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Speaker 1: Life. There is in each of us a potential something

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for expression. The something within the plant of life. No

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use trying to repress it, For develop it must. Life

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has a meaning growth, development, and unfoldment, the lesson of life.

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There is in each of us a potential something pressing

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forth for expression and growth in the direction of ultimate good,

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casting off sheath after sheath, in its progressive development and unfoldment,

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impelled by the impulse, imparted by the primal cause, attracted

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upward by the absolute. Failing to understand this impulse of

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the growing something seeking relief from its steady pressure, we

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look upon it as an intruder, and instead of allowing

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it to develop and grow naturally, we endeavor to kill

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it or to train its growth. After our own petty notions,

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we fail to see that this something is like unto

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the plant, which grows on steadily and surely from seed

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to blossom, until its potentialities are fully expressed. We do

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not realize that this plant of life should be allowed

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to grow as does the lily, freely and without restraint,

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unfolding leaf after leaf, until the plant stands in its

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complete beauty, crowned with its divine flower. We would train

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the plant into some fantastic shape, dwarf it as the

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Chinese do the oak, that it may become the pretty

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ornament of the parlor instead of the noble monarch of

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the forest. We would have it grow our way, not

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according to the law of its being. We fancy that

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we know what is best for it, losing sight of

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the fact that, deep down in the subconscious depths of

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its being reposes that which directs its every effort toward

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the good. Forgetting that its attraction toward the absolute is

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drawing it steadily and irresistibly in the right direction, we

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forget that the plant will fulfill these impulses so long

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as there remains in it one atom of life. The

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seed in the ground will express itself in its little shoot,

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often moving weights a thousand times heavier than itself, in

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its efforts to reach the rays of the sun. The

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sapling may be bent and confined to the ground, but

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its branches, following the laws of its being, will instinctively

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shoot upward. Restrict the growth of the plant if you can,

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but nevertheless it will move along the lines of least

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resistance and grow toward the sun. In spite of your

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efforts and so it is with the plant of life,

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the something within us. We are afraid to allow it

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to grow according to the laws of its being, but

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wish to model it and shape it in accordance with

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the theories of ourselves or others. More frequently, the latter,

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for most of our ideas on the subject are borrowed.

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We seem to imagine that the intelligence that thought the

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plant into existence did not understand its business, And we

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are afraid that without the assistance of our mighty intellect,

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the poor thing will grow into a misshapen and unsightly thing.

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We would alter the shape designed by its maker, and

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would twist it into the form approved of by the

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passing fashion of the hour. We would substitute for the

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beauty and symmetry of nature our own fantastic ideas of form.

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But like the plant, this something of ours will not

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submit to the confining bonds, will not conform to the

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false standards which we would set up for it, submitting

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as long as it must. It stores up reserve strength

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day by day and keeps up a continuous, steady pressure

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in the direction of its desire, and some day, by

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a supreme effort, it throws off the interfering obstacles and

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obeying the laws of its being, again grows towards the sun.

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Life is growth. It moves along, pressing this way and

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that way, along the lines of least resistance, drawing to

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itself that which it needs for its complete expression and growth,

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using this thing and that thing today and discarding them

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tomorrow after they have served their purpose, after their helpful

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qualities have been extracted. It assumes many forms in its growth,

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discarding sheath after sheath as outgrown. Any attempt to compel

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it to retain a sheath which has become outgrown will

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cause its life nature to revolt, and in the end,

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with a mighty effort, it will burst forth, tearing the

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confining sheath into frag This something may be restrained temporarily,

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but its growth is as sure as the rising of

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tomorrow's sun, and its attempted restraint only results in the

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end in a violent assertion of its right to unfold

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and develop according to law. When we finally come to

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realize that life has a meaning, that we are here

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for a purpose, that the process of spiritual evolution is

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being expressed in us and through us, that our growth

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is in accordance with law that the absolute understands its business,

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then will we cease to attempt to meddle with the

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great plan. We will then cease our futile efforts to

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mold to our absurd and arbitrary shapes that which is

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intended to grow in the beautiful form of Nature's designing.

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We will realize that the power which called into being

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this life of ours knew just what it was about.

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This power placed within that life, the energy which is

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expressing itself in changing form and color, but which has

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but one real object, growth toward the sun. And when

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we realize this truth, we will begin to have faith

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and will trust the law to do that which is

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best to be done. Will realize the folly of imagining

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that the weight of the universe rests upon our shoulders.

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Some of these days we will awaken to the fact

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that ours is the conceit of the fly resting upon

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the mighty revolving wheel, imagining that the fanning of his

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wings causes the wheel to revolve. Some of these times,

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the fly, tired with its exertions, will stop to rest

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for a few moments, when it will find that the

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wheel continues to revolve quite well. Thank you. Without its

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active assistance. We have been taking our little selves quite serious. Indeed,

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the something within is moving steadily and surely towards its goal,

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and much of the pain of life comes to us

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by reason of our efforts to restrict it, our efforts

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to change its motion, direction speed. It is a mighty

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aid to those who understand and move along with it,

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but woe unto those who get in its way and

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endeavor to obstruct its progress. If unobstructed, there is no friction.

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If interfered with it manifests friction, which means pain. This

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pain is the notice given to us by the law

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to the effect that we are obstructing the growth of

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the life plant. And if we are wise, we will

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heed the warning. By conforming to the growth, we will

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find that there is little or no friction, and life

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begins to take on new pleasures. By cooperating with the

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law and moving along with it, we will find that

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things will come our way in a most unexpected manner.

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The Law is a good friend and helper, and is

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of the greatest assistance to us. If we but trust

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it to do its work well in its own good way,

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we can use its growing force to aid us in

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our daily pursuits if we will trust it and move

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along with it. But we must heed the first sign

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of friction and understand that we are in some way

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interfering with its natural growth. By living in accordance with

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the law, instead of attempting to oppose it, we will

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find that we are guided in the direction of places, people,

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and occupations best suited to develop us and to impart

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to us the experience needed to round out our lives.

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A realization of this fact by those who have experienced

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it has given rise to the saying, nothing ever happens.

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We find the teachers and helpers that we require, they

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find us. If we need certain information, we will find

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it in some person or book, and will thus be

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placed upon the track of that which we seek. The

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law will sometimes accomplish its results in ways far different

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from that which we would have supposed to be the best.

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But after time has passed, we can look back and

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we'll see that the way by which the results were

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accomplished was the best possible under all the circumstances. We

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may meet with some bitter disappointments, losses, sorrows, but in

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the end these things will be seen as good will

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be seen as having been necessary to give us the

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experience needed to round out our characters, to enable us

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to understand. There are none who would be willing to

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part with the experience gained from even the most painful

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events of their lives after say, ten years have elapsed.

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No man would be willing to have that memory and

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recollection of his greatest pain eradicated, if at the same

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time he would have to part with the experience and

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knowledge which have come to him by reason of that pain.

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The pain and its resulting experience have become a part

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of us, and we are not willing to be robbed

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of our own. And we will realize in looking backward

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that if we had been living in accordance with the

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law in the past, if we had understood its workings,

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these very sorrows, disappointments, losses would have been considered only

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in view of their ultimate good, and the very sting

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of the pain would thus have been removed. When we

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learn to regard the pain of today as we do

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the pain of ten years ago, we may feel that

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we are beginning to understand something of the operation of

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the law of good. And when we reach this stage,

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we will find that the pain is no longer pain,

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but only a form of good. When we cease to

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cause friction, friction no longer exists for us. The lessons

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of life must be learned sooner or later. It depends

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upon us whether they shall be forced upon us in

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spite of our resistance with much pain, or accepted by

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us understandingly with knowledge. In one case, we will have

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the pain which comes from opposing the law. In the other,

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we will learn the lesson equally well, without the pain

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of the birching. The lesson must be well learned in

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either case. Choose your method now. I do not wish

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to be understood as meaning that we should simply fold

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our hands and wait for the law to bring all

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things to us without any labor on our part. Try

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this way, though, if you like, and see how quickly

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the law will wrap you over the knuckles to remind

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you that a task is set before you. The proper

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way is to take up the task that lies nearest

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your hand, and some task is always there, and do

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it well, with the knowledge that the task has been

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placed there in accordance with the law. If the task

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is not to your liking, you will know that that

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is the very reason that it has been placed before you.

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You have a lesson to learn from it. When the

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time comes for a change, you will find a strong

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desire for something else full grown within you. Now is

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your chance trust to the law to aid you in

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working out your desire. The desire is there in accordance

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with the law. Its very existence is a promise of

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its fulfillment. With the aid of the law, you will

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work out your desire. It is true that when you

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attain the object of your desire, it may not be

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just what you have thought. It may not be at

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all what you want. Well, what of that? You have

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learned the necessary lesson, have lived out the desire, and

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will now outlive it. Something else will take his place,

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and you will be surprised at the way that the

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law has brought about the accomplishment of your desire. You

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will learn another lesson in this when you have learned

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to work on merrily doing your best, living out each

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day's life with faith and trust, confidence and fearlessness, accepting

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the development of each day as meaning ultimate good, seeing

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and feeling that the law of good is in full operation,

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being willing to accept whatever it may bring you then

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and not until then, Good friend, will you begin to

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know what is life