"Waters to swim in..."
	Notes and references from 12/31/00 “Waters to swim in…” A month or so ago we talked about the four rivers in the Book of Revelation and their corresponding definitions in the Glossary. Today let’s look at four steps in gaining a spiritual sense of ourselves. In coming weeks we will connect the two concepts. If you go to the section of our notebook, “Just Four You” (Tab 4), you will see where I am going with this. Consider a child learning to swim in the ocean. When just a toddler he is afraid of even the little waves coming up around his ankles. His first reaction is to turn and rum to his mother. Later, with mother’s hand, the child goes back in and the waters now come up to his knees. Screaming, his mother picks him up. Much later, dad enters the picture and takes the child in deeper, allowing the water to come to the shoulders. By the following summer, and after some swimming lessons, the child learns to lift his feet from the sand and trust the water. Waters to swim in! Now look at the story below from Ezekiel. You are entering the story while Ezekiel is sharing with his friends a dream he had: Ezek 40:2,3 In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south. And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate. Let me save you seven chapters of Ezekiel’s dream and get to the punch line: Ezek 47:3-5 And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ancles. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. Now consider that the earth is matter and the water is spirit. When we are comfortable with matter we don’t want to let go of it. We stand firmly in a material position. When spiritual sense tells us to let go we are sometimes more afraid than the small child at the ocean for the first time. Spiritual sense shakes our material beliefs to the core. They make us examine our whole motive for doing what we do. It’s New Year’s eve tonight. Some or all of you might be going to a party. It might be, and probably is, a drinking party. Will you have the courage to do what is right? Can you not drink with the right motive? What about speeding, over eating, etc? Can you reexamine your material foundations and determine if your material actions are the result of letting the world do your thinking for you? Try reexamining your motives. Don’t change what you do. Change why you do it and stand by your decisions. Don’t worry about whether people like you better or not. Just do the right thing and don’t look back. Read the following: 454:1-21 Right motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and action. Pinions are wings. Actually they are the joint of the birds wing that allows them to have lift. Student’s Ref.: n. 1. The joint of a bird’s wing remotest from the body; 2. A wing; 3. A feather; “Hope humbly then, on trembling pinions soar.” -Pope As your thought rises to a higher level, becomes inspired, you will have more strength and freedom. Isn’t that what we all want? The more you practice the piano, the more freedom you have at the piano. Practice demonstrating your spiritual sense and see what kind of freedom you enjoy in life. You will be amazed! It will effect everything from those really important issues to the very smalest and seemingly inconsequential. Our Leader writes: Mis 204:23-25 By purifying human thought, this state of mind permeates with increased harmony all the minutiae of human affairs. Let’s close with this thought from our textbook: 209:31-1 Spiritual sense is a conscious, constant capacity to understand God. It shows the superiority of faith by works over faith in words.
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