There weren't many of us. A couple I had met at a previous occasion sat in the pew behind me. Three others sat in the two rows ahead of me with their bodies cocked towards the group. The man who had ran the projector sat at the end of my pew, while the "MC" found her spot across from me perched on the back rest of the pew two rows in front of myself. The small group was intimate, and having only attended the church for just over a month, I was eager and comfortable to join a discussion about the movie with others who I knew shared a lot of my own beliefs.
I could say that I was disappointed how the conversation directed itself, but that would be unfair to those within it, as well as myself. While some reactions were positive, there were a couple of negative reactions that shocked me. These reactions eventually conquered the topic of discussion, but I found myself grateful for that. Why? The discussion brought to light just how incredibly far I have come after feeling quite discouraged that I have been getting nowhere.
The woman who oriented the discussion started by confessing that the first time she had watched the DVD, she felt it was a "Michael Beckwith commercial," but after seeing it again, felt differently. This brought about, later in the discussion, another woman's confession at how she was a bit upset with the contradiction of the Reverend talking about us getting passed "acquisition" while the DVD displayed his life in his nice house, Lexus, and all around abundance. Another man popped up, clearly feeling a lot of inner anger, that he felt the Reverend had become a different person since his fame because of his new nice things, different clothes, and new hair. There were others who had different opinions, different degrees of attitude, good and bad, but these clearly slight-anger-inspired ideas really shocked me.
The first reason these opinions shocked me was because they were so incredibly judgmental. I am not trying to say that these people are bad people because of their opinions (that would make me judgmental as well), but only that their limiting thoughts astounded me. It is not our place to condemn those who live in abundance, just as it is not our place to judge those who live without. Is it not our birthright to live in abundance after all? It is not as if he is a man who has stepped on others' lives to achieve what he has achieved, but rather uplifted others' spirits and in doing so, found success. Even if his means had been in dis-alignment with the universe (and by that I mean, hurting others to achieve success) it is not our place to point the finger. Our finger need only be pointed at ourselves.
I was a bit hurt, at first, by these reactions. You see, by saying it was wrong for him to have the nice house, and the nice car, and the nice clothes, and a beautiful familiy, you tell me that it is wrong for me to want those things, no matter from where the want comes. There is a difference between materialism and abundance. Materialism comes from a place of need, an acquisition created to fill an inner void that can only be satisfied by meeting a humans basic needs. The basic needs, I might ad, which Rev. Michael Beckwith discusses in his DVD. The needs of health, love, and spirit. Once those needs have been met, and your life is guided by love, the desires which come into fruition are those of abundance, not materialism. When a person finds wrong in someone being successful, they limit their own success. Inner success creates a beautiful outer success. I am reminded of a quote used in Nelson Mandela's 1994 inaugural speech (and also in one of my favorite movies, "Akeelah and the Bee"):
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same." -Maryanne Williamson
But now, on a larger level, I am also shocked because this negativity provides no progressive contribution to the world. This negative attention to what was considered greed, pride, and materialism only contributes to the creation of more greed, pride, and materialism. I encouraged them to find the gift in the message that was given to us by the Reverend, and in turn, the universe. We can find negative in anything, just as we can find positive. After having confessed that she was an optimist, I really hoped that the woman who was finding so much negative in the film could see what beauty was in his words, what positive expression. If we continue to judge others, to reach for what we don't want to see instead of what we do, to be blind to all the good that is out there, we slow the progress of humanity and our planet.
Now, I was happy that, with the exception of one man, the group could point out many positive aspects to the message. There was peace and love that radiated from Rev. Michael's words, a sense of joy. There was a montage of the Reverend's friends sitting around a table for dinner laughing, and when I mentioned it, the group became ecstatic, smiling and laughing, feeling happy that there was such a profoundly joyful moment in the video. I found myself, for the first time that I can remember, the one who never saw what could be perceived as negative, and instead, felt so grateful and so at peace with the gift that was being given. Is this really me? I guess I really have come farther along then I thought. There will be other moments, I am sure, where I will struggle with finding the positive, but for now, I am proud of myself for connecting with God and being grateful in the moment.
Oh, and if you are wondering, yes, I would recommend this movie. Reverend Michael Beckwith has such a passion that captures your attention and makes you want to be connected to the rest of the world.
God bless!
