Negative words and thoughts create negative energy. The Israelites discovered this during their journey through the wilderness when they murmured and complained against God. In a sense, they attracted the poisonous serpents. God's solution was a bronze serpent mounted on a pole. Whenever one was bitten, he or she could gaze at the bronze serpent and be healed. This was not magic but a reminder to lift one's gaze heavenward by raising one's words and thoughts to the spiritual realm. We have a hand in creating the reality in which we live - let us do our best to create a beautiful and life-giving one.

Many people could not understand Jesus. They wanted to know who he was and where he was from. The things that he said seemed puzzling, strange, and different. He had a simple explanation: He was from above - the realm of God - while people were from below - the world. These are two very different ways of existing, and it is very difficult for an earthly person to understand spiritual things. The solution? Listen to the words of the Lord with an open heart and mind. Put aside what you think you 'know.' Allow your understanding to be stretched and challenged, and be prepared to see things in a different way. Jesus did not come to earth to fill churches but to change people. Just like the serpent, he was 'lifted up', so let us gaze on him with the eyes of the heart and mind and be healed.