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Being of Service

Sometimes it seems hard to know how best to be of service. Someone is in crisis, or simply processing and I wonder, ?How can I really help? At what point will my helpfulness become intrusive?? What about other times when the need is not so obvious? I started thinking about this because of something that happened while I was working. I was helping a customer with some paper work he had to submit to a governmental agency. I was so intent on what we were doing and with getting through so I could make my next appointment that it wasn?t until I was leaving that I picked up on his discomfort.

I?m pretty sure he had a personal problem that he may have wanted to talk about, but I missed the chance to offer him that opportunity. He keeps popping up in my thoughts. I decided to hold him in God?s healing light and to know that he is loved and perfectly protected. In linear time, it may be too late, but time isn?t the truth so it is never too late. The Holy Spirit is not hampered by our ego laws. Healing moves across the imaginary borders of time easily, completely unimpeded by false ideas like past and present.

I regret not being present in the moment I was with this man. If I had been, I would have asked for guidance, and if led to do so, would have opened the way for him to share. I would have stepped back and allowed the Holy Spirit to lead the way. Then I would have known what to say, and how to be of service. For the most part, I think that is the secret to serving; just to be aware and open to guidance.

I also think that I can be helpful simply because that is my intention. There are so many little ways in which we can serve. I was checking into a hotel and was tired and distracted. The clerk was kind and friendly, and I immediately felt renewed. My energy level went up, and I felt myself smiling gratefully at her. Such a little thing, being kind and friendly, easy to do, costs nothing, and yet we might never know how important it is to another person. Perhaps it is not such a small thing after all. A lifetime of smiles and kind words would be a lifetime of healing. I would love to know that my lifetime could be summed up as one of kindness.

Being of service would indeed be difficult if I had to figure out what to say and to whom, but that is not my part in it. I only have to be ready and willing to step back so that the Holy Spirit can lead me. I set my intention by starting the day with a prayer from A Course in Miracles.
  I am here only to be truly helpful.
This is a perfect beginning. It is here that I set my intention. In this statement, I have decided my purpose and made clear how I will respond to whatever happens. I will be truly helpful. I have always found it easier to be with smaller groups of people, and when there are too many, I feel overwhelmed. So when I went to a meeting last night where there would be 30 or so folks, I reminded myself of my purpose by saying just the one easy to remember line; I am here only to be truly helpful. So I don?t have a lot of things to figure out as I interact with the people at the meeting, because whatever their story is, I only need to do or say whatever would be truly helpful.

The second sentence of the prayer says:
I am here to represent Him Who sent me.
When I think about this, I feel tears coming into my eyes. Did I think that this meeting was just the last thing on my schedule, something to get through so that I could go home? Perhaps this is true in the ego perspective of my life, but in truth, God sent me here. I am here to represent Him. What was a mundane purpose, seen in the light of truth, is now recognized as lofty indeed.

The prayer goes on to say:
I do not have to worry about what to say or what
  to do, because He Who sent me will direct me.
Well, that is a relief. I do want to serve God through serving my brother, but what qualifies me to do that? How could I know that would prepare me for this? How could I know what is best for everyone in any situation?

I knew a woman who was often very wise and who seemed always to know the right thing to do. I liked her very much, and since I was quite young and had little experience of life to draw on, appreciated her wisdom and the quiet authority with which she spoke. But then, if she noticed that someone was going to change their mind and act according to what she said, she would say no, that?s for me, you have to decide for yourself what to do. She was certain for herself, but didn?t want to take the responsibility of influencing others.

If I speak only for my ego-self, I will feel the same way. As a young woman, I was disconcerted by her uncertainty, but as I grew older, I began to understand her conflict. I, too, sensed that I had no way of knowing what was needed by someone else, and yet I also sensed that I was there for a reason. A Course in Miracles helped me to understand that while I am here for a reason, I am not here on my own authority, nor am I left to make these decisions on my own. The Holy Spirit will tell me what to say and what to do if I let Him.

The next line perfectly expresses my relief at not being on my own, and my decision to be directed. It says:
I am content to be wherever He wishes, knowing
  He goes there with me.
This speaks to acceptance. In the past, I have tried to accept what was, and it has been an uphill battle. The ego-self wants its way. Its focus is on the comfort and protection of the body, and will fight to achieve that goal. It is an impossible goal, and only serves to keep me in conflict and discontent. On the other hand, trying is an ego concept, and so in the end, will always fail.

In this line of the prayer, I am offered an alternative that works. I know that God goes with me everywhere I go, so I am perfectly protected and perfectly loved. I have no concern where that may be, because my safety and my joy are not dependent on the place, or the situation, or on who may be there with me. All that I need in every circumstance is provided because I am with God. I am content.

And finally:
I will be healed as I let Him teach me to heal.
This is what it is all about. God does not send me to a person for my entertainment, or to help me pass the time. I have a purpose, and that purpose is to heal. By keeping God in the lead, I learn to heal. Because this is true, every encounter has the potential to be holy. There are many ways in which this plays out in our stories, but it is always about seeing the innocence. I was in a meeting when someone I don?t like showed up. I have such a hard time being around this man. Even though I was uncomfortable with my judgment, I had a hard time releasing it. Later I asked the Holy Spirit what I should do. I just didn?t know how to handle this in a way that was healing. How this person acted, and what he said kept engaging my attention.

The next morning the first thing I thought when I woke up is that this man is perfectly innocent. Nothing he says or does has any impact on his innocence which was guaranteed in his creation. I wondered if that could be all there was to it. Yes! I understood that this is all I need to know about this man. I went to bed blaming myself for my judgments, and blaming him for putting me in this position. I woke up in forgiveness, and discovered that I am as innocent as he is. This relationship is healed. There is nothing I can do that is more important than this. I have a T-shirt that has this ACIM quote: The holiest of all spots on earth is where an ancient hatred becomes a present love. And how could I do anything but love that innocent child of God.

© 2006, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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