I think I can, I think I can…
Unity Basic Principle #3
Rev. Don Jennings - Past Minister
Today's lesson speaks to the third of our basic unity principles. We create our life experiences
through our way of thinking. This is in essence, the third of Unity's principles. Stated in a different way, "thoughts
held in mind create after their kind". The bottom line is, be careful what you think!
The question always arises from Unity students, "Just how critical is this admonition? Does it apply
to every thought? What about the extraneous thoughts that see to come unbidden to the mind? What about the
thoughts of worry and distress that show up unexpectedly what something bad is happening, or may happen?"
Be Careful What You Think
To help answer those questions, I want to analyze the statement "Thoughts held in Mind
produce after their kind" for a moment. The key to this little phrase is 'held in mind'. That means more than
one thing.
We hold a thought in mind when we establish either positive or negative feelings around it.
That is one of the most powerful things we can do for or against our self. We also hold thoughts in mind when
we tend to revert to specific types of thoughts and feelings when conditions seem to repeat themselves, for
instance when some one sneezes and we immediately think of how we are getting close to catching a cold.
Or when we hear a siren and immediately think about accidents, people being hurt, and hospitals, twisted
metal, and morgues. Don't scoff, some people actually do go right there in their mind.
The way to know if the thought you are having or the feeling you are
experiencing is from God or from you is to stop asking that question!
Charles Fillmore said that there is an absolute and inescapable connection between feelings
and thinking, and he made no distinction between the two when talking about their creative power in our lives.
Have you ever known with out a doubt that you created something with your thinking? I know
most of you have something that comes immediately to mind when I ask that.
A close friend recently said that she and her close friend almost always finish each others
sentences, and often call each other at the same time from several states away.
She was also talking about the time she was so stressed about financial matters that
she cost herself a $150 book of ferryboat tickets because she was thinking lack and lost them. She almost
never thinks that way, and has never had the experience of loosing expensive things.
We all have negative examples, but we all have positive examples too. Carolyn and I
both felt strongly that we were to come to Kingston when we left Unity village, and here you all were,
just awaiting our arrival.
My point is this, whether you are seeking new employment, better health, or just a good
experience during this day, your thinking and feelings can and will have an effect on how it all comes out.
Another challenge people have is trying to ferret out whether a feeling or thought is
generated out of experience, expediency, or is direct from Spirit. It took many years of research to find the
answer, but I finally have it, and I am going to share it with you, but only if you promise to use it. The
answer is no good if it is not used. It spoils like manna in the wilderness after only one day.
Ok? Here it is. The way to know if the thought you are having or the feeling you are
experiencing is from God or from you is to stop asking that question! How can we know if we stop
asking the question?
The simple truth is just this: as long as you are asking the question, you are holding
the thought and the feeling of there being separation between you and your source. It could be you,
or it could be your source. The moment you stop asking the question, you begin to repair that thought
and that feeling, and you begin to experience oneness again, and the thoughts can only come from
God, because there is nothing else!
Changing Our Thoughts
So, how do we begin to make the changes we need to make to use thought and
feelings effectively?
First, start listening to the words you use when speaking and thinking about yourself.
In the Bible we are told that the name of God is I AM the I AM. We have been talking about you as an
expression of God for three weeks now, so I want to invite you to think of your spiritual name as I AM.
What do you call yourself as a spiritual being? Do you get up in the morning saying
I am too tired? I am sick of this job or this life? Your words are programming your life. If you want to
change your life, change the way you language your life.
For one week, keep track of how many times a day you break the commandment
"thou shalt not take the name of the Lord I AM in vain" And every time you catch yourself,
re-language your thoughts and feelings. From "I am sick and tired", to "I am a child
of God and am capable of seeing the truth and good in this situation." Use your own creative
words to change your thinking and change your life.
Second: If you are feeling strongly about something, that is good. It is natural to
have feelings, and many of them begin negative. But our tendency is to treat feelings as the event,
rather than our reaction to an event.
Honor your feelings, but respond to them in appropriate ways. Rather than creating
a thought that says the negative feeling is the negative truth of a situation, view the negative feeling
as if it was a red light on the dash-board of your car. You get upset for a moment, and then rejoice
because it is telling you valuable information that can keep things moving in a positive direction.
That negative feeling about a health concern is not telling you something is terrible;
it is telling you to change your thinking and thereby change your outcomes in life.
More people succumb to their own negativity about an issue than from the issue
itself because they don't know the power of their thoughts!
So: When you have that negative feeling, honor your humanity, and then, take
action to change how you view life. Give thanks for the doctor, rather than cursing the fact of having
to use one. Give thanks for the opportunity to grow through a challenge, rather than thinking the
world is against you and you are a victim with no chance.
If you will practice changing your thinking from negative to positive when necessary,
and responding to your honest feelings with proactive thoughts of your own divinity, you will change
your life for the better. And that is the truth!
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