FAITH OF ATTRACTION: Excepts from our first drafts of Richard and I's book
Introduction: It's not a flower, it's a rose
Imagine for a second that you own a flower nursery. Your livelihood depends on the successful rearing of new flowers for sale to the public. The public depends on you for the beautification of their homes and neighborhoods. In rearing your plants, you name them all flowers. You do not differentiate between what type of flower but the simple fact they are all flowers. Because they are all flowers, you raise the flowers all the same way. They all receive the same kind of water, soil, and lighting. As you do so, you notice that you have success raising certain flowers while many others die because of improper amounts of water or lighting. Would you survive raising flowers in this manner? Would it be better, or more “powerful”, to differentiate what each flower is, thereby giving it the proper care and attention it needs?
Obviously, in the analogy above the answer is quite simple, yet in our own lives many of us have allowed weaker principles of truth to be taught to us and used by us, when stronger principles exist. This is very true, especially when it comes to the popular secular belief called the Law of Attraction. The Law of Attraction very simply is the belief that whatever a person gives their attention and thoughts to on a regular basis is what they will manifest for themselves in their lives. The idea is not a new one, but it has become popularized through the movie The Secret (released in March 26, 2006) and with various shows, such as Oprah, that have brought the ideas to mind of many in the world. The fact that the Law of Attraction works can be testified to by many, but does it alone hold the power to actualize great things in our lives, or are we really calling the Law of Attraction what it truly
Two experiences led this author to the writing of this book. First, was the author's first experience with the Law of Attraction as taught secularly. Back in July 2005, I began my medical residency training in Family Medicine in Washington PA. Residency training is the intense on-the-job training that medical doctors go through before going off and working on their own. Successful completion of residency training allows the doctor in most cases to take their specialties board examination in order to be designated as board certified. This becomes important for becoming an in-network insurance health care provider. I knew going into residency that it would be hard. The horror stories heard during medical school are far and many. Prior to residency, I made it a priority to be there for God and my family. Residency soon challenged the very foundations that made me who I was. I found the demands of 80 hour work weeks and Sunday work placed a huge test on my priorities. In addition, I struggled with feelings of inadequacy, humiliation, and disagreement with the many things I was being taught and forced to do. It did not take long for the experience to begin to take a toll on my marriage, my kids, and my relationship with God. My wife began to feel as if she was single mother caring for 4 young kids all by herself. My children longed for their dad who was never dependable or available (something they'd never experienced before). I would attend church only once a month if I were lucky and sometimes I slept through all the services as I was just absolutely exhausted. I lost the urge to pray, to read my scriptures, and to serve in the Church. The negative influences at work, which were around me most of the time, were beginning to affect my life and rearrange my priorities.
Early September 2006, while on call at the hospital, I recall hitting the “wall.” This was my first call back from vacation with the family. On the vacation, I felt distant from my kids and my wife. My wife expressed desires to end the marriage as things were not working well. During one of my rare breaks on call, I went up to the 7th floor call room in the hospital. As I was there, the window was open and I went a glanced out the window. As I did, a thought entered my mind which horrified me...
SECTION ONE: GOD
As we navigate through this book, we want to point out that most sections contain a brief section called, "TO DO." Use this section to help you with any questions your may have concerning any "value" or idea that is introduced to you in this book. Obviously these "TO DO's" are the opinion of the authors and we feel they have helped us in our own "travels" on our paths in life. We are by no means ecclesiastical, but merely individuals like you who have used this "Faith of Attraction" in our own lives; happy navigating!
YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD
Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers? - Malachi: 2:10
Let's talk about our Father in Heaven. Before I go on at all, I want to point out that I am a Christian, meaning I believe in God, our Father in Heaven, and in Jesus Christ. The reason I point this out is, you will not here me say things like “the Universe” or “your source” as explained in the introduction. I feel we are all spiritual, we are all a family here on earth and everything we do, either to ourselves, or to one another effects everything. In my opinion, God created everything, thus He is our “source.” When you read other books about the Law of Attraction you will know EXACTLY what I am talking about. If you are not Christian, or you do not believe in God, then this book will come across as one sided, we don't mean to, it's just our belief. In my own quest to find out more about this Law of Attraction, I wondered what others have said about the Law of Attraction in the Christian world. I did find a few books about the Law of Attraction found in the Bible (The Law of Attraction The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham - Jerry Hicks, The Secret of Rhonda Byrne or the Law of Attraction in the Bible - Ben David), and probably more that some of you know about! Throughout the centuries, even our fore fathers, like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin have written books about achieving success in life. (Benjamin Franklin's the Art of Virtue His Formula for Successful Living, The Way to Wealth - Benjamin Franklin) Wow, there are some great books out there, especially from our founding fathers. I really, really, really, did I say really, think there was a reason our founding fathers used God in our Constitution and in their own books and letters. Okay enough about the cool books out there, I love reading about our fore fathers, and believe me I know that myself and my co-author will pursue a book on their leadership soon!
So who is God? Christ? I think I am safe to say that most of us Christians believe that Christ is the “author” and “finisher” of our faith. I believe in deed that Christ is the author of our faith. Faith being, we have a belief that we can accomplish anything we want in this life. Ask and ye shall receive, knock and shall be opened unto you; have we not heard those words spoken by the savior himself from the Bible? Faith is also what Christians are all about, right? Even though we all have different ideas, one holds true, we believe in Christ; who Christ is, His life's example, our God given abilities if we but trust Him. So if Christ is the author of our faith, how? I think we all know what faith is right? Believing in something, a concept, God, or whatever it might be without actually seeing it, or seeing an outcome of whatever it is we believe in. Wow, did that make any sense at all? And by-the-way, we will talk about Christ's role in all this a little later, but first our foundation!
Now why go into all this? Why talk about faith so early on? I want to point out some of my thoughts about God. To be a Christian means you have some sort of faith right? We believe in God and Jesus Christ. I do feel like we choose to have faith; meaning faith is not a feeling, it's a choice we make and that faith in turn dictates our feelings. Make sense? In essence, faith controls our feelings. Think about it for a moment, if we have fear, we do not have faith, faith and fear cannot co-exist in us; that doesn't make sense. If we have faith, we have no fear, it's that simple, well...
You Know Enough
Elder Neil L. Andersen
Of the Presidency of the Seventy
October 2008
"That man or woman who knows and believes that he or she is a child of God, created by a Divine Father and gifted with a potential for the exercise of great and godlike virtues, will discipline himself or herself against the sordid, lascivious elements to which we are frequently and redily exposed." - Gordon B Hinckly
Now to really know, have faith in God, is to believe we come from Him right? If we are His children then, man! that is awesome information! Think about it, to really know that God loves us, loves you and me and is aware of each of us, or in other words, is aware personally of you, turns doubt and fear into faith! Another thought, think about how you and I and everyone you see or know, whether Christian or not, are all of God's children. We all have one Father in Heaven, as Genesis states, we all were created after God's image. All means all right? Not some of us... We are all personal signatures of the hand of God. He's made us all different. We all work differently, we are not all the same flowers! Why then do we treat others the way we do, or even ourselves for that matter? I personally know a few friends and family that just beat themselves up over weight, or looks, or talents he has and I don't, or why does she do, I don't, the list can go on my friends! I personally feel like I offend God when we offend our neighbor, or make offense about myself.
And you know what? If we believe in God, then we also believe in the "other" guy don't we? And that "other" guy who was kicked out of God's presence for rebellion is here on earth to tempt us and to tell us that we are all the same and we all should look or feel or even act the same. We Christians stand up and say no! We our personal signatures of Hand of God, we are all unique, and we are all His children...
TO DO: If you do not know, or understand that you are a child of God and that everyone here on earth is a child of God, trying our best to do what we can with what we have been given in life, then pray right now to know. This book lays heavy on the idea that you are a child of God and how important that is. Ask God, in the name of Christ and He will tell you this is true! You must know it to get anything out of this book!