Unity Church of Castro Valley
Sunday Message for March 21, 2010
Strength is a Balancing Act
Today we are going to talk about the faculty of Strength being a balancing act. Jeff can show you how important it is to stay balanced in your center. He has demonstrated how easy it is to get someone to wobble off balance. So instead of getting pushed or pulled off balance, we need to remember to rely on our faculty of Strength to stay poised and balanced.
If you know who and what you are you cannot be thrown off balance by those around you. When you are centered in God, you are centered in strength. Go within, experience your oneness with the presence of God, and practice your divine gift of Strength.
STRENGTH REGAINS OUR BALANCE
Of course, being human, we forget that we are one with God and find ourselves out of alignment with our world and with our maker. So how do we go about getting ourselves back into alignment?
Well, we get strong by getting still. Stop, and center yourself in the here and now. Do that now - draw your mind into this very moment - not what you are going to do when you leave here - not what happened before you came in - but THIS VERY MOMENT. Then draw your mind into this very place - not what's happening outside of here - not to other people sitting around you - but right where you are. Now, notice that in the here and now, that there is nothing wrong. In the here and now you are centered in the strength of God.
Remember the quote from the book of Isaiah, "...in quietness and in trust shall be your strength..."a We have the ability to become quiet, find spiritual strength, regain our equilibrium and move on. The challenge is to stay in that positive state for longer and longer periods of time.
STRENGTH IS BEING A WELL-BALANCED PERSON
Strength is about being a well-balanced person. Steven Covey has written several books on just this subject. They are so popular that he has sold over 15 million copies in 38 languages. Covey argues that effectiveness is achieved by aligning oneself to what he calls "true north" principles of a character ethic that he believes to be universal and timeless. He believes in preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have--you. In the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People he recommends having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual.b
In fact, he talks about scheduling appointments in your date book, so that you don't forget to do things in these areas. Pencil-in an appointment to spend time apart in prayer. Pencil-in an appointment to walk your dog. Pencil-in an appointment to spend quality time with your kids. Plan ahead to take care of all your needs in all areas of your life.
The Whole Human Being has developed both their Male and Female aspects, they are the Animus and the Anima. They tend to be equally comfortable with their Thinking nature and their Feeling nature.
In scripture it says that on the sixth day
"...God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness..."
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them."c
So God created us as Adam, the individual man idea. And He created us as Eve, the feminine aspect of generic man - "male and female he created them" We are both Adam and Eve.
So as we learn to accept the perfection of who and what we are we learn to use the Wisdom of the Head as well as the Love of the Heart. When we know this balance, we then know God as the Father and the Mother.
We can learn to control our Logic and our Emotions so that our Intellect as well as our Intuition is available to us. Then we are not Left Brained or Right Brained - but Whole Brained.
The Unity of Life is:
| Yang | | Yin |
| Active | | Passive |
| Work | | Rest/Play |
| Outer | | Inner |
| Day | | Night |
| Sun | | Moon |
| Productive | | Receptive |
| Giving | | Receiving |
| Positive | | Negative |
If you split yourself off from God you will see these pairs as opposites - you will see the world as Good or Evil. But when you live in the Unity of Life you know that these aren't opposites but polarities. They are merely two ends of the same stick - when you pick up the stick, you pick up both ends - the polarity, or the Unity of Life.
The black and white symbol for the Yin Yang embodies this very well. It shows the interconnectedness of life. In fact life is so interconnected, that the symbol for the Yin Yang is not unique to the Chinese. The earliest use of this symbol was on a Roman soldier's shield and it predates the Chinese symbol by several hundred years. This symbol was also used in Celtic designs.
THE BALANCE OF JESUS
So we need to connect to the Unity of Life and find balance in our life. Of course the example of balance that we should look to is Jesus. John A. Sanford wrote a book called The Kingdom Within in which he holds Jesus up to the Jungian criteria of personality. John Sanford is a Jungian analyst and an Episcopal priest.
Jung's most basic category is that of extraversion and introversion. Most people are one or the other - Jesus was both. Jesus met people constantly and confronted them both individually and in large crowds. But he also would retire alone in order to pray. He was comfortable spending 40 days alone in the desert and he was comfortable talking with 500 people.
A second set of categories by means of which Jung describes wholeness is the four functions of the psyche. These are thinking vs. feeling and sensation vs. intuition. Usually the development of any one of these four is possible only at the expense of its opposite.
In Jesus we can see a well-developed sensation function in his acute awareness of the facts of the world in which he lived. And yet, his intuitive function is equally well developed. In Scripture it says, But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone.e
The thinking function of Jesus is seen in his intellectual bouts with the Pharisees, and in his astuteness. And yet, examples of Jesus' feeling function abound in the Gospels. Several times we read that Jesus was "moved with compassion" for people in various kinds of distress. It is as though in the personality of Jesus we are seeing a whole person, a balanced person.
The development of both the feminine and masculine potentials in a person is also important for wholeness. In the case of Jesus there is equal development of both the masculine and feminine. On the masculine side, Jesus was a fighter. In the feminine area we find that, unlike John the Baptist, Jesus was a friend of women.
Another kind of development necessary for wholeness is that of a strong ego; that is, a conscious personality capable of exerting itself effectively in life. The strength of Jesus' human ego is apparent in his capacity to conceive of and carry through his extremely demanding life task, involving as it did his ultimate renunciation of himself. Only a person with a strong ego can give up that ego; we cannot give to God what we do not possess.
Looked at psychologically, the Gospels reveal the personality of a whole person. And in that balance we find strength.f
THINKING & FEELING IN HARMONY & BALANCE
One of the keys to spiritual strength is in finding the balance between our thinking nature and our feeling nature. If you allow your thoughts to involved with negative emotions, you will have worry, dogmatism, and prejudice. Negative thinking can develop jealousy, repression, and domination.
And you must know by now - that thoughts and emotions don't just ‘pop' into your mind. You create them. And you can un-create them. A lot of times they have just become a habit - but at any time you can change your mind.
In the "marriage made in heaven," we have an inner balance. We enjoy creativity, expressiveness, health, flexibility, discipline, nobility, organization, compassion, prosperity, happiness and strength.
The old joke has a guy asking pianist Arthur Rubinstein "Pardon me sir, but how do I get to Carnegie Hall?" and Rubinstein replying, "Practice, practice, practice." A strong mental/emotional state is build in the same way, practice, practice, practice. Healthy thoughts and feelings build mental/emotional strength - but you have to practice it until it becomes your new habit.
BALANCE BETWEEN INNER & OUTER LIFE
In scripture we read the story of when Jesus Visits Martha and Mary.
"Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.
She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying.
But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me."
But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."g
Fillmore tells us that Martha and Mary represent the outer and the inner phases, respectively, of the soul's activity in welcoming the inner spiritual teacher. Martha represents the outer activity of the soul that is receiving the higher self; Mary represents the inner or soul receptivity. Martha desires to show her love by service; Mary shows hers by learning at Jesus' feet. Both of these activities are necessary.h
Many people are confused and out of balance over their devotion to the inner or outer realm of life. We have those who want to retreat to a cave to be in prayer all the time, and those who think they should go door to door spreading the word. I'm not trying to make either of those wrong - we just need to have a balance of the inner and outer realm of life.
Many churches are out of balance - some put most of their emphasis on prayer, others put most of their energy into changing the world. Churches used to be learning centers that addressed all aspects of life. But many have gotten out of balance with their original purpose.
The incident with Mary, Martha and Jesus is more than just a minor domestic spat. It illustrates the need for balance between prayer and action; thinking and doing; thinking right and eating right; positive thought and positive exercise; reading and applying the lessons read; helping ourselves and getting help from others; idealism and realism; being visionary and being practical; faith and works. The "one thing" that is needed would certainly be balance. Both the inner and outer life are good, but outer concerns can develop into negative anxieties. And you can sort of hear that in Martha's words. When we are stressed and anxious, we have to regain our balance with inward prayer work and "returning and rest."
Definitely, the work needed to be done to take care of Jesus and all his followers that showed up at Mary and Martha's house. But even work should be a devotion as Brother Lawrence tells us. We can't do it with negative anxieties.
WHERE DO I NEED GREATER BALANCE IN MY LIFE?
So, ask yourself:
As I survey my life, where are some things not "working?"
Where is there discomfort or pain?
Do I need to pray more or take action?
Do I need more inner, quiet time,
or do I need to go forth and exercise my faith?
Do I need to be more loving towards myself, consider my own needs
or do I need to think of others and reach out to them more?
GOD, HELP ME TO BE WELL BALANCED!
I came across a little poem called ‘Balance' that I would like to share with you:
"And then a little laughing prayer
Came running up the sky,
Above the golden gutters, where
The sorry prayers go by.
It had no fear of anything,
But in that holy place
It found the very throne of God
And smiled up in His face."i
Lord,
Help me to be objective without being critical
Help me to be discerning without being judgmental.
Help me to love without being selective.
Help me to serve without expectations.
Help me to be loyal without being prideful.
Help me to be grateful without gloating.
Help me to be serious without lacking Your joy.
Help me to be a seeker of wisdom without taking my eyes off You.
Help me to be bold in standing for truth without being overbearing.
Help me to find balance without compromise. Amen
a Isaiah 30:15
b Steven Covey 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
c Genesis 1:26-27
d David & Gay Lynn Williamson & Robert Knapp Twelve Powers In You
e John 2:24-25
f John A Sanford The Kingdom Within
g Luke 10:38-42
h Charles Fillmore The Metaphysical Bible Dictionary
i Amy Carmichael's poem Balance
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