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The Thirteenth Lesson: Spiritual Cause and Effect203
upon him a course of living which will help to unfold his higher faculties.
Many of the sudden strokes of “misfortune” are really brought about by
this higher principle of the man, in order to teach him certain lessons for his
own good. It is not necessarily a higher power which makes a man realize
these lessons of life, but it is generally his own higher self—the Spirit within
him—which brings about these results. The Spirit knows what is really best
for the man, and when it sees his lower nature running away with him, tries
to swing him from his course, or to bring him to a sudden stop if necessary.
This is not as a punishment, remember, but as the greatest kindness. The
Spirit is a part of that man, and not an outside power—although it is of
course the Divine part of him—that part of him in nearest touch with the
great overruling Intelligence which we call God. This pain is not brought
about because of any feeling of righteous indignation, revenge, impatience
or any similar feeling on the part of the Spirit, but is akin to the feeling of the
most loving parent, who is forced to take from the hands of the little child
some dangerous thing which may injure the little one—it is the hand which
draws back the child from the brink of the precipice, although the little one
screams with rage and disappointment because its desires are frustrated.
The man or woman in whom the Spiritual Mind is developed, sees this
condition of things, and instead of fighting against the Spirit, yields himself
or herself to it without friction, and obeys its guiding hand, and is thus saved
much pain. But those who know not, rage and rebel at the restraining and
guiding hand, strike at it, and attempt to tear away from it, thereby bringing
upon themselves bitter experience made necessary by their rebellion.
We are so apt to resent outside influence in our affairs that this idea of
restraint is not pleasant to us, but if we will only remember that it is a part of
ourselves—the higher part of us—that is doing this directing, then we may
see the thing in a different light. And we must remember this: That no matter
how adverse circumstances or conditions seem to be for us, they are exactly
what we need under just the circumstances of our lives, and have for their
only object our ultimate good. We may need strengthening along certain