A powerful lesson was in front of me many times a day, for many months. I did not see it. I did not see it because I saw what was in front of me through the eyes of my belief system and, my belief system was in error. Here is the story. It’s a story about me, my beliefs, and the little ficus plant growing in my greenhouse window above my kitchen sink. The greenhouse window has a glass shelf in the middle for plants. When I put the ficus plant on the bottom shelf it slowly grew until its leaves reached the underside of the glass shelf in the middle. I didn’t worry about the ficus being cramped because I knew that ficus plants are slow growing. For months it stayed there, simply touching its top leaves to the shelf above. It showed no evidence of overcrowding, no straining against the glass. Each time I looked at it I reminded myself it was a “slow grower.” One day I decided to move it out onto a table in the open. The glass ceiling was gone. I could not believe my eyes. Within days the “slow grower” was literally reaching for the sky. It grew nearly a foot. I stood awed, corrected, and invited by this little plant to look beyond my beliefs into the realm of possibility.
At CSE, we are concluding our 30th year of ministry service and getting ready for our annual community meeting. As we prepare, it is natural to reflect on the growth of the ministry over the years. One of the most moving stories for us is what happened when we became willing to take responsibility for a permanent home for the ministry. We had yearned for a place of our own for many years but we learned that besides a dream, we would need to change our minds about what was possible and be willing to step into that possibility. When we did, we experienced the power of Spirit to prosper us beyond our belief systems.
When we heard that the Unity Church property on University Avenue in San Jose was for sale we went to look knowing that we could not afford it. The asking price was two million dollars and we had twenty thousand in our building fund. The staff and board members who went to see the buildings shared in the appreciation of its beauty and the sense of how perfect it could be for our ministry. However, we could not see how the Center could make such a great financial leap so we set the conversation aside and we continued to pray for a new home. The more we looked at others sites, the more this one seemed right. Then we decided to revisit the property. This time, we would look through the eyes of possibility, rather than the eyes of our limiting beliefs. We asked: “Is this the right place for us?” We did not lead with the questions: Can we afford it? Where will we get the money? We knew those were important questions but we also knew they were not the most important. When we were able to answer, in our hearts, “yes” and to see the Center there, the necessary help came forward. Funds were donated to purchase the property outright with no debt to the Center. Was it a miracle? Yes, we think so. A miracle is something we cannot explain through our ordinary belief system. A miracle is something that invokes awe in us and turns our attention to God.
Think About It: For years, the 4-minute mile was considered not merely unreachable but, according to physiologists of the time, dangerous to the health of any athlete who attempted to reach it. When Roger Bannister crossed the finish line on May 6, 1954 with a time of 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds, he broke through a psychological barrier as well.
John Landy, considered one of the great milers of that era, never had gotten closer than within 1.5 seconds of the 4-minute barrier before. Within 46 days of Bannister's breakthrough, John Landy surpassed the record with a 3:57.9 in Finland. By the end of 1957, 16 runners had logged sub-4-minute miles. —St. Petersburg Times
Be Inspired: No great idea can have a place in the heart unless one steps out of his little corner. —Swami Vivekananda
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