Burning Away Barriers, by Rev. Howard Ray Carey, Share International Archives

Quick search

Print this page

Burning away barriers
by Rev. Howard Ray Carey

Barriers often reside within our emotions and lower mental equipment ---- obstacles which tend to separate us from:

a. Our own higher or divine Self;
b. Our fellow human beings;
c. The Spiritual Hierarchy ---- the Christ and the Masters.

One of the most active and troublesome of these barriers is fear. It spawns a whole brood of children: worry, anxiety, procrastination, blocked energy, misdirected action, undue tension, stomach ulcers, etc; and it often produces resentment, hostility and violence, both verbal and physical.

Throughout the Bible, as well as the present teachings of the Christ, we find oft-repeated warnings against yielding to fear and living in fear. In addition we are given ample clues to help us burn away this obstinate barrier. How? Through love and trust, through cultivating the realization of our oneness with everyone, and through sharing.

In Is. 43:1-3, for instance, we find this great assurance: ''Fear not, for...you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am your God...your Savior.''

This was written centuries before Jesus' time, but it could well have been written today. How graphically this passage describes the rivers of fear which swirl around us today. And the fires of opposition through which we are called upon to walk right now.

Thus how real is the assurance of the divine promise: that the rivers shall not overwhelm us, and the flame shall not consume us. This assurance can be very strong if we accept the word: I will be with you. In the New Testament, and in Maitreya's Messages, that word is stated even more affirmatively in the present tense: ''I am with you always.'' (Matt. 28:20 and Message No. 130)

In Luke 12:29-34 the Christ, speaking through Jesus, spells out very clearly this problem of fear and its solution: ''Do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind. For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heaven that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.''

The 'little flock' of those who hear and heed and seek to follow the Christ is much larger today. But small or large, we are assured we need not fear, for it is our Father's good pleasure (Plan) to give us the kingdom. He is of course speaking of the spiritual or fifth kingdom ---- in the process of being established right here in this physical realm. And He pointed out then, as He emphasizes today, that the key to the solution lies in sharing.

Furthermore, then as now He indicates the kind of treasure, in the high spiritual levels of our being, which nothing can take from us, concluding: ''Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.''

Over and over again, and in simple direct language, Maitreya makes plain to us that love and trust constitute the power which can burn away the barriers of fear and its allies. Or, to change the figure of speech, love and trust are the solvent which effectively melts away fear, worry, anxiety, and all such barriers to self-realization, and the realization of oneness with all. Let us look briefly at a few more of the Christ's Messages given through Benjamin Creme; passages where the solution of the problem of fear and all that goes with it is sharing: "When you see Me, fear not ---- I come not to scold but to teach... Know that My Love is with you always. Know that My Shield protects you. Know that My Will upholds you. Know this, My friends, and fear not.'' (Message No. 136)

‘‘I shall remove from your hearts the fear of death, the fear of life itself, the fear of your brother and of yourself... Many await My coming with some fear. Nothing but good shall grow where I tread. My Promise stands... I shall create among you a pool of Love from whose waters all may quench their thirst.'' (Message No. 123)

‘‘Many await My coming with some trepidation, fearing the loss of all that they have loved, all that they have amassed and gained. Fear not, My friends, for the loss will be the loss of separation only, of division and fear, of envy and hate. To clear these from the world all must be remade. Know this, My friends, and be ready to share, to see your brother as yourself, to clasp him in your arms and call him friend. In this way, My brothers, you manifest God’s Plan.'' (Message No. 125)

To conclude, let me acknowledge that in my own personal life I have known intimately this barrier of fear. I have struggled long and often fretfully with anxiety of many stripes and colors. But I also can bear witness to the validity of the solutions above indicated. For it is when I can forget myself and my petty 'needs', and rise ---- trusting in divine love and wisdom ---- that I find myself free of the old anxiety patterns, coming into the utter certainty of knowing truth, and experiencing the real joy of sharing.

This article is a chapter from The Joy of Christ's Coming. This book by the late Rev. Howard Ray Carey was published by Share International Foundation in 1988. It is not currently available in hard copy form. Copyright © Share International Foundation. Biblical quotations are taken from the Revised Standard version unless otherwise indicated.

Download a copy of this book:

This book is not currently available in hard copy form.

More on the Ageless Wisdom & Traditional Religion

Directory of articles/chapters from this book

Archives main index

Background information page

Top of Page

First published April 1999, Last modified: 15-Oct-2005