Wisdom from ‘on High’ Suggests That Progression is Key
As the world turns the corner into a new year, it’s natural to wonder if it will be better … worse … or just the same stuff with a different number in the dateline: 2023. Dr. Pieter Noomen, psychotherapist and senior minister of three Protestant churches, believed that the answer to that question lies in the hands of the individual.
While a solitary soul can’t change what’s happening in Ukraine, Russia or China, individuals most certainly have a large degree of control over what happens in their own personal lives and how they react to it. Dr. Noomen called it “progression.” As humanity navigates the early days of a new year, one can consciously choose a path of progress, of moving forward.
Although Dr. Noomen died in 2019, he left behind a treasure trove of writings, philosophies and beliefs which remain available, free to everyone, on his website, www.wordsforall.org. Here’s what he wrote about progression:
“The power in the element progression can thoroughly shake up people on earth. So many forces hold you back or make you hesitate, while decline is threatening. But as a clarion call from your own spirit can come the cry to wake up and move. When you do, you connect with a Reality in which nothing is immovable or stuck. Progression means adventure in its most exciting and never disappointing sense. Your person is a unique adventure … it is sacred, lively and unfolds.”
Dr. Noomen believed that individuals can chart their own course in life. Most of his writings are words that were spoken directly to him by what he called a Presence, a higher being, or the Real Reality.
“Your progression never takes place at the cost of those who seem left behind,” Dr. Noomen wrote. “Do not forget that in the true life, sharing is a normal and gratifying practice. What’s painful or frustrating on your road through life is unnatural, if not evil.”
His advice for moving into a new beginning: “Do not honor obstacles to progress by fearing them or see them as enemies. Invite what is negative as firmly as possible to change and join your journey. You know where you are heading when you join the parade of progressing.”
That may sound like a somewhat refreshing and new way to say, “Happy New Year! Step forward! Fear not! Make progress!”
Feel free to take a look at the myriad topics on Dr. Noomen’s website at www.wordsforall.org.
An example of Dr. Noomen’s “Wisdoms of the Week” from that website:
“In many parts on our planet, the beginning of a new year is celebrated. The heart of it could and should be not so much the public displays, fireworks, speeches of leaders, etc., but the reflection in our personal minds on the merits of last year and what to look forward to. Even that can be superficial. What really can gladden our hearts is that regardless of circumstances, we are not just the center of our little world but of the whole world, as only we can make real changes for the better! If we all would do that…. wow!”
