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Part 18

The Game of Life and How to Play It · Florence Scovel Shinn — chapter 18 of 23 · ~885 words · public domain

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She made this statement, “I deny loss, there is no loss in Divine Mind, therefore, I cannot lose the two thousand dollars, which belong to me by divine right.” “As one door shuts another door opens.”

She was living in an apartment house which was for sale; and in the lease was a clause, stating that if the house was sold, the tenants would be required to move out within ninety days.

Suddenly, the landlord broke the leases and raised the rent. Again, injustice was on her pathway, but this time she was undisturbed. She blessed the landlord, and said, “As the rent has been raised, it means that I’ll be that much richer, for God is my supply.”

New leases were made out for the advanced rent, but by some divine mistake, the ninety days clause had been forgotten. Soon after, the landlord had an opportunity to sell the house. On account of the mistake in the new leases, the tenants held possession for another year.

The agent offered each tenant two hundred dollars if he would vacate. Several families moved; three remained, including the woman. A month or two passed, and the agent again appeared. This time he said to the woman, “Will you break your lease for the sum of fifteen hundred dollars?” It flashed upon her, “Here comes the two thousand dollars.” She remembered having said to friends in the house, “We will all act together if anything more is said about leaving.” So her lead was to consult her friends.

These friends said: “Well, if they have offered you fifteen hundred they will certainly give two thousand.” So she received a check for two thousand dollars for giving up the apartment. It was certainly a remarkable working of the law, and the apparent injustice was merely opening the way for her demonstration.

It proved that there is no loss, and when man takes his spiritual stand, he collects all that is his from this great Reservoir of Good.

“I will restore to you the years the locusts have eaten.”

The locusts are the doubts, fears, resentments and regrets of mortal thinking.

These adverse thoughts, alone, rob man; for “No man gives to himself but himself, and no man takes away from himself, but himself.”

Man is here to prove God and “to bear witness to the truth,” and he can only prove God by bringing plenty out of lack, and justice out of injustice.

“Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

PERFECT SELF-EXPRESSION

THE DIVINE DESIGN

“No wind can drive my bark astray nor change the tide of destiny.”

There is for each man, perfect self-expression. There is a place which he is to fill and no one else can fill, something which he is to do, which no one else can do; it is his destiny!

This achievement is held, a perfect idea in Divine Mind, awaiting man’s recognition. As the imaging faculty is the creative faculty, it is necessary for man to see the idea, before it can manifest.

So man’s highest demand is for the Divine Design of his life.

He may not have the faintest conception of what it is, for there is, possibly, some marvelous talent, hidden deep within him.

His demand should be: “Infinite Spirit, open the way for the Divine Design of my life to manifest; let the genius within me now be released; let me see clearly the perfect plan.”

The perfect plan includes health, wealth, love and perfect self-expression. This is the square of life, which brings perfect happiness. When one has made this demand, he may find great changes taking place in his life, for nearly every man has wandered far from the Divine Design.

I know, in one woman’s case, it was as though a cyclone had struck her affairs, but readjustments came quickly, and new and wonderful conditions took the place of old ones.

Perfect self-expression will never be labor; but of such absorbing interest that it will seem almost like play. The student knows, also, as man comes into the world financed by God, the supply needed for his perfect self-expression will be at hand.

Many a genius has struggled for years with the problem of supply, when his spoken word, and faith, would have released quickly, the necessary funds.

For example: After the class, one day, a man came to me and handed me a cent.

He said: “I have just seven cents in the world, and I’m going to give you one; for I have faith in the power of your spoken word. I want you to speak the word for my perfect self-expression and prosperity.”

I “spoke the word,” and did not see him again until a year later. He came in one day, successful and happy, with a roll of yellow bills in his pocket. He said, “Immediately after you spoke the word, I had a position offered me in a distant city, and am now demonstrating health, happiness and supply.”

A woman’s perfect self-expression may be in becoming a perfect wife, a perfect mother, a perfect home-maker and not necessarily in having a public career.

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