My book is now published and available on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback formats. “Out of darkness, Into the Light, with Letters from Michele.” By Michele Frantz
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
In the past, I used to be so overwhelmed when facing a big project that it was hard to start. Then over the years, I learned a way to make big projects seem small. To start, I would outline the project, start to finish. That is the last time I thought about the project as a whole. Then I took one step at a time and worked on it until it was done, and gave no thought to what came next. Doing it that way it turned into a lot of small projects.
That’s how I needed to face my spiritual journey. I felt I had so much to learn and put into practice that it was overwhelming. Where to begin? How do I even know? Then a message came to me, start reading The Bible and the Science and Health. Just start reading. Okay!
As I read, it became clear that I needed to stop thinking about my past if I was going to work on my present. If I’m not a product of my past, then who am I? That was a big question as my past plagued my thought frequently. Then slowly it started to unfold in my thought who I was. I was learning there was something in this universe that I could depend on. I couldn’t force this knowledge I needed to let the natural course of events take place. I needed to let it unfold naturally, one step at a time. God is there to keep it on course if I keep myself out of the way. That was not easy for me because since I entered adulthood, I always wanted to control things in my life, even though I was doing a pretty poor job of it.
At the beginning of my research, I didn’t see myself with any of God’s characteristics, but as I kept reading, I began to understand if I was God’s creation, His image, and likeness, His idea, then I had all His qualities. They are the building blocks of who I am. WOW, how do I learn how to express them? One small project or step at a time.
As you know, it is always easier to do a job if you have the right tools. God has a great toolbox, and it’s filled with all His qualities. I couldn’t have overcome my past without them, and I learned they come to me naturally as a part of being His expression, His idea.
I started with Mind, one word that defines God. Raised to believe that I was unintelligent, I had to put that lie down. Who made that rule? Not God! Little by little, my thought processes started to change. I began to realize I could do things I thought I couldn’t. My intelligence is God-given and can’t be taken away because someone told me I was stupid.
Then I went on to Spirit. I was raised to believe I had no power and was not good. I had to put that lie down too. God, Spirit is the only power, and I reflect his power. Just because some human made me feel powerless couldn’t make it true. My power comes from God. As I began to understand this, I started to feel more powerful, and I began to take charge of things in my life instead of letting myself be pushed around by others. I also realized that if God created everything good, then as part of His creation I had to be Good.
Then came Soul. As a child, I felt I was not an individual but a possession. I was robbed of my identity—just another lie. As I started to understand who I was as God’s child, I began to feel the strength and courage that were mine as His reflection. I discovered my creative side, and it started to show and be appreciated by my employer. I am an individual spiritual consciousness, not a possession, and no human can take my God-given identity from me.
Now on to Principle. Another lie about me was that I couldn’t do anything right. As I studied the Principle aspect of God, I started to realize that I was a very structured and orderly person. I was strong and reliable. As I brought these things out more in my life, they were also appreciated by my employer. I might mention that all these qualities also helped me in my life away from my job. As I said before, no one can deprive me of these God-given qualities.
Life, that’s a good one. I had no life. I functioned pretty well on my job, but my personal life was a disaster. As I started to get a better grasp on what Life was as an attribute of God, I began to see myself more clearly. I became more playful; I was more persistent and had the energy to make these changes in my life. All of this took time, but I was making progress. The sadness and depression I’d experienced for many years started to lift, and I became more joyful. I was beginning to realize that God is my life. I am His idea, His image and likeness. Nothing and no one can change that.
Truth, what is that? As I moved into adulthood, I believed I had no intelligence, no power, no identity, no Godly qualities, and no life. What does truth have to do with me? A lot. These are God’s qualities and are mine by reflection. Honesty, integrity, honor, virtue, fidelity, decency. I always had these qualities. They were hidden under all the self-hate and self-deprivation that I’m learning to overcome. That is who I am. I am God’s good child, and I’ll let no one take that away from me.
Here’s the big one, Love. I was looking for love, but I was looking in the wrong places; I always had it. Because I live and move and have my being in God, Love is not outside of me; it is a part of me as God’s reflection. All these beautiful qualities of kindness, unselfishness, forgiveness, patience, affection, gentleness, friendliness are mine. I just hadn’t seen them because I was looking outward. The Kingdom of God is within us.
All of God’s tools taught me how to communicate with people. I seemed to do ok when talking business but not on a personal level. I spent so many years trying to hide who I was from people that I had to learn how to be with others in an everyday social situation. I didn’t know how to start a conversation, and I felt awkward.
I discovered that all of God’s tools, when used, are aimed at making those around me comfortable. I had to stop thinking of what others would think of me, which is a waste of time and focus on those around me and their comfort. That’s what Jesus did; he focused on helping those around him. Now, I try to start conversations with a question and a smile that invites a response. I also try to remember to discuss ideas and not people.
As I started to use God’s toolbox, I began to understand God’s creation. It’s here right now, but it takes understanding to bring it into our experience. I discovered that there is no human intervention that can separate me from the Love of God. If this is true for me, it is true for you. Go out there and dig into God’s toolbox; those qualities are yours as His child and watch your life change.
Jesus said, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” (John 12:46)
Out of Darkness, Into the Light 