts and desires.

Let us be aware of our divinity and our living connection with the Source of all blessings. As we stay centered at these exalted ideas, our consciousness will be cleansed from poverty mentality with its fears and selfish desires to grab as much as possible.

Let us be aware of our divine destiny to be expressions of God in our world. Let us be aware of gifts which God placed within us to fulfill this purpose. This will free us from self-centeredness and consumerism, and make us generous givers and divinely inspired creators.

Not so long ago one person asked me what I think about temptations. This is a worthwhile subject to talk about, because in our search for happiness we are always tempted by promises of false happiness.

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines “to tempt” as “to entice to do wrong by promise of pleasure or gain”. It means that temptation is not directly related with a desire to break a religious commandment. But this definition might be too narrow – often we are tempted to do something which doesn’t contribute to our happiness and fulfilment, but not necessarily “wrong” according to certain standards.

My definition of a temptation that it is a desire linked with ignorance.

Let us consider an example from everyday life. We see an appealing commercial of a product, and a desire to buy this product comes to us. But most of us learned not to act upon such a desire too quickly. We begin to think and to evaluate. A commercial promises that this thing will make us happier. Could it be true? Or rather, experience teaches us that it will give us only a temporary satisfaction, not worth the money we will pay? Are there another ways to fulfil our legitimate needs? Finally, it is possible that buying of this product will put unnecessary burden upon our budget. So, we might easily let go of this desire and focus our mind at something else.

What happened? We just successfully overcame a temptation, although such a word never crossed our mind. Let us note that an advertised product might be good, but not suitable for us at this point of time. In order to let go of our desire, we did not have to convince ourselves that it is evil. We just did not want to pay the price.

Ignorant, shallow, and superficial desires bring to our attention only pleasure and satisfaction we could get. But they often keep us ignorant about the price we will have to pay, and possible negative consequences. If we are aware of these hidden factors, we won’t desire the things which will burden us or make us suffer in some way. We will treat them as children’s toys, not deserving our attention. Desires to get these things might come, but they won’t stay in our consciousness for too long. They won’t take root in our souls and won’t be translated to actions.

There is a price tag attached to every desire. Most of people most of the time know that it is true – otherwise, life would be too complicated for them. But we need to realize that the law of compensation is truly universal and knows no exceptions. This realization frees us from a vain hope that sometimes this principle won’t work, and it would be possible for us to escape the payment. We won’t look for ways to get something for nothing.

“A wise man will know that it is the part of prudence to face every claimant and pay every just demand on your time, your talents, or your heart. Always pay; for first or last you must pay your entire debt. Persons and events may stand for a time between you and justice, but it is only a postponement. You must pay at last your own debt”, writes Ralph Waldo Emerson.

It has been said that people learn by trial-and error. It is a painful and unpleasant method of education. Others learn at mistakes of others. This method is better, but still not the best available. The truth is, we all are linked to the channel of direct knowledge within. God in us makes us aware of the consequences of our desires.

“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. This includes freedom from temptations. We can live above temptations not because we are strong, but because we are aware.

The only way to overcome temptations is to know deep secrets of life. When we judge by appearances, follow the crowd, and look at what the majority of people do, we might easily become ignorant and reap the bitter fruit of sufferings. Let us search for the truth, not being satisfied with preconceived ideas and sets of rules. What is right? That which is right for us, considering who we are and where we are in our life journey. Let us listen to the guiding voice of our heart. As we do that, many of the things which looked appealing at first, will lose their attraction.

Blessed are they who have been persecuted for righteousness sake! For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

Let us note again that Beatitudes of Jesus are be-attitudes. They call us for inner transformation and for deeper alignment with the Reality of our being. When we begin this inside job, others might easily misunderstand us. Tensions in relationships with people around us often arise. And if we are not ready for this challenge, we might never see the personal progress.

A subconscious fear of rejection is the reason why some people fail in their search for better life. The plain fact is, it is impossible to change our life and to stay as we used to be at the same time. It is impossible to change our life at our own terms. It is impossible to change our life without paying the full price.

“Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist”, said Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is a noble trait of a spiritually mature individual to trust oneself. There is no reason to follow social customs, religious practices, and behaviour patterns which do not agree with our understanding of what is good and true.

But let us note that reaction of others to our inability to get along with them have nothing to do with “persecution for righteousness sake”. Genuine love and kindness toward others, no matter how different from us they might be, is the acid test of our spirituality. When we are enlightened, we recognize the divine nature of others – and relate ourselves to this core of their being. We do not judge by the appearances.

Yet there is a deeper aspect of this statement of Jesus regarding persecutions. Outer “persecutions” are but manifestations of inner struggles we experience in our progressive movement toward deeper understanding.

We’ve been thinking in certain ways for many years, and built crystallized thought forms. They surround our “ego” as defence walls. When new and fresh ideas enter into our conscious minds, “ego” often considers them as a threat – and plots to destroy them.  Divine thoughts meet resistance – and we need to realize that there is nothing strange about it. If we persistently look for the Truth, lies won’t stand for too long. Their authority is but temporary.

Let us not be afraid of our inner processes. Let us not be afraid to search for the Truth, because an honest doubt is much better than false security of commonly accepted doctrines. Let us get rid of attachments to prejudices and preconceived opinions. This freedom will lead us to mental clarity and better understanding.

Not so long ago I received a message from a lady who wrote that she is afraid of losing her faith. She did not want to become cynical, pessimistic, and disillusioned. But she mistakenly tried to keep her faith alive through fear. Nothing good could be maintained through fear – we will receive exactly what we’re afraid of. Such is the law of mind action.

Perhaps, the best solution for that lady would be not to suppress her doubts, but to use them constructively in building a better set of convictions and values. Our ideas about God should not be fixed graven images. They are not to be objects of our worship. Intellectual constructions could easily betray us, especially if we give them undue significance. But the great Reality will never betray us. It always exceeds our greatest thoughts – and it is always on our side. This Reality is God. This Reality is Love.

Jesus teaches us to maintain courage in the face of misunderstanding outside of us and doubts within us. Cowards are never happy, and they never enter the fullness of life.

Blessed are the peacemakers! For they shall be called the sons of God.

To begin with, we need to say that fight is not a blessing. When we demonstrate anger and hostility, when we are aggressive toward others, we are not happy. Later on we might say that our actions or reactions were justified. We could build complex rationalizations why we had to behave the way we did. We could say that we were provoked, and there were no other way to deal with those people under the circumstances. But the fact is, we weren’t happy. It is possible that we are unhappy now, as we remember that incident.

However, there is a way to maintain peace and happiness even in the midst of most challenging interactions with others.

When some people hear that, they immediately start asking, “Should I become a doormat? Should I allow others to abuse and to mistreat me?” The answer is no. But these questions are revealing. They speak of dualistic, “black-or-white” thinking which lacks both wisdom and spiritual perspective.

Wise persons of all ages warned against using violence against others. Even if we will win in a conflict, we will plant seeds of bitterness and hatred in hearts of the other party. It will think of retaliation – and fulfil this plan in a due time. But there is a deeper aspect we need to realize: the world is governed by the law of cause and effect. Even if revenge won’t happen, the universe will cause us to suffer violence in some other way. The law is unbreakable – if we sow violence, we will have to reap violence.

So, what should we do?

First, we need to settle it in our minds that our goal is peaceful and harmonious existence with others. All people are children of the same God, and therefore our sisters and brothers. The same divine Light which shines in us is within others. This Light might be obscured by heavy clouds of ignorance and prejudices, but it is still there. Our goal is to act on that awareness.

Second, we need to stay centered in God. This will cause us to act with confidence and assurance. It is true that violence is often displayed against those who think and act like victims, those who have an aura of weakness and inferiority. Of course, this cannot justify abusers and oppressors, but it explains why some people are being mistreated over and over, while others are treated with more respect – although they do not fight for their rights.

Third, we should not intrude into lives of others, physically or mentally. We should not judge or criticize people. We should not give them unwelcomed advises – it is almost the same as criticism. If we think that others might profit from our wisdom and experience, let us wait until they will ask for it. If we genuinely love people, we will allow them to learn their own lessons.

Having this attitude, our first reaction will be to look for alternatives of violence, for reconciliation and agreement. This is what peacemaking is about.

But if we are still attacked, can we fight back? I think that yes. But while doing that, let us make sure to maintain the spirit of peace – it is possible as we look up to God. But the truth is, when we are doing our inside job properly, situations where we actually have to fight will occur less and less often.

As we encounter people, let us say to them silently: “I bless you with a spirit of peace and love”.
As we observe difficult situations in our life or somewhere else, let us affirm: “Only love prevails. Only peace prevails. Divine harmony reigns supreme!”

Blessed are the merciful! For they shall obtain mercy.

This phrase expresses the spiritual law of cause and effect which Jesus stated more one once – to make sure his listeners will remember it. “As you sow, so you shall reap”. “Judge not, that you may not be judged”.

First of all, let us note that this beatitude is applied to our inner reality. It certainly has outer implications, but they are of secondary importance in our context. In truth, we will never love others and be merciful to them in sufficient measure until we learn sound self-love and self-acceptance. People who do not realize this experience difficulties with loving others, even if they attempt to love with all of their hearts.

One of the saddest mistakes of those who sincerely strive for perfection is a notion that improvements can be achieved through self-criticism and self-condemnation. Their greatest need is to learn that all so-called weaknesses are potential strengths, and there is nothing inherently evil about us.

Jesus instructs us to be compassionate and merciful to those aspects of our being which haven’t reached desired maturity yet. By doing that, we will integrate them in our soul structure and make sure there will be unrestricted energy exchange and consequential development of all aspects. Our whole being will be enriched.

But what if we maintain our unhealthy habit of judging ourselves? Judgment always creates inner tensions and divisions which restrict energy flow and impede our soul unfoldment. The other thing is that condemned feelings, desires, or traits seldom disappear. More often they remain hidden in our subconsciousness, away from our attention – yet always ready to surface when we don’t expect it.

There is a deep and profound statement in the Gospel of Thomas which also encourages us to become fully integrated persons:

Jesus said to them, “When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor the female be female… then you will enter the kingdom.”

From the human standpoint, we might consider some of our aspects “lower” – and even desire to get rid of them. But God knows better: all we have within ourselves is a meaningful and valuable possession. It is meant to serve our good, even if we don’t realize it. Extend mercy, and you will know how it could happen. We might fully identify ourselves with either “male” or “female” energies. Yet the Spirit reveals us that there is “female” within every “male”, and there is “male” within every “female”.  As long as we deny that, we don’t fully understand ourselves and cannot constructively interact with others.

Do we need mercy from God?  No, because God is pure and unconditional love which does not know anything but mercy. God cannot ever condemn us. But we do need mercy in our life experiences. People who judge themselves and others may not be aware of this, but they attract judgment. They create for themselves a reality where they will be blamed, condemned, and even punished for their real or illusory shortcomings. It will be unpleasant and even painful.

Some people think that love is a luxury or a special prise which they are willing give to some “chosen ones”. But true understanding reveals that love toward all is the necessity.  It is the foundation of all development and progress, all fulfilment, all happiness.