The sages and wise men of all time have told us there is one LAW of all creation, that all things come from thought, the universal consciousness or the Mind of God. We, as co-creators within that consciousness, live within that law, and create with it as well. This is expressed as "karma", "ye reap what you sow", "as you believe it shall be done unto you", "if you want to know what you want, look at what you have", or "payback's a bitch".

Over the past few weeks, this lesson has become very clear for me, and I now realize I can not interfere with the creation of another, even when someone I love is hurting, or even at the point of death, EVEN IF THEY ASK FOR HELP!!!

The creation we see, the form or circumstances a person finds himself in, is the result of the application of the LAW, and a direct consequence of the thought of the creator. If we attempt to change the form (or consequence) so they do not benefit from their creation, it will be of no long-term effect, as the lesson must then reappear in another form until the lesson is learned. The only was we CAN help another is in seeing the lesson, in learning of the law, and by providing the knowledge whereby they can change their own creation.

Over the past few months I have spent some time with an 89 year old friend. For the past twelve years, he has been immersed in thoughts of doom, gloom and depression. His life, following the law, deteriorated accordingly. He now lies in a hospital, fearing death, and dreading the operation to implant a pacemaker to extend his life. I realized that the doctors are treating the BODY, and not the consciousness which creates it. They may succeed in extending the life of that body, but it will then die of another cause, unless the MIND is changed.

When I go to visit him, despite his fear of death, his mind has not changed one iota, and he will not make any effort to help himself. Refusing to eat, he wallows in self-pity, living in a hell of his own creation, yet unable to see that he is still creating. The law of karma continues to take its inexorable toll, and he will not turn to the ONE means of escape still at his disposal, surrender to his Higher Self. The "separated" mind still believes it can "fix" things all by itself, which IS the belief in separation from God. Yet, by the GRACE of God, the law of consequence for his simple error is overruled by the same law of a Mind of a higher order.

The same lesson appeared in another form, that of a young friend having financial difficulties in buying a car. Though I could, and did, assist her in getting a car, I realized that her problem was not the current difficulty, but the belief system and manner of thinking that caused the difficulty to appear. For those separated from their higher Self, life IS a series of difficulties, all designed to lead us back to our Source. As long as we focus on solving the problems, the cause remains, creating more problems.

It is for this reason that Science of Mind and Christian Science practitioners do not treat a disease. Rather, their focus is on the whole and complete MIND of the patient, and prayer is not to change a form, but to enlighten that part of the ONE consciousness that creates the form.

If we attempt to help the needy by fulfilling the need, we soon discover that the need is a bottomless pit that will suck us in until we, too, become needy, with nothing left to give. Fortunately, the LAW always works, and when our gift is LOVE, payback is WONDERFUL!!!!