There is one thing that means more to us than all the other things in the world, and that is our search for God and the understanding of His nature. Our aim is to learn the practice of the presence of God. We practice the presence of God by seeing Him everywhere, in all things and in all people.
Some years ago I coined the phrase “mental equivalent.” For anything that you want in your life—a healthy body, a satisfactory vocation, friends, opportunities, and above all the understanding of God—you must furnish a mental equivalent. Supply yourself with a mental equivalent, and the thing must come to you. This expression “mental equivalent” is borrowed from physics and chemistry. We speak of the mechanical equivalent of one kind of energy in another kind of energy. They have to find out how much coal will be needed to produce so much electricity, and so on. In like manner there is a mental equivalent of every object or occurrence on the physical plane.
The secret of successful living is to build up the mental equivalent that you want; and to get rid of, to expunge, the mental equivalent that you do not want.
I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways (Psalm 119:15).
The most sure way to develop the mental equivalent of that which we want in our lives is to follow God’s advice. When we surrender our will to God and obey God’s commandments, we are on the path to the mental states required to attract that which we seek. Then we are “meditating in thy precepts and respecting unto thy ways”. Following our own desires and will takes us in the opposite direction mentally and physically.
While this is simple, it is far from easy. It demands that we rise above the self-centered universe, spirit and perceptions that blind us to the garden. It demands that we show tolerance, compassion and love in all circumstances. And be sure, it will take our lifetimes to learn how to live in this way. But even that is not enough. Without God’s help we could never hope to achieve it. Yet, God’s promise is sure. We will walk in our gardens each day when we adopt the spirit, attitudes and actions that the Bible prescribes.
Seeking equivalence,
Z gardener
Leave a comment