III. The Investment in Reality, P 3
3 Whenever you become angry with a brother, for whatever reason, you are believing that the ego is to be saved, and to be saved by attack. If he attacks, you are agreeing with this belief; and if you attack, you are reinforcing it. Remember that those who attack are poor. Their poverty asks for gifts, not for further impoverishment. You who could help them are surely acting destructively if you accept their poverty as yours. If you had not invested as they had, it would never occur to you to overlook their need.
Journal
I remember when I used to be very afraid of many things, and felt guilty about even more; I attacked myself and others all the time. I was impoverished, not knowing who I was. I felt small and frail and vulnerable and so I felt the need to defend myself. Not so much now. I still forget my identity and become defensive against others, many who are as impoverished as I once was. But most of the time, I recognize their need, and instead of making them feel more impoverished, I offer them the love they think they lack.
I don’t do this perfectly, but when I attack, usually in my mind only now, I see what is happening and I ask for healing. If I am upset by their attack it can only be because I believe in my poverty as well as theirs, and I am making it feel more real to both of us. As I write about this it all seems so straightforward and simple and I think I know exactly how I will react, but I have seen from experience that if there is fear or guilt in my mind, I will act from that.
Last night at a meeting I noticed that my competitor was there and he was talking to my customer. They were sitting together and laughing and I felt a knot of fear in my belly. I was impoverished, and knew it. It was easy last night to release that false thought to Spirit, but it is not always so easy. When it is hard it just means there is a lot of fear in my mind that I need to let go.
It is never about the other person or the circumstances, only about my own mind. When I remember that, I can be a healing channel for us all. When I forget, I have an opportunity to choose again. Each time I choose God, my memory of reality gets stronger and it is easier to remember the next time.
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