According to ancient legend, there was an African tribe that was always at war with other tribes. They caused great destruction and pillaged at will. They had no morals, love or compassion. A concerned elder of a nearby tribe moved quickly to try to save his people. He called together members from neighboring tribes in an attempt to right the wrongs. After much discussion the wise an insightful elder decided to take the key to his tribe’s potential and hide it where the warring tribe could never find it. Where to hide this power became the question of huge importance.

Some suggested he bury it deep into the earth. Other said to place it on top of the highest mountain. Still other thought it best to sink it deep into the ocean. There was no agreement until the elder who had gathered the together said, “Here is what we will do. We will hide mankind’s omnipotent power deep within man himself, for he will never think to look for it there. ”

Since this tale was told, Black America has traveled the globe, climbing, digging, probing, exploring and constantly searching for something that it already possesses. Nearly a century ago, Marcus Garvey discovered it, Sixty years later, both A. Philip Randolph and Roy Wilkins found it and shared its secret with those who would listen. But as the story goes, our inexhaustible potential – our greatest gift – has been the best kept secret of the ages.

There is a way out of limitation that never fails, and it’s shockingly simple. It calls for no formalities, no money, no effort, and little risk. It is obvious enough when you realize it, but so many overlook it. Here’s a clue: Be still, be quiet, and listen to your spirit. If you will listen to your spirit, you will be amazed at the quick and striking results you will obtain. When you align yourself with this force – the inner voice – you are always in divine order. Everything about you will have meaning and purpose, and though the inner voice can be suppressed, it can never be silenced.

The Creator uses every aspect of you being – spiritual, physical, emotional, and intellectual – to communicate with us. When we learn to look for answers inwardly rather than outwardly, we no longer give people, institutions, or traditions authority to define who we are or what we can become. Although this tranformation will cost nothing, it will not be free. As a matter of fact it will cost you a great deal, because the price o success always requires some type of payment.

And what exactly is the price? None other than your life! If you are prepared to render this sum, your results will be automatic and the answers you seek will not be very far. During the recent presidential inauguration Reverend William DeVeaux, pastor of Washington, D.C.s, A.M.E. church, told President Clinton, “It takes great listening as well as great preaching to make a great sermon.” God speaks to those who take time to listen.

It is not inconceivable that a few generations from now historians may record this age as the period of mankind’s greatest folly. In the midst of the greatest abundance the world has ever seen, far too many suffer because of negative mental attitudes. These poor souls remain enmeshed in the jaws of despair and hopelessness when happiness is within their reach.

They are like a sculptor having both the training and the tools with which to work, standing before a huge block of marble, admiring its beauty yet never turning a hand. Or like the man who despises the darkness but sits alone in his modern home refusing to turn on the light switch. Will it be strange if future generations call them foolish? How many among us really believe that all good is ours right now? Not one in a thousand. For too long we have formed the habbit of thinking a thing “too good to be true.” Nothing is too good to be true!

The world is full of people who believe that choice is dead and freedom is a thing of the past. But we must continue to make choices – choices that will eventually determine our destiny. Your greatest gift is the power of choice.

Maggie L. Walker, America’s first black female bank president, gave a rousing speech in which she said, “When it comes to success, the choice is simple. You can either stand up and be counted, or lie down and be counted out!” Choosing the right mental attitude is basic to all achivement. 

The question “What is Truth?” is the cry of every person’s soul at some time in his or her life. Truth is the state in which spirit dwells, a state of perfection that is eternally, creatively active. Truth may be defined as the action of spirit.

For example, most of us think of ourselves as standing wearily and helplessly at the corner of a circle bristling with tasks, burdens, problems, annoyances, and responsibilities that are rushing in upon us. At every moment we have a dozen different things to do, a host of problems to solve, a dozen challenges to endure. We see ourselves as overridden, overburdened, and overworked.

This is a common picture – but it is not the truth. No one, however crowded his or her life, has such an existence. What is the true picture of life? Imagine sands passing through an hourglass, one at a time. This is the only way they can come. The day may bring many tasks and problems, but invariably they come in single file. They just trickle down one by one. And how do we handle them? One at a time.

Beware of half-truths. You might get hold of the wrong half. Truth is something that must be known in the heart, accepted in the mind, and enacted in life.