The Secret

I picked up The Secret by Rhonda Byrne to thumb through while waiting the other day. Because, you know, I had to know "the secret." And I heard it had been on Oprah.

It turned out that I couldn't figure out "the secret" by flipping through the book in the two minutes I had of wait time. So, I headed back to the bookstore to read it on the sly and put it back on the shelf.

I bought the book.

Because don't you just love how this crazy world is so interconnected that some of the conversations I had with my brother a few weeks ago touched on part of "the secret!" Like, growing up he always thought he would live in Maryland one day, and I always loved DC, and look where we are now. And that's only one of the things that rang a bell for me.

However, I did have mixed feelings about the book by the end.

I hope you also know that I'm not always too good at keeping a secret. They make me excited. And, this secret isn't gossip, it's information. I figure telling this secret won't hurt anybody.

The secret is the power of attraction. The force of attraction is the most powerful force in the universe. (Anybody heard of God?) Apparently, all the great and famous people, inventors, writers, scientists, rich people have known this for years and weren't telling to guard their fortunes.

The author also defines the secret as the power of positive thinking. I refer to that as PRAYER. The book consistently talks about wishing for what you want, clearly defining your desires, and thinking about having them. It even throws in a few Bible verses to back up it's claims.

What ever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Matthew 21:22

I got the feeling from this book that they were trying to put a non-religious spin on many Christian beliefs. I can relate to many points made in the book. Positive thinking is huge in life! I believe in praying big to God, for God has bigger plans than I would ever imagine, and He knows what's good for me. I've seen the power of attraction the author talks about play out in my life. There's a whole section talking about gratitude and saying "thank you" through out your day for everything in your life. The author just doesn't mention who you're thanking. She talks about the power being in the Universe. The difference between the author and me is that I see that power in God.

I really liked what Marci Shimoff had to say in chapter 5.

Many people in Western culture are striving for
success. They want the great home, they want their business to work, they want
all these outer things. But what we found in our research is that having these
outer things does not necessarily guarantee what we really want, which is
happiness. So we go for these outer things thinking they're going to bring us
happiness, but it's backward. You need to go for the inner joy, the inner peace,
the inner vision first, and then all the outer things appear.

When we moved here last year I had several specific prayers. I prayed for a house we would love and make into a home, for my marriage to survive, for strong Christian friends to help build my faith, for my children to have good teachers and make good friends, to find a church where we could joyfully worship, and beyond anything else for our family to be happy. There have been stumbles along the way, and at times I got in the way of God's blessings. Yet, my prayers have been wonderfully answered.

The power of attraction, the power of positive thinking, the power of the Universe?

The power of God.

You know what I think. Read the book. See if it rings any bells with you. It will certainly make you think and quite possibly raise your blood pressure.