The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread
Drs Bil & Cher Holton
A well-dressed young man saw a breath-takingly gorgeous woman walk past Macy's in the mall. He was so smitten that he walked behind her as she made her way toward the center of the mall.
The lady saw his reflection in the store windows as she passed them and finally turned and asked: "Why are you stalking me?"
He responded innocently, "Because you are the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen, and I have fallen madly in love with you at first sight."
The young lady smiled and replied," I believe you need to look behind you at my younger sister who is a whole lot more attractive than I."
The opportunistic suitor turned around quickly and noticed what he thought to be an average looking young woman walking toward him.
"That woman is no where near as attractive as you," he lamented. "You tricked me!"
"No, you lied to me," she countered. "If you were so madly in love with me, why did you look at anyone else?"
"I Ah Well Ah"
His answer was a classical 'Definitely Maybe'! He claimed he definitely thought the young woman was the greatest thing since sliced bread -- and then he thought maybe there's greater sliced bread.
What's amazing is, we do that all of the time. 'Definitely Maybe' people live their lives out of a chronic 'yes -- no' perspective. They short-change themselves because they 'under mind' themselves. These folks are decisively indecisive.
* Yes I can. No I can't! * I absolutely want that. Well, maybe not. * I will never do that again. Or maybe....
"We are unable to serve two masters," Jesus says in Matt. 6:24, "for either we will despise the one, and love the other; or else hold on to one and despise the other. We cannot serve God and material wealth."
What He's saying is: 'definitely maybe' doesn't work. You cannot steal second base with your foot on first. You cannot squeeze orange juice out of a watermelon. You cannot put the toothpaste you've squeezed out back into the tube. And you cannot walk the spiritual path on materialistic feet.
A 'definitely maybe' consciousness usually ends up sending confusing messages. The following story is an example. A televangelist stopped a few girl scouts at the street corner and requested directions to the post office.
"Down this street two blocks. You'll pass girl scouts selling cookies, so buy some, then turn to your right," the oldest youngster replied.
"You seem to be a smart young lady," said the televangelist. "Have you ever watched my nationally televised broadcast?"
"Nope"
"Well, if you will watch Channel 22 tomorrow morning with your parents, I'll explain to you how to get to Heaven."
"Aw, I doubt it mister. You don't even know how to get to the post office."
What kind of mixed messages do we send if we affirm, on the one hand, that there is only One Presence, One Power, and One Intelligence in the Universe and then at the first sign of trouble give power to outer appearances?
What if we say we are one with the Inexhaustible Source of our abundant supply -- and then worry constantly over money?
We have the power to be definite about our truth walks. We also have the power to give away that power. Some folks like sliced bread. Others like an uncut loaf of bread. Some people choose slices of Truth. Others seek the whole Truth -- unbiased, uninterpreted, and non-dogmatic -- so they can render their own interpretations. The important thing is to be willing to stand for something instead of falling for anything.
About the Author:
Drs. Bil & Cher Holton are Spiritual Leaders at Unity Spiritual Life Center in Durham, NC, where they practice positive, practical, progressive Christianity. Visit their website at http://www.unityspirituallifecenter.org">Unity Spiritual Life Center and sign up to receive a complimentary 4-week e-course.
|
