Unity Center of Norwalk

Make a donation to Unity Center of Norwalk

"Resurrection Is For Bringing Together-Not Separating" Rev. Shawn Moninger @ Unity Center of Norwalk CT (4/4/21)

You can see this talk and others on YouTube at

http://www.youtube.com/c/UnityCenterNorwalk

Last week's message from Rev. Shawn

"Half Measures Aren’t Whole Measures"

Hey Everybody,

There is saying that “half measures availed us nothing.”  I don’t know if that is entirely accurate, but I know from experience that half measures haven’t offered nearly enough.  I know that telling half the amount of lies I used to doesn’t make me not a liar.  Someone who steals less is still a thief.  Drinking less doesn’t make us sober.  

If I want self-esteem, I must do estimable acts.  

And if I want a confident relationship with God, I must pray without ceasing.

Let’s understand something here, we’re not trying to become perfect.  We are looking to step up our moral living to a level that never needs defense. If I don’t lie, I don’t need to remember my lies.  Not only that, I can feel that I am more right with God because I don’t have secrets.  

In spirituality we take it to other parts of our practice.  When I came to Unity I was taught that in order to thrive and prosper I had to both tithe and forgive.  At first it seemed that tithing was going to be the hard one to practice.  It turned out that giving ten percent of my income back to where I was spiritually fed was the easy part.  Money had never had a lot of value that I could understand anyway, even though I was afraid of it.  Giving away that tenth to my spiritual home took away the fear I had always experienced around money.  I didn’t necessarily have a lot more, but by giving it away freely rather than hoarding it to buy something special gave me new understanding that God is my Source, not money.

Forgiveness turned out to be the tricky one to practice in full measure.  To hand over my thoughts and judgments about both myself and others was a terrific challenge.  (Often it still is.)  Apparently, my thoughts and judgments have great value to me.  I couldn’t afford to maintain them if I wanted to thrive and prosper.  I began to learn more about the process of forgiveness.  I learned most about it through prayer and witness the results of the prayers.  I had so many epiphanies during my prayers on forgiveness.  I learned that forgiveness isn’t something I do, but something I experience through my willingness to see differently.  I’ve had many experiences now where I was no longer attached to my perceptions of the past.  I had experienced forgiveness or “the giving way for” new thoughts about those events and I was set free.

As I have continued to tithe and work on forgiveness, I have thrived and prospered in ways I could barely have imagined.  My Good flows to and through me in ways that I expect and ways that surprise me.  When I negate my practice and apply half measures, the ways seem to dry up.  It’s not magic, it is consciousness.

So, half measures are sorely lacking in our demonstration of a great life.  Don’t settle for half, get on board with whole measures.  It’s pretty easy and very simple, just pray, asking what’s next to think, say, and do to practice fully.

Let’s affirm together, “The Superconscious Mind is awake in me now!”

Have a Great Time,

Rev. Shawn