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HAVING MASTERY OVER YOUR LIFE
By Rev. Dr. Arthur Chang
History has shown we have a fundamental desire for self-mastery. Self-mastery is the freedom and creativity to shape who and what we are by becoming wisely self-responsible. In a life governed by the principle of process, all will spontaneously change whether we desire it or not. What is good about this unavoidable law of change is we can direct it to bring about what we wish to be and do.
Guided by our vision and belief, we can thrive and flourish by pressing into service, our innate potential to work with the creative medium that gives life.
The path to self-mastery is not mysterious. The Hansels and Gretels of consciousness, the great mystics and the wisdom keepers, have left us clues to self-mastery. The following are a few examples.
The Priestly Writer of Genesis 1 said, You are made in God’s image and likeness, and You are to have dominion over your life. He recognized we have an amazingly creative mind. We can change our life experience from a seemingly impossible situation to a most desirable one. This writer saw clearly that our power to work with the law of change was god-like, especially if it included an exceptional intelligence. Undoubtedly, we should and can have dominion over our lives. Understandably, the key is that we have a relationship with the Source—God. That God has given us this powerful potential means God delights in seeing us overcoming our challenges as we evolve.
The Oracle of Delphi said, Man, Know Thyself. This knowing invites a deeper reflection into our identity, which is spiritual. It is essential because great power implies great potential for good or for evil. At the superficial level of awareness, our egos rule reflexively, defensively and selfishly. Growth toward our true self comes by plumbing the depths of our souls and will reveal who we are and our place in the world.
Lao Tzu said, The Tao that can be named is not the Eternal Tao. Similarly, Jesus said, Not all who say “Lord, Lord,” shall be saved. Knowing God or knowing the source is far more than naming it. It is relating to it in its likeness. Like attracts like.
Jesus said, You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free, and
The kingdom of God is within you. These sayings are equivalent to the notion of made in God’s image; however, they are more individually empowering or more personally expressed in Jesus’s statement.
Finally, Ernest Holmes says, Change your thinking. Change your life. Holmes wants us realize that choosing a desirable goal and changing from an undesirable trajectory of our lives, begins with the thought regarding what we believe is possible to us.
Nevertheless, we can become immensely successful in a material sense without ever experiencing self-mastery, which is a deep spiritual and psychological equanimity that keeps our consciousness on an even keel. It is like the Buddha’s Middle Path. The key is not to get too low when misfortunes strike, nor too high from our successes. This does not mean losing our joy of how intensely wonderful life is.
Although we are motivated to achieve our goals, in the end, it is not what we get but who we become that matters. How do we exert self-mastery to achieve this end? We achieve self-mastery by using our values to guide our goals. Goals are definite objectives to be achieved over time. Values are eternal principles such as love, goodness, harmony, and unity that we can use to see if we are working in a way consistent with our spiritual character.
Self-mastery is not a onetime goal to be achieved. It is a process that we must work toward daily. We are not failures when we are not perfect at maintaining our values. We can only be failures by giving up. God is forever putting options before us.
You can be a master of your destiny by being self-responsible while working toward spiritual maturity. This means giving up blaming for learning and by changing in positive ways. It means working to improve while becoming a blessing to all. Self-mastery was part of your potential from the beginning. You do not need to seek it. Just be it.
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