A few Sundays ago, in response to still another act of violence in the world, I spoke about some of Unity co-founder Myrtle Fillmore's instructions for difficult times. Here's a sample:

 

"When he of the cloven hoof appears 'count it all joy', for these times of deviating from the right are the result of the Spirit of Good doing a much needed housecleaning work."

 

The first thing is to recognize what "he of the cloven hoof" represents. That phrase is old language referring to satan, or the devil. Of course, in Unity/New Thought we do not believe in any such thing as an oppositional power or entity of evil. The Fillmores lived in their own time and used the language of their day. They are very, very clear elsewhere that any such terms refer to our own adverse ego; that part of our own mind which is unwilling or unable to support our innate urge toward the recognition of the Divine within us. So our first clue is that the place we can make a change in the world is not "out there" where the violence occurred, but within our own mind, which is still perceiving such a thing as a power of evil.

 

It is human nature to look out at the events of the world and see evil. It is our Divine Nature to remember that humans are frequently (usually?) operating from forgetfulness of their Divinity. If, in the aftermath of difficult events, we choose to use that event to build a case for the existence evil, we are simply adding our own mental misunderstanding to the already error-ridden thoughts and beliefs of the collective human consciousness. The way we "be the change we wish to see" is by changing our own thoughts and beliefs, and therefore affecting and changing the collective consciousness of humankind. And how, precisely, do we do this?

 

We do exactly as Myrtle instructs: we count it all joy. We begin with gratitude that we've had an area in need of mental housecleaning exposed to us. Of course we can never know what we don't know, and times of chaos and dis-harmony serve to expose that ignorance to Light. We accept this invitation to gratitude and appreciation, and claim for ourselves, and for everyone, the following:

 

"I AM appreciative of Truth, unchanged, unchanging, unchangeable, upon which I can base my thoughts and explore the beliefs I've held in mind. This is the God-Light which surrounds, enfolds, protects, and keeps us safe, loved and guided along our journey. No matter what sort of chaos or insanity is going on, there is a ground of Truth in Spirit. I can, in any moment, return my focus and attention to Truth within. I choose to breathe the Divine Breath of Life, and know that, in Truth, all is well and truly Good.

 

"I claim gratitude for my willing mind and open heart. I forget the mistakes of the past, and move forward recognizing where I might release that which does not serve Wholeness, and state unequivocally that I AM willing. I AM open and receptive to the omnipresence of Good in Its infinite expressions. I am willing to recognize and accept that I don't know what I don't know, and that if I cannot see Good, it is only due to the limitations of my human sight. The Divine I AM is Good-Without-Opposite. The Divine I AM knows the omnipresence of Love, of Light, of Truth, of Peace. I AM willing to learn, willing to see, willing to hear, willing to Be That Which I AM.