Christ Jesus says, “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matt 9:16-17 NIV)
Emptying the bottle of thought of the old is a prerequisite to being receptive and ready for the new!
Holding on to old thoughts, old ways of seeing ourselves and others means there isn’t room for new inspiration – the new ideas – that come today. The new inspiration will be spilled and wasted because there isn’t room for it in the bottle of our old thought. We have to let go of the old thoughts first!
For me, emptying the bottle of thought of the old has been the actively resisting the 4 C’s.
- Criticism
- Condemnation
- Comparison
- Complaint
Criticism
Criticism actually hurts the one doing the criticizing in addition to being hurtful to others. It is a public or private confession that you are not seeing the child of God that has been created. Seeing God’s child, His image and likeness, requires inspiration, spiritual discernment and light. The temptation to criticize tries to cut us off from that light. Spiritual light makes us happy and free. So why do we want to feel cut off from that light even for a moment? Criticizing doesn’t actually change the environment or people around us. It doesn’t heal. What is actually needed is a change in our own thinking. And creative solutions will then appear. Practice the humility needed to bring about that change today which results in healing yourself, others and countless situations.
Condemnation
A child of God is never condemned. God loves each of us. It is not in our nature to condemn because it is not in our nature to believe in something more powerful than Love – than God or Good. The activity of the Divine is always bringing transformation, renewal and healing. It reveals who we each are as whole and complete. Therefore we are never condemned.
Comparison
Comparing impedes our progress and hides our true purpose. God’s diversity is so vital. No two men, women or children are the same. We are as the snowflakes – each one unique. So one person’s life expression is not going to look the same as another. We are all expressing divinity in a unique way. Denying our creativity, uniqueness and perfection is like trying to deny an aspect of God that needs to be expressed. Love and cherish the unique qualities and ideas you have. Don’t think with jealousy, envy or coveting what another person has. Love you because of who God made you to be – special, priceless, invaluable. Trust me – you will be much happier and productive when being the “real” you.
Complaint
Ah, complaints. They’re so easy to do. There is a line from a hymn which says, “Our gratitude is riches, complaint is poverty” (Christian Science Hynnal, 249). Wow. That really shows complaining in it’s true light. Complaining cuts us off from seeing the goodness and abundance and Love each moment. And that is why complaint is poverty. Gratitude is an acknowledgement of the good, Love and kindness present in this moment. Take a moment to look around you. See all the beauty, good, protection and care coming from God and feel that gratitude in your hearts. Now, don’t you feel rich?! 🙂
I know it can be hard resisting the 4 C’s; but making a conscious choice of the thoughts you are going to continue to think – allow to dwell in your consciousness – will open you up to so many possibilities. It will open you up to goodness, inspiration, love, and joy – progress in your life, relationships and future. Like attracts like. Having this spiritual consciousness will attract that which is spiritual, eternal and precious in your experience.
Enjoy this day! Consider sharing, in the comment section, experiences of how you overcame 1 or more of the 4 C’s and what it felt like for you. You can help inspire others to do the same.
Spirituality & Healing 