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Election Day November 2, 2004

by Rev. Therese Anne Ward, O.M.C.

Nationally we are focused on Bush vs Kerry for President of the United States of America. Then there are the states electing their congressmen and women, and local cities electing officials from mayors to commissioners to you name it.

The “race” my husband and I have been personally working with is on a county level. Our daughter-in-law, Jude Julie Reinhardt Ward is on the ballot for Cambell county Circuit Court Judge. There are also three men running for this position.

Let me say straight up, this is my first active (other than voting) work in politics and it is a challenging arena for practicing ACIM.

It seems the whole voting system has its foundation built on the idea of separation. One person vs. the other; the us vs. them of political parties and of course someone must lose in order for another someone to win. Ignorance of a world asleep.

We are sleeping and dreaming chaotic dreams. In our fear and guilt we are imagining a world of separation and lack, punishment and loss.

It is said that politics is dirty business, and with just this limited exposure to it I’m observing the cruel tricks and calculating, strategic deceptions and outright bald face lying that goes on in these “children’s” games. As an aside, I’m also reminded of the summer Olympic “games” being held in Athens, Greece. Again the win or lose paradigm.

So where did I find myself in my daily ACIM reading yesterday? Right where I needed to be — T.30.Vl, The Justification for Forgiveness, where I’m told that anger is never justified. Pardon is always justified and forgiveness recognized as merited will heal. It gives the miracle its strength to overlook illusions.

And today — T.30.Vll, The New Interpretation, where I’m set straight about “my scripts” and how the day should be. I quote paragraph 4: “A common purpose is the only means whereby perception can be stabilized, and one interpretation given to the world and all experiences here. In this shared purpose is one judgment shared by everyone and everything you see. You do not have to judge, for you have learned one meaning has been given everything, and you are glad to see it everywhere, unchanged by circumstance. And so you offer it to all events, and let them offer you stability.”

And so I hear, “Wake up in Oneness. Wake up in Divine Order. Wake up in your brother as your one Self.” And so I say thank You, Father, for Your perfect Son, and in his glory will I see my own.

So I let go of my script in this political drama and my attachment to outcome as I merrily knock on doors and put up signs in a peaceful state.

Just to reinforce what I was learning from Holy Spirit, a few days later in The Manual for Teachers, #2 on page 5 — Who Are Their Pupils, put a new spin on this whole business of political races; that is the miracle! Thank you, thank you.

Rev. Therese Ward is a Pathways of Light minister living in Cold Spring, Kentucky.

© 2004, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Pouring Rains Eventually Baptize

by Rev. Bob Thompson, O.M.C.

Recently I have had about 20 lengthy and intensive interactions, with a friend sharing my home, who has been going through multiple personal crises. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross frequently came to mind during these emotion-filled and thought-provoking episodes because of the grieving my friend was enmeshed in.

Repeatedly sliding into the different steps that a dying person may go through: denial (Why me God?), anger (at the whole world, God, or self, or all of the above), depression (no way out), acceptance (of what is, and finally, peace) and even bargaining (God, I promise to do such and such if you will only do this or that).

In the beginning, it seemed quite chaotic to me. But as I learned to recognize the continued reappearances of those five siblings: denial, anger, depression, acceptance (and bargaining), it was obvious that they received so much attention because this was my friend’s many-faceted approach to coping with the death of one’s perceived greatest personal treasures, as well as a lifelong way of life. Occasionally, when the emotions and vocabulary were strong, I initially forgot that I was looking into a mirror, forgetting that my friend is myself, and that he or she, is really me, speaking to myself.

The short of it is that I have been in intensive “mirror therapy” for an unusually long, and deeply moving period of time. Perhaps this is inevitable, when one truly listens.

We have both been blessed with new views and perspectives. We both know now that we have gifted each other and self. Our shared path into the verbal and emotional mazes of fear has been truly a heroic journey. We have dared to look into the many faces of fear — the monsters of self. These fears with their many faces, frequently appear in so many of our daily mirrors. But my friend and I, after weeks of emotional and fearful searching, have only found that every mirror contains only our own fearful and sometimes puzzled faces.

We have explored new territories into self and claimed them as our own. Two pioneers, committed to steadily inching along towards peace and happiness. Our progress is obvious to us both. We are in agreement that neither of us will ever be the same.

A great way to enrich yourself is to listen to a troubled friend. And if you really want to be rich, listen a lot.

Rev. Bob Thompson is a Pathways of Light minister living in Portage, Wisconsin.

© 2004, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Highlighted Minister — Rev. Barbara Kraetsch

by Rev. Barbara Kraetsch, O.M.C.

I have been on a journey of learning to trust for almost my entire life. I first recognized a need within me to try to make the world a better place through purposeful work when I was a young girl. At that time the desire to help others took the form of wanting to be a lawyer when I grew up. I was helpful to the world in many ways when I became an adult, especially in raising children, but not through career. The girlhood dream to become a lawyer did not materialize until I graduated from law school at 42.

My years as a lawyer were not as spiritually satisfying as I thought they would be. I enjoyed studying the law, but not the ego games of the legal system. I prayed for answers. I had a great spiritual awakening as I worked with the books of Joel Goldsmith. This experience led me out of the practice of law several years later.

In the years after leaving law, I had a period of introspection, prayer and physical healing. During this time I left my mind open to my next avenue of service. In early 2000 I heard about Pathways of Light and its work being inspired by ACIM from a fellow participant at a spiritual workshop. When I learned about the Pathways ministerial training program I heard a calling to take it up. There were many questions about this from those around me but I felt strongly that I had to honor may own call. At that time I became a serious ACIM student and recognized the principles had been at work in my life all along. I didn’t know what I would do as a minister, but I felt I would be guided.

The ministerial training itself opened me up to greater trust in inner Wisdom. I had many powerful insights and meditative experiences. After I was ordained in November 2000, I felt compelled to go home and make my house a more cheerful place rather than go right into ministerial work. I repainted and redecorated in light warm colors what had been mostly gray. It was only later that I realized I was getting my home ready for students to come.

It was one year later that I became active at Pathways of Light at the November, 2001, membership meeting when I joined the Advisory Council. I had given a Pathways bookmark to a fellow ACIM study group member while I was still in ministerial training. In January, 2002, she called me and asked if I would facilitate her ministerial training. After that, more ministerial students came along. I really trusted the concept of letting the light go forth to bring me all that I would need for my spiritual growth and opportunities to be of service.

On December 31, 2002, I set an intention for all of 2003 of being willing to let my mind be changed about what I think I am. Holy Spirit began to work with me in different ways. I began to facilitate the Pathways of Light 900 series courses on campus. Students from overseas came my way. I began to journal my experiences with the ACIM daily lessons. In my willingness, the Holy Spirit brought me more opportunities to be truly helpful. My intent for the year 2004 is to be willing to listen to Holy Spirit. Now I am writing an inner healing journal for the Pathways of Light web site and writing meditations, in addition to facilitation work.

In following the guidance of Holy Spirit, I am finding the greatest joy in my work. I had no idea at ordination what my ministry would look like; I gave it all to Holy Spirit. It is unfolding into something that makes me truly happy. In my continuing willingness to follow Holy Spirit, He gives me opportunities and activities step-by-step. I have no idea where I am going. My only desire is to be truly helpful. I have come to trust the process of letting the journey unfold as shown by Holy Spirit as being much better than anything my ego devises. It is a continuing process of willingness to follow the Inner Teacher, the Holy Spirit.

Today, I walk my path in joy. I feel that I have finally come at 57 to a state of fulfilling my girlhood dream of making the world a better place, only with a totally different understanding of what that means because I give the meaning to Holy Spirit. I don’t try to decide for myself what it means to make a difference any longer. I have come far on my life’s journey and now I know for certain that Holy Spirit has been there with me in every step. I am most grateful for knowing this. Today I am content to let Him lead the way. I am really learning that I can trust in the power of Love and goodness to have a powerful impact, and that I can let Holy Spirit direct this power in everything.

Rev. Barbara Kraetsch is a Pathways of Light minister living in Hartford, Wisconsin.

© 2004, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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What Would Jesus Do?

by Rev. Myron Jones, O.M.C.

I have always been intrigued by the popular slogan, What would Jesus do? I’m sure you’ve seen it on t-shirts and jewelry, usually by the first letters of the question, WWJD. I think that is a good question. After all, Jesus intended his life to be an example for us; a model to follow in our own lives.

The problem with that question is that someone is assuming that I know what Jesus would do. Sometimes they are right. Sometimes though, I have been mistaken in thinking I knew what he would do. Sometimes, I assumed Jesus would think like me, that he would react as I would have reacted under similar circumstances.

Obviously this is not always true. All I have to do is look at the crucifixion to see that Jesus was way more enlightened than me. I’m not sure what I would have said if I had been unfairly crucified. It probably wouldn’t have had anything to do with forgiveness, though. So, if I want to answer the question “What would Jesus do?” I will have to think about this. It is very easy to project my thoughts and feelings onto the situation and become confused about the answer. I don’t want to ask myself, “What would Myron do?” I’ve done that. It hasn’t always worked out so well.

I decided that I would look for some of the principle beliefs that Jesus tried to teach me, and then extrapolate from them what I could do when faced with a moral decision. I suppose that the chief idea that Jesus tried to get across to me is Love. He talked about perfect Love in Matthew 6:44.

“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.”

Well, there is a tall order. He goes on to assure me that I can do this, by telling me that I am perfect as my Father in Heaven is perfect. So, though it seems like an impossible task, I can know that it is doable. What I have learned from practicing this idea is that it is not only doable, but that doing it changes my life.

My ex-husband is a wonderful teacher in my life. Not that he has done this intentionally, but that is how it has worked out. Toward the end of our marriage, there was a lot of turmoil. We argued frequently and to me it seemed as if he were constantly attacking me. Nothing was ever good enough for him and everything I did was wrong. In truth, I am sure he felt the same way about me. We had turned our life into a battleground. I saw him as my enemy, and was constantly in a “defend and attack” mode.

WWJD in this situation? I saw Greg as my enemy at that time. Jesus tells me that I should love my enemy. Is that possible? One time a minister told me this story abut a congregant who was in a similar situation. She was so angry with her husband that she hated him. He had done so many things to hurt her and she wanted to do something to repay some of that pain before she left him.

The minister suggested this: “Before you leave, start treating him well. Be as loving as you know how to be. Take care of him. Cook his favorite meals. Always have a kind word for him, no matter what he may say. Think of as many little ways you can make his life a joy.”

The woman was appalled by this suggestion. Why should she treat this mean person with such love? He had hurt her terribly and often, and now the minister was suggesting she treat him kindly. How was that going to hurt him? “Well,” the minister said, “By doing this, when you leave he will know what he threw away with his bad behavior and will be devastated at his loss.”

The woman was delighted at this thought. And though she knew it would be extremely hard to act kindly to someone she hated, she was determined to make him pay so she did it.

Months later the wise minister ran into the woman and asked her if she was happy to be away from the abusive husband. She seemed surprised at the very idea. She stated emphatically that she and her husband were still together and very happy indeed. She explained to the minister that when she started following his advice and treating him with loving kindness, he changed and started doing the same to her.

I did my best to follow Jesus’ instructions to love my enemy. It was so hard to do this and my success was spotty at best. We are divorced, but if any of you have ever left a long relationship, you know that it doesn’t end at that point. There was still a lot of anger, frustration and grief. However, I kept my eyes on my goal, that is, to love my enemy.

If the Holy Spirit were a person, He would surely have become tired of hearing from me as I asked, once again, that he heal my thoughts toward my ex. As I slowly began to lay down my battle garb, I began to experience the peace of God. How my life has been blessed in doing this! Now I see Greg, not as my enemy, but as a perfect Child of God who, like me, is struggling to remember his true Identity. Our relationship is not completely healed yet, but my intent is set and I strive to use every opportunity to bring about that healing.

What would Jesus have me do if faced with a situation in which I find myself making a judgment? This is another area in which he was very clear. Matthew 7:1 says “Judge not lest ye be judged.” You can’t get more clear than that. He doesn’t follow it with a list of exceptions to the rule. He leaves no loopholes. I like guidelines that are clear cut. I don’t have anything to figure out and so little opportunity to twist his words until they mean something I prefer.

If I read the paper and see that someone is behaving in a way that feels threatening to me, I know that I have judged. I read a story about a man who suffered a great loss. His son was killed by another man and that man was imprisoned for his evil deed. Then, the father who lost his son somehow found the strength to forgive the murderer and became his friend. Wow, is that story ever rich ground for judgment! I judged the murder of the son as tragic and certainly it seemed so. I judged the murderer as evil and what he did as evil. I judged the father as saintly when he forgave.

So man, how am I going to look at this situation without judgment? I do it like I do other things. I bring my thoughts to the Holy Spirit and ask Him what He wants me to do with them. I open my mind to another way to see. When I do this, I can’t imagine what that other way will be. It seems impossible. But that is OK. I am going to the Holy Spirit because I don’t know the answer. It would be inappropriate and self-defeating to go to Him with an answer already formulated.

When I bring this situation to the Holy Spirit He gently reminds me that I am seeing my own fear of death and loss reflected in this situation. Jesus’ final lesson for us was the resurrection. Through the resurrection he was teaching us that there is no death. Certainly the body can be murdered, but I am not a body. The body is a shell, of little importance. What is me, what God created, cannot be harmed in any way. He reminds me also, that my care is in His hands and that His care for me is infinite.

“But the father’s grief, what about the father?” I ask. “Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted,” He answers me. It is not my job to judge even this. How could I begin to know what healing may come of this? How am I to know what purpose will be fulfilled as someone is comforted by God?

“Well surely,” I plead, “I am justified in judging the murderer as evil.” And again, I am gently reminded that even this man is God’s blessed child, created in his image and after His likeness. “But look at what he did.” But what he did does not change who he is. He is as God created him.

I cannot know the whole story. I cannot know everything there is to know about everyone involved and how it will play out now and in the future. That is why it is not my job to judge. In His mercy, God took that burden from me. A Course in Miracles puts it very succinctly when it tells me that the strain of constant judgment is virtually intolerable. It is curious that an ability so debilitating would be so deeply cherished.

This leads us right into forgiveness. Forgiveness was big on Christ’s agenda. Forgiveness was nearly the last thing Jesus had to teach us, and certainly the culmination of his teaching. As he was dying, he said. “Forgive them.” They tried to humiliate him. They tortured him, they destroyed his body. And what did he do? He forgave them. What can anyone do that is outside my forgiveness?

f someone steals from me, what do I do? What would Jesus do? He would forgive them. If someone hurts my feelings, if someone embarrasses me before my friends, If someone abandons me or betrays me, what do I do? What would Jesus do? I forgive them. I see through what I think they did to me. I see through their behavior. I see only who they are in reality; that is the blessed and holy children of God. That is forgiveness.

On my own, I can’t forgive. I don’t know how. It is only through the Holy Spirit that my thoughts are healed and I learn to think with God. My job is to be willing to forgive and even that sometimes takes all my effort to achieve. I so often cling to my grievances as if they were my saviors instead of God. But my willingness, however small it is, will save me. I will succeed because it is God’s Will that I do so. I cannot fail because it is the strength of God that gives me power.

So, when someone pulls out in front of me and nearly causes an accident, I see past the careless action to the reality of the driver. I see he is a Child of God. How can I curse a Child of God? I forgive and bless him and in return I am forgiven and blessed. As I learn that he is a Child of God, worthy of my forgiveness, I am teaching myself that I am a Child of God, worthy of blessings and forgiveness.

What would Jesus do? He taught us that, whatever the situation, the appropriate reaction is always one of Love and forgiveness. He taught us that we are not to judge. These will not always be my first reactions. That’s Okay.

I am always free to choose again. If I react to a person or situation in an unloving, unforgiving or judgmental way, do I condemn myself? No, because condemnation is not a loving response. I will not judge myself. I will forgive myself, just as I forgive others. I will be gentle, both with others and with myself as I strive, daily, to live as Jesus would.

Rev. Myron Jones is a Pathways of Light minister living in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

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

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