The Only Thing That Matters
By Emmet Fox
The most important of all things to possess is Peace of Mind. There is absolutely nothing else in the world which is equal in value to that. Nothing else that life can offer is so important, and yet it seems to be about the last thing that many people work for. They strive both spiritually and materially for everything else under the sun, whereas, if they had everything else, and still lacked Peace of Mind, they would be miserable. If anyone should come to you with a billion dollars in one hand and Peace of Mind in the other, if you took the billion dollars, you would be the most foolish person on earth.
Peace of Mind includes all other good things. If you have this, it does not matter where you are or what surrounding conditions may be-all will be well. Even if the outer picture were an unpleasant one in itself, it would cause you no grief if you had Peace of Mind, and very soon that picture would inevitably change into something better.
Peace of Mind is positively the greatest of all God's gifts. Pray for this and the rest will take care of itself. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you," said Jesus, implying that this was the highest good he had to give us. And truly, peace of mind is the one thing
that matters.
This writing can be found in Emmet Fox's book "Find and Use Your Inner Power".
When looking to use a writing to improve my life, I pick the writing apart and study it. Every time I read it, something different will stick out. It may be only one word, but this word will give me a new way to explore the idea. Here is an example of what stuck out to me when making this post.
When I read it, the line about the choice between peace of mind or a billion dollars caught me.
Like you, I had to find the things that gave me peace and do them. That is where it starts. Getting peace from things outside myself is an important tool to use. Without it, we would not survive and grow spiritually. How others see this writing and use it to find Peace of Mind is an important tool for me to gain insight into myself. So I would appreciate your insights.
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yet it seems to be about the last thing that many people work for.
Peace of Mind comes up when I am faced with situations. What am I doing to work for Peace of Mind. The other day I went to the tax man and sent all the paperwork out so I can move forward on that, tonight I waited in my car at the arena for a while till traffic was less so I didn’t have to wait so long and waste gas. The other night I went the distance to help someone out. Because of this work we do- it now becomes the focus.
I am grateful for rain gear and warm weather protection so I can stay dry and warm while working outside. I am grateful I get to live out my hearts desires
I just wrote this entry on Time being my billion dollars. I was pressing the reply icon and it all was erased in a blink of an eye. I guess issues come and go in seconds and peace of mind can be eternally.
"Peace of Mind can be eternal." The phrase "Can" in that sentence can be substituted with "Or not" or with "Is."
I use Word so that issue does not come and go. I eliminated the issue so when posting in forums, my Peace of Mind is eternal.
Write it in Word and copy and paste it into whichever forum I post.
That said.
Matt that sucks. I feel for you. My most brilliant thoughts are floating in cyberspace.
"...If anyone should come to you with a billion dollars in one hand and Peace of Mind in the other, if you took the billion dollars, you would be the most foolish person on earth."
Elsewhere EF says "The great essential for success in obtaining that sense of the Presence of God is that we first attain some degree of true peace of mind."
If I choose that billion dollars, then, I foreclose the possibility of being present with god. And if that is the only thing that has ever made me feel safe and secure, I will be miserable indeed
I dared to go after tasks today that needed to get done, I did do the best I could in those tasks, I found my peace of mind was tested, I did not waste time trying to figure out why,. I inventory my attitude today, I went to a meeting. I am going to reflect on today and rest tonight knowing I did what I could and I can do more again another time. Today I was grateful for the opportunity to get these tasks done. I am grateful I could regroup my thoughts and carry onward.
Scout Vespers brings me Peace of Mind. I can usually answer these reflections affirmatively today. It's when I can't that Peace of Mind needs some attention
Softly falls the light of day,
As our campfire fades away.
Silently each scout should ask,
"Have I done my daily task?
“Have I kept my honor bright?
“Can I guiltless sleep tonight?
“Have I done and have I dared,
Everything to be prepared?"
Kevin being prepared to fix his flat tire reminded me of this.
Meeting the days needs, keeping honor, not brining thinking and actions that cause guilt and being prepared bring me Peace of Mind. I'm grateful I was able to share this with my sons as we departed from many campfires.
Hiding in Peace of Mind.
I have moved out of my comfort zone in the past week. It is easy to call cruising along through life Peace of Mind. But for me, that is death. My heart is still beating, but I am dead. When my heart stops it will be just a formality.
Peace of Mind is thought coupled with action. I am grateful for this group and the insights they attain and post. It asks questions about myself that may have taken years of cruising through life.
Whatever I do with this moment is spent. I can not respend this moment. I do not want to spend my time cruising through life. I want to live my life to the fullest. To do this, I must Dare.
The Daring I did may not look like much to someone watching me, but these actions are monumental when I look at myself. They changed the direction or speed I was cruising at.
The time of the year plays a factor. It is spring, and the world is coming alive from its winter dormancy. Cruising through spring is death. I am filled with the spirit of spring and the Peace of Mind that comes with spending my talents.
The Daring I did may not look like much.
But it was monumental. It got me out of my comfort zone. I stopped the logical reasons that were stopping me from completing my objective.
I stopped doing what made me stop.
Yesterday, I did the three things that I set out to accomplish. When I committed to doing this, one of the logical reasons disappeared.
This is not a new result of commitment. I forget to stop doing the things that make me stop.
All the dares I recently put out there are being called. Do I have the resources to cover the call order?! I heard last night to seek the information required to meet the call orders. This will require others to chip in. I will dare to include and ask of others today.
"Did I Dare?"
As I read your post, it became clear to me why I feel like I am not daring. I am using all my resources and connections, but I have taken God's help for granted and have not included him.
I have not turned God loose on the things I have done in the past couple of days. He does the seemingly impossible things and supersizes all my dreams.
I will go through my day looking for the impossible things that are in my way and not try to figure out the solution. I will tell God to go to work on this issue and open my eyes to what he is doing.
The sun came out as I was typing this. He answered me by brightening up the day. My eyes see better when the sun is out.
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