“There is no lack of anything."

Just think of that!

We all know that life, health, strength, peace, prosperity and knowledge are good; but, we have all our lives been believing that there either is, or could be, an absence of these things from us, and, of course, this belief has made us more or less sorrowful according to the degree in which we have believed in this lack or absence.

Now, when we willfully set out to see the good and to realize that we have the good right now, it follows that we have to make a deal of change in our way of thinking, and also be very firm and courageous in our refusing to believe in appearances.

You know an abundance of material things does not bring happiness unless you are in a happy state of mind.

Now, you know this happiness or unhappiness was all the effect of the state of the mind.

We are rich or poor according to our thinking.

A pauper in an insane asylum (so called) may consider himself "a Vanderbilt " and be in a constant state of joy as he contemplates his possessions (in his thoughts). While the elder Vanderbilt himself worth his millions might be saying, " I am poor and needy, poor and needy."

Omnipresence is not place nor space; it is Mind.

I do not say that it is easy, after having thought according to the ways of the world for twenty, thirty, fifty or sixty years, to turn your thoughts into righteous thoughts, but rather that he who does so is a hero; it takes keen perception of Truth, besides courage, to stoutly deny that a thing is true when all appearances are to the contrary.

If you were innocent of having committed a crime yet were accused of so doing, you would assert your innocence in the face of all contrary assertions or appearances, would you not? and you would finally prove your innocence too, for sooner or later the truth about a thing is always laid bare.

If you had a friend whom you knew to be wrongly accused of a certain thing, you would stand up for that friend though the whole community were against you, would you not ? (You would unless you believed in cowards), and then when the truth of the innocence of this person was made known, you would be a hero in the eyes of the people for your staunch friendship in the hour of trial. Now are you going to be a hero in believing the truth of your God, or are you going to be swayed by the ignorant beliefs of the people around you ? From the instant of your choosing all things will change to you. Are you going to have an "absence of anything" or not? Are you going to have an absence of health, strength, peace, money, intelligence, capability to do everything you want to do or ought to do ? Are you going to have an absence of judgment or wisdom in deciding whether this or that is the best thing to do; are you going to have an absence of love and charity in your thoughts for every person with whom you are obliged to meet and deal ? Are you going to have an absence of healing in your thoughts? Are you going to declare for the omnipresence of the Good? Every one wants to be called good. The hearts of the children of men are hungry to be called good.

It does not make any difference to God whether we praise ourselves or not. God is changeless and not affected by what we do in any way.

It is ourselves who are affected by words of praise and blame. We want to make ourselves express the Good. God our Father is Good; we want to prove to ourselves that we really are His children.

Death, sickness, weakness, inharmony and discord, poverty and ignorance are shadows.

Do you not think it would be more pleasant to watch the real than the shadows?

THE SHADOW AND THE REAL

HEILBRDUN; OR, DROPS FROM THE FOUNTAIN OF HEALTH.

BY FANNY M. HARLEY 1898