Be Happy
Saturday, January 12, 2013 at 3:00AM There were two ways to be happy: improve your reality, or lower your expectations ― Jodi Picoult, Nineteen Minutes.
One of my Pet Peeves is the "Name it and claim it" religious crowd and their New Age compatriots. The idea that God must do what you say has to be one of the most evil ideas in the pop religion field today. The New Age idea is that by the magic of the mind we can change reality. No we can't.
This is not to say that I am against prayer or “positive thinking.” I think these are underused techniques. But the point of each is not magic: prayer changes the one who prays, and positive thinking changes the one who thinks positively. Changing one's self is the whole point. If you change, your situation changes
Let me give you a concrete example.
Plant fruit trees and a garden. I cannot think of a better way to improve your situation. I wish I could do this, but living at 6700 ft. on a pile of rocks precludes it. But this is my choice.
A lot of work but worth it. Imagine the back line of your property lined with fruit trees. Yes, it will take years for them to mature, but aren't you a forward looking person? You should be. Even if you sell the property, it will bring more with fruit trees. You should leave your property better than when you acquired it. Find out what grows in your area. Often the recommendation is to plant them in threes for pollination.
Concentrate on high value foods like berries; also concentrate on high-producing but easy to grow foods like zucchini and tomatoes.
Yes you will produce more than you need. But I understand that there are ways to store food. Be creative: one of my fondest memories of my uncle Jake was the zucchini bread he would bring when he came to visit.
Visualizing food, or a garden, will not cause it to miraculously appear in your yard. I can almost guarantee that a prayer for food will not be answered if you were capable of planting food and did not do so. In addition you can be the answer to prayer for others whose situation is dire as you share the bounty that God has given you. As the Christian song says, "We are His hands and feet."
Prayer and positive thinking can change your reality, but only as much as these things change you.
On Monday I will talk about the second half of Picoult's observation, lower expectations.
Bible, Leaving Babylon 
Reader Comments (1)
Hi Dennis, couldn't agree with you more about the name it and claim it doctrine. It is so presumptuous and puts you on a level with the Word of God - He spoke and it was made. We speak and it is made. Such nonsense. Sounds like casting a magic spell. Could be great for a new version of Fantasia.