ROUND OUR RESTLESSNESS,

HIS REST.

"And the little birds sang east

And the little birds sang west,

And I smiled to think God's greatness flowed around

our incompleteness,

Round our restlessness, his rest."

THIS brings to my mind that nature is not disturbed by our moods.

ness.

Nature is not disturbed by our unhappi"The sun shines upon the just and the unjust." The storms come and go. All nature expresses itself without regard to our moods or morals.

A man's world is his present mood. If I am discouraged to-day my world is hollow. If I have lost by death I am in despair. If I am happy the world, my world, is a beautiful place.

I see the incompleteness in all of our lives. We forget that we are surrounded

by God's greatness. We forget that we ourselves are great. We are troubled by our present mood. We feel limited and unhappy. We forget our greatness by living in the smallness of our natures.

All lives that are lived in this way are restless. It is the restlessness of people that shows the lack of poise. These are the ones who come for help. The people who when you present a truth, which if lived would make them glad, begin by doubting it, doubting it before they have even tried to think about it, much less to live it. They are restless and unsettled, and yet searching for happiness.

If people can only put the "blame" on some one else, or on some condition outside of themselves, or if they can still make themselves believe that God sends them sickness and trouble for their own good; any belief seems better than to assume personal responsibility. How can we

realize the "rest"

ness, his rest"?

"round our restless

Rest

Rest is activity. Rest is work.

is not labor. Rest is not striving; for instance, if I strive in my work, I believe in fear of loss, or in not being able to gain. Then my work becomes labor and, instead of a joy, a hardship; all activity which is a joy is left out. If I realize that I can "rest" and be "active" at the same time, I put joy into my work and it is not labor. If I go still further in my thinking I realize that this universe is one grand activity, harmonious and beautiful, that activity is natural and therefore a joy. Animals, children, flowers, stones, all are active.

Then why is man the only thing that groans over his activity? Then I begin to ask why are we restless and striving. What must I think or realize to find rest? In the first place I start with the joy of

all life. That one thought is a good beginning joy of living. I must realize that there is a meaning in life; that I am more than a personal self. I am a spiritual self, a soul.

I begin to trust instead of to fear. The reason I trust is because I have arrived at the firm conviction that soul is myself. I keep on trusting, at first as a sort of experiment, wondering if it will bring satisfactory results. The more I trust the better I like it. I don't wish a doubt or fear to enter my mind, I put these out vigorously. I keep right on every day living in trust.

I become conscious of a peace, of resting in this Infinite, this God. As a result the restlessness is going, is fading away. This is not imaginary. I even begin to wonder how I ever could have been restless.

Material things I enjoy, but do not

crave. I am contented, happy. I work and rest. I am spiritually active, for my mind is poised. Look into your own restlessness, find the cause, begin with joy and then trust. You cannot trust without joy, for depression is not a state of trust.

Spiritual consciousness does satisfy; does rest. Help is always at hand when we trust.

"Restlessness" is proof of our "incom

pleteness" in the personal self.

Soul is

complete, is at rest in the Infinite Rest

and Greatness.