HOW CAN WE USE THE POWER OF SILENCE?

 

Do you know that if we are truly desirous of saying only what is useful, we will hardly spend 33% of the time we spend talking presently? Instead of noble silence, we indulge in talking about all things under the sun, what we understand, and what we know nothing about. We have an opinion ready on any topic. This talking epidemic suppresses our ability to perceive intuitively and observe things naturally. It does not promote clarity of thought; it causes inner turmoil instead of promoting inner peace. No wonder we have the saying: Silence is golden! We, therefore, need to cultivate silence. When we do this, then we can also benefit from the power of silence.

We will touch on three ways in which we can use the power of silence for our benefit. 

1. To nourish our thoughts and bring them to fruition:

When we think about something and retain the thought in silence, it begins to grow, it expands and other similar thoughts from the countless thoughts floating all around us are added to our initial thought. As we continue to stay in silence on the matter, we get more clarity and the thought is able to become deed with time having gained strength through silence. Everything we do starts from a seed; the seed of that first thought. It is this thought that grows into a visible manifestation when nourished. Silence is the nourishment our thoughts need in order to grow and mature into deeds.

2.   To attract what we need:

As mentioned earlier, the thought retained in silence will attract similar thoughts to itself, change and evolve into a new and stronger form. It will get to the point where this reinforced thought begins to break through your personal aura so that others notice it. They may say you have changed or that they are seeing a new you! This development then draws to you like a magnet, all the people and resources you need to bring into fruition that which you seek in your thought. This attraction is what people describe as good luck or being at the right place at the right time. But your nourished thoughts are really the cause of your attracting what comes to you! Please note that this works for good and for bad thoughts; hence the need to always think about that which is good so that we will attract only goodness into our lives. Furthermore, this thought which has matured can rise above the ordinary and go further into spheres of higher thoughts from where it can draw inspiration which then guides you into bringing the thought to reality in a much more advanced form.      

 3. To aid our earnestness when we pray and to foster our desire to do only what is good.

Prayer time is a time dedicated to God. If we are to pray at all then it must be sincere, serious, and solemn. When we pray in quietness, the power to express ourselves intuitively is increased through silence and our prayers can rise to the Luminous Heights and our petitions can rise to the spheres of grace. When in our life’s journey we have come to the point of making the firm decision to do only that which is good and turn our back to sin forever, the power of silence helps us to stay the course. This good volition mentioned here has the power to protect us from the repercussions of our former evil deeds. It is tantamount to the forgiveness of our past sins. This power of good volition, this great protection Is also nourished by the power of silence!

Clearly, the Lord our God in His mercy has endowed us with the strength for everything! May we have the courage to use it only for the good!

 

 

TIME AND TRUTH

 

Sometimes, profound discussions happen on buses. Years ago, a bus conductor in Lagos, Nigeria told his passengers that he does not buy the idea conveyed by the words: “olden days”. There is nothing like the olden days he said. The olden days are what have extended to this very day he affirmed. The young man spoke with courage. What he said is not in line with the popular view. The majority believe that time passes and that time changes.

 

But does time change? Does it pass? New knowledge available on earth today makes it clear to us that Time stands still! We are the ones that go through time to learn from it. Time never changes. It records all things and it is eternal. We, therefore, are the ones who go through time to learn from what has been recorded in it. We learn from this and we grow, we mature. It is just the forms of time that change and this is what we as men can relate to and which makes us conclude that time changes. Only the forms change but not time itself.

 

Again, when we observe ourselves we notice that we too remain the same inwardly. Our inner core the spirit remains what it is even when our body is manifesting outward changes. Our body can be young, it can be old, but our inner core remains forever the same. I am sure you too have noticed this.

 

Truth! This is the eternal unchangeable! It is Eternal. Again, as we reflect on this we see that what we consider as truth today we see later as error and yet again in this, we yet find grains of truth. Even then the Truth remains forever the same, it does not change. We are the ones who are getting to know more and more and growing and maturing in the process.

 

As we contemplate Truth we realise that it is Divine. It is well above our own origin. Closely linked to Truth are Love, Purity, and Justice. All are Divine. To be pleasing to our Creator, we as of necessity need to embrace and immerse ourselves in the spiritual forms of the Divine concepts mentioned here.

 

To live by Truth and Justice let us resolve to think, speak and act such that the Laws of Creation will bring back to us in reciprocity only peace, happiness, and the abundance of this Universe. When we align our thoughts words and deeds to their working, the Laws will also bear us aloft to the Luminous Gardens of our Creator eventually.

 

To serve Purity, let us embrace childlikeness, chastity in daily activity, a sense of beauty in all our actions, faithfulness, and acting with grace.

 

To live by Love, let us voluntarily respect and show understanding for our neighbours, help where help is needed and contribute only to healing and reconciliation.  We should also strive to live up to the high standards and pedestal on which our loved ones have placed us and not betray their trust.  

 

Above all, let us think of God at all times. That is our source of redemption, that is our salvation!

 

THE STORY OF SOYOYO AND OJURI

In her mid-twenties, Soyoyo is fun-loving, charming, and attractive. She can be described as decent, does not keep late nights, and is considered a reliable staff in the pharmacy retail chain where she serves as pharmacist and store manager. To unwind, she goes to the beach at weekends to relax with her colleagues, male and female.

 

At the beach, the ladies put on their skimpy bikinis and the gentlemen their swimming shorts. They swim, have their picnics, and party for hours. A female colleague once voiced her concern about this coming together of male and female in such a state of near nakedness. She was advised by the others that swimming with friends is totally harmless and that she must be the one with a corrupt mind to have a problem with the “clean fun” they were all enjoying. They told her: to the clean mind, all is clean!

 

On one occasion, a male colleague invited his friend Ojuri to join in the beachside fun. As it would turn out, Ojuri was not a man with a clean mind as envisaged by our group of friends and colleagues. Ojuri found Soyoyo appealing and kept looking at her as she swam and danced to the scintillating music. However, instead of thoughts of love, what arose in the mind of Ojuri was a lustful desire for Soyoyo! He said and did nothing outwardly. Throughout the get-together, Ojuri did not say one word to Soyoyo nor did he express his desires to the person who invited him to the party.

 

Now, thoughts are realities, and they have forms! The lustful thoughts of Ojuri took on form and moved towards Soyoyo. The effect is that these lustful forms defiled Soyoyo who continued to carry the forms with her even as she left the party. These forms are harmful and will most likely poison and confuse Soyoyo. Such a victim may start having desires of a lustful nature even if ordinarily such was not intended before the contamination aforementioned. No wonder then that we are told in the New Testament that whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. These are the physically unseen happenings associated with swimming between the sexes, erotic dance shows, and wild parties.

 

All who do not wish to be defiled need to be wary of such outings. There are certainly better ways to enjoy our time for recreation. It is time to discourage such gatherings which only promote immorality. In addition, let us respect and honour women. Let us from now begin to see in women what we really expect: noble womanhood. This will help womanhood to change for the better and we thereby uplift ourselves.

 

We shall succeed if we are focused on only what is good!

ANOTHER KIND OF LOVE

Love is a great ideal! It is extolled in books, in songs, and in our hearts. We seek love, we seek to give love. We believe that we can express love by giving to others, in helping them, and doing things that will bring them joy. We strive to protect them from care and dangers, we provide for their material needs.

Many sacrifice a lot for family and all those that are considered as loved ones. This is great. Material care cannot be ignored without dire consequences. However, as in everything, there has to be a balance here as well. The material must not be our principal aim. We must add a striving for that which is noble, high, and ideal.  

And, indeed, there is another kind of love! This love respects the beloved, it helps where help is needed and does what is of real and deeper spiritual benefit to the beloved. This love makes no demands, nor is it traded for the love and loyalty of the loved ones. It is given without calculations of the expected benefits or of trapping the loved ones into obeying all the unreasonable demands of the giver. This love under consideration actually gives strength to the loved ones to the extent that these ones will also begin to desire to become better human beings! Just imagine! 

This kind of love most importantly leads the giver upwards! How? Genuine love engenders in us the longing to attain to what we are considered to be in the eyes of those who love us. This longing can only make us do that which is good always and with such a desire for the good we have found the right path upward spiritually! We have found the path of chastity, the path of grace, the path of faithfulness, the path of beauty,  the path of childlikeness, and the path of love which leads to God Who is LOVE!