The Infinite Way
From – Tape 359, side 1
By Joel Goldsmith

A Moment of Prayer
I consciously bring myself into Oneness with God by surrendering my personal desires, my personal hopes, my personal ambitions. I drop all of these outside the Temple doors, like the Orientals drop their shoes before they enter the Temple.

That dropping of the shoes outside is, of course, symbolic of dropping our burdens, our dirt, our uncleanness, our heaviness, our anything, so that we come into the Presence of God naked. Taking off the shoes is symbolic of that nakedness, just like coming into the Christian Church and removing one’s hat is also a symbol. Remember that originally the hat, the hood, was a protective apparel. It was usually made of steel and its nature was protective, but coming into the Presence of God, we take off our protection. We come in without armor or armament, we come naked – naked of desire, naked of fear – and we submit ourselves to the Father within. “Thy Will be done in me, Thy Will be done as me, Thy will be done through me. Speak, Lord, Thy servant heareth, and I will do those things given me to do.”

In this surrender, we are uniting with God.