I recently watched a movie called The Secret, and thought I would share my thoughts about its message and how it relates to my experience as a disciple of Christ. For those who have not seen the movie I recommend watching it as it has some good information in it.
The basic message about The Secret is the Law of Attraction. I have come to experience this law in my life in profound ways that can only be explained by this law, and yes, I do believe it to be a law just as there is a law of gravity. Because it is a law, it operates for everyone regardless of their belief system just as the law of gravity. I have read in numerous posts on the internet about Christians ranting and raving against the movie and its message. For those of you who disagree with the message, I would ask why you do?
I agree with the message as it pertains to the aspects of the Law of Attraction. So, how does this law relate to my Experience as a Latter-day Saint?
I believe that God attracts good because He is good, and that Satan (Evil) attracts bad because he is bad. I believe that all that is good flows toward God and all that is Evil flows toward Satan. I know from experience that good flows into my life as I think, believe, and act according to God's commandments. I also know the opposite to be true.
So how does this relate to The Secret? (by the way, this was really not a secret before the movie or book came out. It is in the Bible; Proverbs 23:7.)
For centuries, God's Prophets have been teaching His commandments because of this law! God knows this law and he knows what beliefs and actions will bring good things into our life, and He knows what beliefs and actions will bring misery. Like attracts Like!
In the movie, a Feng Shui specialist describes how a male client of hers wanted to date 3 women each week. The specialist told him how he could attract this into his life, and he followed her advice and it happened for him. That is the Law of Attraction, but does that mean that God wanted this man to date 3 women each week. No! All this means is that he successfully accessed this Law and found three women each week who were also seeking the same thing. When this man finally wanted to settle down and get married, he set his mind on that end and it was manifest in his life, just as the man who set his mind on moving into his dream house. No matter what a person focuses on in life, does not absolve them of the need for Christ in their lives. In fact, because of their knowledge of the law of attraction, I believe that they need Christ in their lives more so now to provide guidance in what to focus on.
The Law of Attraction does not replace Christ in our lives any more than the law of gravity does. Regardless if I am good or bad, the Law works for me, and that is the beauty of agency. What I desire (and work toward) will be given to me. The Lord says over and over again, "Seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you." This goes for seeking Him or seeking our common enemy, the Devil. If a person is a seeker of truth, he will find it. If a person is a seeker of the pleasures of this world, he will find them. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Luke 12:34)
If I treasure poverty, meaning I think about it constantly, that is where my heart will be, and according to the Law of Attraction, poverty and I will be attracted to each other, and will eventually meet unless I choose a different treasure. I have experienced this in my life the last few years. I made some seriously bad financial decisions a few years back that devastated mine and my family's financial well-being. I blamed others, the market, and anything else I could attribute responsibility to.
After a few years, I was reminded about the Law of Attraction, and completely broke down and cried when I realized that I had created my condition. I finally admitted to myself that it was me, not them, or anything else that created my financial condition. So I prayed. I prayed more, and realized something amazing! I realized that because I created my state of poverty, I had the power to create a state of abundance in my life. It has been a trying process, because of the many years of living in scarcity, not only in things, but in thought as well. I have been retraining myself to believe that I am living in abundance, and I have already seen results. I know that these results would come into my life regardless of my religious beliefs; however, the difference is that because of my faith, I recognize where the Good in my life is coming from - From GOD.
