Realizing God's Will Is Oneness

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Ask.  Listen.  Follow.  Trust.

I had such an interesting experience lately while facilitating a weekend group.  The first day, some women in the group were into silly giggling with each other.  I felt guided by Holy Spirit to ignore it and felt peaceful about ignoring it, while realizing at the same time that others members of the group might be disturbed by their behavior.  After the group session, some members did come to me and ask why I had not addressed silly behavior that had disturbed others.  Then, I started to wonder about the wisdom of the guidance, but told them that I had gone to Holy Spirit during group time and I just followed what I had received.

The next day, one of the gigglers and I had a wonder healing conversation about the happy circumstances in her current life.  She related to me that some encouragement I had given her almost two years earlier had been very helpful to her.  She remembered well the loving words I had previously shared with her and I really felt the love she was sharing with me on this morning.  I immediately felt that Holy Spirit’s guidance the previous day had been entirely correct.  Then during the morning session, another of the gigglers sought me out for sharing and we had quite a conversation of healing insights.  Again I felt that the beauty and value of following Holy Spirit’s guidance was shown to me.  If there had been public attention given to their behavior the previous day, I’m not sure these healing sharings would have happened. 

Then in the afternoon of the second day, a young man was eating during the meditation.  I was unaware of this until afterwards when members of the group mentioned it during the group sharing time.  Some members of the group had incorporated this distraction as part of their practice of seeing Christ in their brother.  Later, I had a long conversation with the “cruncher” during which many wonderful healing insights came about.  Again, I do not believe this would have occurred if there had been any negative attention given to his behavior during group time or after.  Again, I felt confidence in Holy Spirit’s guidance to just let go of all silly behavior as no big deal.

The next day, I learned that some members of the group had given a negative impression to others about events that had happened during group time.  When I heard this my ego kicked right in.  I felt attacked.  I felt guilt.  I defended myself.  I immediately questioned whether in any way I had been acting from fear while facilitating the group - fear of disapproval, fear of seeming unloving or harsh, or fear of confronting others.  I wondered if I really had been listening to the voice of Holy Spirit, or had it been filtered by unconscious fear.  I felt like a poor facilitator.  I felt like a poor listener or a mistaken listener.  When I arrived home, I talked about the weekend with my husband as if the ego drama was all quite real.  I overate on suggary treats.  I drank two glasses of wine, and then couldn’t sleep all night.  Ego had me on a guilt trip.

In my wakefulness, I spent time meditating.  I watched TV.  In the morning I took a nap.  Then in late morning, I determind to sit with Holy Spirit until the truth would be shown to me, and it was.  I learned that in all of my doing, the most important part was the practice of asking, listening and following.  And then trusting and taking responsibility for following the guidance.  I had not been trusting enough.  I became aware that following the guidance, an act of kindness of overlooking silliness, appeared to others as a flaw.  That awareness showed me everyone can be mistaken about the behavior of another.  We have absolutely no basis to judge the behavior of another.  Another’s behavior may not meet our expectations of what appears good. Ours may not match theirs.

The real question was trust.  The real question came to me as, can I follow Holy Spirit’s guidance confidently and joyfully even if others think it seems wrong?  After all, whose’s disapproval am I worried about?  When there is a question of disapproval its only my ego looking to other egos for approval - only the insanity of the ego thought system.  I learned the importance of trusting the guidance given to me.  Holy Spirit only asks me to ask, listen, follow and trust.  I learned to let go of need for this to appear good in the ego thought system.  I learned the importance of trusting and when I don’t, it is only my broken record of ego thoughts that plays over and over the need for approval.  Its all about my willingness to totally trust what I receive as right for me and everyone else as well.

The whole circumstance showed me a lesson in practicing willingness to follow my own inner guidance.  As I was tempted to question my intent, motivation, and the outcome all by ego standards, I was a failure.  After all, doesn’t following Holy Spirit guidance mean peace and love visibly present?  I learned its not always present to body eyes or to ego understanding.  I learned I must trust what I am given and be ready to accept that in the ego world, the guidance may appear clumsy or be misunderstood.  I learned that I must trust more that I need not know the big picture.  I cannot account for how Holy Spirit works in the world of illusion.

All I can do is practice following what I am given and follow it through as best I can at any particular moment with trust.  And later, if my actions are questioned, to calmly rest in knowing that I practiced following what I was given at the time.  And doing this even though I can’t totally understand it either.  Although in this case, I can understand but am aware that others may not.  This has to be good enough.  The healing is in my own mind.  That is the only place I need it.

Now I feel again the surety of trust.  I can trust Holy Spirit to show me the way for me to be.  I trust He will show others the way for them to be.  It is for others to listen to their guidance in the way they will.  I can only be responsible for listening for myself and following.  Any problems perceived in this are all of ego resistance, of the illusion of separate bodies and minds.  My sole responsibility is to accept the Atonement for myself - to acccept that it is only in my mind that I need healing.  It is my responsibility to let go of ego thought and see only wholeness with the help of Holy Spirit.

I forgive myself any mistakes in listening.  As Holy Spirit overlooks my mistakes of listening, I overlook any perceived mistakes of others.  Maybe they are listening perfectly well and it only appears as a flaw to my mind because I am looking with ego judgment.  I have no way to know, no basis to judge.  And so I accept that others have no basis to judge how well I am listening to Spirit.  We all must just trust that everyone is on their awakening journey with Holy Spirit just as they should be.  Its all perfect, everyone is already healed, already forgiven.  Incidents of ego are only of time and time is temporary madness.  I can let it go and return again to the serenity that comes from trusting Holy Spirit at an even deeper level, learning more consistency and constancy in trust.

There underneath the illusion of upset is perfect trust in the wisdom of Holy Spirit.  I trust His plan of awakening for me.  I see His wisdom in showing me the parts of my mind that need healing, as I am willing to open to them.  Then He simply heals them.  And so there is the beauty of peace I have turned to again.  There is no need to explain or justify my guidance.  There may be no way to do so.  It does not matter.  There is only the following of it, knowing that it is for healing in some way for the ego thought system.  I can be content with that.  What a fine lesson to learn.  What a fine way for it to be shown to me.  I have confidence in Holy Spirit to know best and to guide always for healing.  I can trust more now and be sure of its rightness for me.  More than this I leave to Holy Spirit.  My one function is to listen to His voice as best I can in the moment and trust.  I trust others to do the same.

© 2004, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Barbara Kraetsch.

I let the Light do the work.

Let the light shine forth.  Be My love always, at every moment, in every hour, in every way.  Be in it.  Rest in it.  Ease forth from it.  Relax and let it do the work.  In this there is nothing to fear and everything to gain.  Fear not the words, actions and results that come from the light.  These shall mind themselves from the Mind of God.  Relax and let the love and light flow like a river from you.  Let it wash the world clean of unfaithfulness and forgetfulness.  Let it wash all darkness away.

Let the light bring My presence to all, to those who would listen and to those who know not to listen.  For in the path of love and light, they cannot help but be healed in a way I direct.  Your only task is to let it flow and be unconcerned with process, effects and results.  This shall all be minded by Me for the One.  My mind is your mind.  My heart is your heart.  My love is your love.  My light is your light.  There is nothing else.  Trust in this.  Live this, and paradise is yours.  I give it to you freely.  All you must do is to claim it as your own is to recognize that it belongs to you for you are already there with Me.  See this and you see all that is.  Feel this and feel My love for you is boundless.  There is no measure of love for you.  You have all there is.  Accept this gift.  Unwrap it and accept it.  Take it to your heart, and your healing shall know no bounds.  All else will follow.

The light shines even when the body’s eyes do not perceive it shining.  The light simply shines.  It shines on what we want to see and what we don’t want to see.  It shines on successes and failures alike, treating them all the same.  It lets go of all other seeking for truth and justice.  It rules supreme.  It guides the way through roses and rubbish.  The light merely seeks the truth of what is, but what we often cannot know.  It is a light that shines even in the dark, where it would seem to be quiet and silent, no where to be seen and appreciated.

Yet in quiet, silent times does it shout from the Heavens - See Me -  Hear Me -  Love Me -  Let Me Shine -  Let Me Live.  Let Me cast forth light upon the waters, upon the land, upon all that is there for you be be as I am.  Trust Me as the light.  Trust Me as the Guide.  Trust Me as the way to see.  Trust Me for the light to your way to be.  For I am all there is to see.  I am all there is to know and to love.  See Me only.  I am the light and the light sees only Me.  I am the light and the seen.  Focus not on the light as light.  Focus on Me.  I am there even beyond the light and yet closer than the light.  The light focuses on Me, yet I am not limited by the light.  The light is for you to see, not Me.  I see all without need of light, for I created the light for you.

There is Me even in the dark.  There is Me even in the midst of it all.  For there I am in it all, all there is and ever will be.  You are part of this.  You are part of the light and yet more than the light.  Vaster than the light.  I am not the light.  I am to be seen in the light.  Let the light show Me to you.  Point to others to where the light shines to show Me, so that others may see Me, too.  Be the light.  Shine it to show Me, where I am.  And they will see Me also.

© 2004, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Barbara Kraetsch.

The Joy of Kindness

There is a certain joy in showing kindness in the little things - the everyday things that make up our lives.  Jesus does not ask for grand gestures.  He asks us to be as spiritual children.  Children show kindness in small ways - smiles, giggles of delight, enthusiasm, shining eyes and being quick to show joy and approval for the little shows of love for them.

When I am focused on asking what can be truly helpful in any situation or circumstance, it is mainly in the little things where I can be of service.  When someone is having a hard day, perhaps I cannot make their problems go away, but I can be understanding and offer a smile, a word of encouragement about their ability to meet the challenge, or perhaps just listening.  I can offer this kindness instead of going into my ego story of a hard day.  I see this happening so often.  Stories of computer problems, mechanical problems, health problems, you name it, are met with equally dramatic stories of similar or worse problems. 

The Course talks about defending truth instead of error, and the way to do this is to ask what something is really for.  Everyone defends what he treasures, and one must ask what is treasured and how much it is treasured.  These are the real questions that bring us to clarifying how we respond to everything.  If I treasure the error of form and ego drama, then life is a series of contests about who has more error.  More complications, more difficulties, more drama pain means I am the winner.  My life is harder and I deserve more consideration and attention from others.  If I treasure the body, and problems get attention and validation, then my body must have problems to get what it wants.

If I treasure love and peace, however, and it is my only treasure, then I am looking at everything as an opportunity to be loving and see the loving, and to do this in the midst of the everyday, right where I am.  I look at the people I find myself with and the circumstances I find myself in as being the right ones for me to see what I truly treasure.  If I truly treasure love, then I will give it.  But I don’t have to give it in grand gestures, in “big ways” that expect visible “big differences.”  The ego cherishes its own dramatic gestures.  Love cherishes little loving gestures. 

In giving a loving smile in return for a criticism, a little thing perhaps, but in it I affirm that I treasure love and see only its presence.  In keeping silent when another is stuck on repeating a complaint over and over, but seeing when I do this myself at times and overlooking the ego illusion, may not seem like it makes a big difference, but it is loving and kind.  When I offer my sincere gratitude to someone who has helped me, even in a tiny way, I find joy.  Offering love and kindness in simple little ways is doable.  In this I can heal in the world as it is, as it has been given to me.

If I follow the ego voice and body sight, love is not attainable.  The ego looks to the physical level to judge effectiveness.  Everywhere around us we see the ego mind not content with anything as it is, everything must get bigger and better, more advanced, more complicated.  And even then the ego is not content.  Life seems to be an endless circle of increasing grandiosity in the ego world.  Simplicity is seen as a sign of regression, not progress.

There is a certain joy in simplicity - simple loving acts of kindness that come spontaneously from opportunities to extend love in the right now.  Right where I am is where I extend love, to those given me in the lesson plan of love by Holy Spirit.  Ego cannot find love anywhere and looks to a world of impressive form as a substitute.  Holy Spirit shows me love in all the little everyday parts of my life.  No detail is too tiny or too special to escape His awareness.  If I give as I receive, then I can give the little kindnesses to others.  This is not too difficult for me.

If I listen to the ego and think kind gestures must be grand and noticeable, then they seem beyond me.  When I see the beauty in giving the small kindnesses, I am grateful because I know I can do the small things with Holy Spirit.  I have come to treasure the small acts of kindness because I can do them, and I can see the powerful healing that comes from doing just the little things.  I find joy in giving a smile and a kind word.  I find joy in extending a kind thought, unspoken but sincerely felt.  I find joy in giving a glass of water to someone who is thirsty.

It is my ego that wants to keep tiny details in my tiny kingdom, those deemed too special to bother Holy Spirit with, so that they can be made large and important in the world.  It is in seeing that there is a better way than the upset that comes from doing this that has taken me past a turning-point.  It is in coming to not want even tiny intrusions on my peace, that I am now willing to give as I receive.  As I receive continuous droplets of light-filled kindness from Holy Spirit in His infinite care and love for me, so I can give droplets of kindness to others.  As I give small acts of kindness, I affirm the importance of those I receive contantly from Him.  As Holy Spirit finds joy in helping me in the everyday, so I find joy in helping others in the ordinary things.

The Course says that God’s children are entitled to the perfect comfort that comes from perfect trust.  I find perfect comfort in perfectly trusting in the spiritual grandeur of extending loving kindness in little ways to the life that fills my day.  These are the little gifts that I place on my inner altar every day because I can carry them.  Holy Spirit shows me that small kindnesses are not too heavy a burden.  I can carry them easily and gently and lay them before God with a joyful heart knowing that He appreciates them.  As He gave Holy Spirit to me to help me without pretension in each small step, so I can give to others.  As I lay each humble gift on the altar, my awareness of joy grows.  The act of kindness was small, but the gift of joy to me in return is great.

© 2004, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

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Posted by Rev. Barbara Kraetsch.

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