“Stepping up to the Plate”

Dear Friends

The term: “stepping up to the plate” originated as an expression used in baseball, when it was a player’s turn to step up to bat. Another definition is: to take action when something needs to be done even though this is difficult. And the final one under consideration is: step up to the plate and take responsibility.

 Now each of us in some way or another will relate to a time or times when we have in fact stepped up to the plate. Maybe we even have memories of this from incidents in our childhood, at school, in the workplace. In fact we step up to the plate in many ways in our daily experiences, and I am sure you can recall for yourselves the times you have done so.

In this message I am referring to a different kind of stepping up to the plate; at a completely different level; in a completely different way; and for a completely different reason.

We are each being used for the purpose of being channels or outlets for Divine Expression – the Creator expressing through creation. When we realize who we are in Truth, we are challenged to step up to the plate in Truth.

Story: Once a farmer found an abandoned eagle’s nest and in it was an egg still warm. He took the egg back to his farm and laid it in the nest of one of his hens. The egg hatched and the baby eagle grew up along with the other chickens. It pecked about the farmyard, scrabbling for grain. It spent its life within the yard and rarely looked up. When it was very old, one day it lifted up its head and saw above it a wonderful sight – an eagle soaring high above in the sky. Looking at it, the old creature sighed and said to itself, “If only I’d been born an eagle”. ( an Anthony de Mello story)

The Divine Science Text book states: As individuals journeying through life from a purely natural and objective vision of life to the Christ Consciousness, or purely spiritual view-point, we seem for a long time to be deadened by the material sense of things and to live mainly at the level of physical sensation. Man begins his path of individual experience and unfoldment in the material order of life where self-preservation comes first. Moral, intellectual, and ethical values come along at higher stages of natural and human development. Sooner or later the intuitive urge for growth arouses the soul of man to be aware of a need for something higher than his present material concept. He begins to realize that he is destined for something more than the worldly life about him.

 So like the eagle we begin to discern that there is more to life and we eventually “look up” and perceive the more-ness to life. And maybe like the eagle if we are in our later earthly years, we may have within a sense of regret that we did not “look up” sooner. The desire to “look up” is always within us – it is truth calling to us, yet in the muddled life we live, by looking outside of ourselves to those around us in expectation, we do not heed the call from the inner voice: “I within you, am the vine, bestowing on you divine sonship giving you the peace and life more abundantly than the world can give.”

In life – in the world – it is regular practise to make known achievements of different kinds. We have winners in different categories, sports, academics, the arts, journalism and others.

There is one achievement however, that cannot be superseded and that is Christ Consciousness. It cannot be measured in or by the world standards – it is far beyond, and infinite.

What we do in the world; our kindnesses, our gifts, our courage perhaps, only has temporary effect. Consciousness – knowing first the Inner Presence for ourselves – enables us to realize it in all creation – and this uplifts all.

Life is consciousness and calls us to step up to the plate in truth. Once we have experienced the Presence, our challenge is to LIVE from this point of awareness.

 In Closing…..

 “As we go out into the world we give up our selfhood as a branch, and we accept ourselves as the vine. As we live in our homes, in our community and in our nation, it becomes necessary that we be the vine, not openly or outwardly, remember – but silently.

 That which is whispered in silence will be shouted from the housetops, only we will not do the shouting. It will be shouted forth, shown forth as demonstration.”

 I find the above paraphrased quote from Joel Goldsmith so profound …….

We take on the responsibility of being the vine through inner realization – SILENTLY.  We do not have to stop and say: “Hey, look at me……” the silence shouts it out as by example we follow through in truth, being that which we are all created to be.

 Peace, harmony, health, abundance, God – are not to be sought – they already are!!  We are told to give up the struggle, move into the silence where all these can be experienced.  And remember, what we experience in consciousness, comes into manifestation.

Bountiful blessings,

Mallory