Fulfilment  or  Disaster

from  Being the Truth

Martin Cecil   November 1, 1981

We can surely see the essential requirement of the immovable rock, not as a theory: “Oh yes, we need to stand upon the rock.” I don’t think that is a clear way of conveying what is necessary. We need to be the rock. Being, that’s what we are. If we are that then nobody can push us off it. If we are not that, if we are merely trying to hold on to the rock, scrabbling at it with our fingers, there will be a wave of sufficient magnitude to tear us loose. As long as there is this state of separation between what we think of as ourselves and the rock of truth we are vulnerable, we can always be carried away. There will be that gigantic wave which finally gets the job done. Of course with most it isn’t usually such a gigantic wave. As a rule it doesn’t take very much with human beings, and I am sure that all of us can testify to this fact. 

So we share the responsibility of being—in this instance we could say of being the rock of truth, so that we are immovable. No matter what storms there may be around in the emotions of human beings it matters not to the rock, because when finally the storm passes the rock will still be there; and it is this that engenders confidence. I suppose if one is in a ship, a powerless ship in a storm, there is fear of the rocks. If the ship goes aground, it looks as though that would be disaster. At the same time it might be salvation; for those who are the crew of the ship might well scramble to safety on the rocks. There is an alternative here, isn’t there?

There are those who think of what is happening as disaster; others might discover that it is salvation. In a general sense fear has been the dominant control—avoid the rocks at all costs! Our attitude is not that, particularly if we are the rock. The invitation is, “Come on home. It’s not disaster, or it need not be disaster.” It will likely be disaster as long as fear persists, because the situation is then translated on the basis of fear rather than on the basis of the truth. Because the rock is immovable the salvation, the opportunity of salvation, remains and is available to those who fear not. Our concern would be to bring assurance of the immovability of the rock, the eternal nature of the rock, which may be seen in terms of victory rather than disaster.

One definition of disaster might well be complete failure. Disaster is then to those who completely fail. The truth doesn’t fail; it is the immovable mass, after all. So there is no disaster possible in the truth. The failure would be the failure to experience the reality of the truth. Then, for the person who has so failed, there may seem to be disaster, but from the standpoint of the truth there is no such thing as disaster. Is it a disastrous thing that the waves break on a rock? Does it eliminate the water? No, the water is still there; the sea, the ocean is still there, and the rock is still there and is known to be so when the turmoil ceases.

There are those who are very open to accommodate the anticipation of disaster. Could that include any of us at times? I have had people indicate, at one time or another, that they felt that unless something or other happened disaster was in the offing—complete failure. It is interesting to examine that a little, because complete failure would mean that everybody failed. There was no one present who didn’t fail. Well one can put a stop to that immediately! One takes the responsibility for not failing oneself. Then it isn’t complete failure. Then it isn’t disaster. And of course there always have been those present who were capable of accommodating the truth. When the truth is accommodated in one’s own experience there is no possibility of disaster. There is no possibility of complete failure.

I think this is something that Jesus proved out in His own experience, didn’t He? Those who were associated with Him at the time thought that it was disaster. That’s the way it seemed, but the failure wasn’t complete. There was One, at least, who didn’t fail; therefore there was no disaster; therefore we have the opportunity of being here together now and of proving the truth, of being the truth. When the truth is present it is indeed known to be immovable, but it causes things to move, and we observe things on the move.

There are storms across the ocean, some of them fairly violent storms, and there is also the breaking of the waves upon the rock of the shoreline which we and others are responsible for providing, a state of immovability. Things will move around us. If we are the rock we are not afraid. If we are merely clinging to the rock, well we may have some doubts, not so much with respect to the rock but with respect to the waves which could carry us away—emotions. There is a rock: the truth is; being is quite immovable. That is what we are in heavenly heredity, as we have called it, and there is movement in earthly heredity, our own and that of others throughout the whole world, movement and change, storms arising, violence of all kinds. We see this as a sorting-out process which inevitably comes to its fulfilment when the rock is present. It can’t help but do so, because the rock is not going to be moved by anything that happens.

“The truth is true and all is well.” Do we accommodate this in ourselves, this view, this quality of experience, “The truth is true and all is well”? Or do we have at times more of an inclination to accommodate: “Disaster is at hand and all is not well at all”? Do you recall the 8th verse of the 4th chapter of Philippians? I’m sure you do. I will read it to remind you. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Accommodate these things! Is it not the human inclination to accommodate the reverse of these things: whatsoever things are unjust. Oh my, we can really go to town on that one, we can really occupy ourselves with this. What betrayal of the truth! Is the truth not just? Of course it is.

This particular verse may be taken as the opportunity to associate oneself with the truth, not with the absence of it. What is it that we delight to accommodate in our own hearts and minds? All the things that are of ill report? We may be capable of observing things which could be interpreted in the human way as things of ill report, but we know better, don’t we? We know that all things work together to perfection when the rock is present on earth, because we refuse to accept into our own hearts and minds any attitude, any quality, which is not true to the truth. The truth is characterized by beauty. The truth is characterized by beauty! We could well remember that. Is our internal state always beautiful? I’m not thinking of your judgment of others as to whether their internal state is beautiful or not, but how about one’s own? Is it always beautiful, or is there ugliness in there? It is quite possible to discern whether the truth is characteristic of one’s own experience or not.

When the disaster consciousness is there then a person will always be looking around for who is responsible: “Disaster is coming because of so-and-so. So-and-so must change therefore, if there is not to be disaster, or something else must be done.” And the individual evades his or her own responsibility, the responsibility which can be seen in terms of accommodating what is beautiful, what is right, what is holy. Let me read this verse again. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true …” Do you think that what is true can be made to be not true? It is always true. It’s what it is. People may deceive themselves with respect to it, but the truth is true. It’s never going to be anything else. It is going to be what it is, whatever it is. That’s the way it is. It is absolutely certain, isn’t it? “… whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Let one’s whole experience be unified with the truth. The truth is whole and beautiful, not fragmented and ugly. What is true of us? What is true of our own experience? Do we see disaster looming, or do we see victory looming? Victory is absolutely certain to the extent that the truth is made manifest on earth because of human beings, presumably including us. There can be no disaster. All things work together to perfection. That’s the way it is. And so we share this spirit of victory in this hour, aware that disaster is impossible if one has accepted the responsibility of being the truth on earth in one’s own experience. As there are many who do accept this responsibility then the rock increases on earth and all things are seen and known to work together to perfection, to the glory of God and in the complete fulfilment of the purposes of God.

© emissaries of divine light