God's Will Illumined

As a Unity minister, I hesitate to admit that I have grappled with the concept of God’s Will. Since beginning my exploration of New Thought teachings, I have presumed and taught that the only Will that God has for each of us is that we realize our innate divinity and live it. Having rejected the concept of an external deity, I resisted the idea that God, by whatever name or nature we know it to be, has a Higher Will for the way in which we express our divinity.

For example, I did not fully accept that it is God’s Will for me to be in ministry. Even though I have felt the inner nudge to be in ministry since I was 14 years old, I believed that, according to New Thought teaching, it was and continues to be my freewill choice.

I now have a different perspective on the concepts of “God’s Will” and “Free Will” in large part, but not solely, thanks to Dr. Jacob Israel Liberman. Since hearing him speak and attending his workshop on Sunday, October 27 (listen here), as well as reading his latest book, Luminous Life, I find that I am returning again and again to his teaching on Light. He and others from whom I am currently learning have opened my eyes to see in a new way.

I shared some thoughts on this in my post last week, and in my lesson this past Sunday. It continues to work on me and in me to reveal a depth of understanding for which I am extremely grateful. I am not attempting to summarize or comment on Dr. Liberman’s work, I am simply sharing my experience and what it has awakened in me.

God, the One Source of all that is, expressed the full potential and possibility for all creation as what we know as Light. Think of the “Big Bang” theory. Even though Light is invisible, it is the foundation, or substance (not matter), of all that is manifest, as well the potential for all that is unmanifest. Scientists have observed that Light exhibits the properties we assign to God – Omnipresence, Omnipotence, Omniscience. The One Light of God holds the code, the Divine DNA, for all creation and expresses aspects of Itself as the potentiality for all that is and is yet to be.

Charles Fillmore, the cofounder of Unity, asserted that God “ideated” the universe. In other words, everything we perceive in the physical world began as an idea in the One Mind of God and came into manifestation through the evolutionary process. The Earth as we know it did not just appear. It was a Divine Idea that gradually took shape over time. Likewise, the plants and animals were Divine Ideas that evolved over time. Additionally, humans were not created, but “ideated” by God and continue to evolve into expressions of the Divine Idea in the One Mind for each of us. Unity calls that Divine Idea for humankind the ‘Christ.’

The Divine Idea, the Christ, is encoded within the DNA of each of us. We are each a unique expression of the Light of Christ which we are here at this time and in this place to awaken to and express. Our uniqueness, encoded as Light within our DNA, is “God’s Will” for each of us. Our opportunity is to connect with that Light, nurture it, and allow it to break open and blossom forth as us and in the world.

Our power of “Free Will” lies in our capacity to resist the Light or align to it. My experience has shown me that when we resist it, we suffer. When I denied my Light as a teacher, writer, singer, and channel which are all gifts and talents I use in ministry, I was not happy or content. I was constantly longing for something more. When I embrace my gifts and talents, express and share them, I am being true to the Light of my soul, the seed code of my Divine DNA, and I feel much more alive and enthusiastic. That, I believe, is how I can know I am following God’s Will for me.

Using our Free Will to follow the path of God’s Will may lead us to places we never thought possible, but will always be enriching to our soul. Reflecting on my life to this point, I can clearly see that God’s Will for me has unfolded in ways that I could not have consciously imagined or expected. Becoming a Unity minister was not originally my plan, but I now can see that there was a higher plan. Further, moving to Denver was not something that I had ever considered. I thought it would be too cold and snowy. There was obviously a higher plan that brought me here.

I recall vividly when I announced to my congregation in Arlington, TX that I was moving to Denver, someone asked me why I chose Denver over them. I replied, quite honestly, "I believe Denver chose me."

In using my Free Will to say ‘yes’ to the invitation to become a Unity minister and to move to Denver, my choice was to follow the Light, not resist it. I could not have planned any of this. I believe it has unfolded and continues to do so because I have, to the best of my ability and understanding, aligned to God’s Will for my life in service to the world.

I do not mean to suggest that connecting with and following the Light of our Divine DNA is always a bed of roses. It can be challenging. It can be scary. It can be lonely. Look at Jesus, the Buddha, and other masters who have awakened to their Divine DNA and followed the Light. Their lives were anything but easy. However, I am choosing to trust, and I invite you to trust that we are given all that we need in every moment to support us in living as the Light, and in following God’s Will for our lives.

I’m grateful for the newly awakened awareness and understanding that I am not in charge. I can take charge, and have done so at times to my detriment. There is a Higher Mind. There is a Higher Will. There is a Higher Knowing. There is a Higher Plan. Our opportunity is to open our hearts and minds to the revelation of God’s Will for us, and to the best of our ability, with all the spiritual tools we can master, align with that Will and follow the Light using our Free Will to say ‘yes’ to it.

Follow where it leads. Celebrate each step along the way. We are ever unfolding as the Divine Idea that we are – the Christ – the Light of the world.