Every loving thought is true, every thing else is an appeal for healing and help. . .
A Course in Miracles is a spiritual path that is very dear to my heart. I have been a “student” for 25 years and I embrace its spiritual principles as closely as I embrace the principles of AA and Al-Anon. In fact, I think the three programs blend very well. I also think the level of my joy and peace of mind are directly the result of the combination of all three paths.
We all have to make our own choices, of course, and I’d never tell any one else they should seek peace in exactly the way I do it. Everyone needs to find their own path. But I am content and that’s what makes every day a good one for me. The “title” of this post is a direct quote from ACIM. The way I interpret the quote is that our finest gift to others is the expression of love and even when others are not able to receive that love, or worse, if they respond in an unkind way to the expression, choosing to perceive that as a sign that they are hurting and in need of healing and help. Choosing to meet all expressions from any one with love is the solution to the pain that is registering at any time throughout the world.
It’s not easy to willingly offer the hand of love to one who is quick to bite your hand, but learning to see the negative reaction as a call for help, has changed my behavior. I am not always quick to change my mind. I may still want to respond in a likeminded way, but choosing to be loving regardless of how the other person has behaved, feels so good. It really does. And if you had tried to convince me of this before I came into the rooms of recovery, I’d not have believed you. My life then was about pay back. There was no room for forgiveness, no room for seeing the need for healing and love, no room for helping the world around me to heal. And now that’s what my entire belief system has become.
It’s amazing how much we can change if we are willing to listen to a different inner messenger. That’s all that has changed for me. But that has changed every thing. Do I like the change? That’s like asking me if I like AA or if I like Al-Anon or my husband or kittens. Indeed. I don’t intend to ever go back to who I was before. Loving others and being loved is just too sweet. Give it a try. Won’t you?
