Day 79: Let me recognize the problem so it can be solved.
Day 80: Let me recognize my problems have been solved.
A Course in Miracles tells us that, in spite of all the varying problems we perceive in the world, we only have but one problem: separation.
In fact, we are not separate from one another at all, yet our egos would have us believe this is so.
From the Vision I have been seeing regularly in my meditations (see Day 86), I know that we are all connected to each another through God's Light. However, in a physical world where we all have our own physical bodies, it would appear that we are separate. But if energy were visible to the human eye, if we could see that invisible Light of God, we would never believe that we were disconnected.
A belief in separation yields a feeling of competition. This produces varying levels of status. Conflict and war are inevitable. Attack thoughts and aggressive actions are the driving force in such a world. Grievances rule the day. Yet it would all go away if we eliminated the central problem and recognize that we are not separate at all, nor have we ever been.
The Course tells us that in the presence of every grievance there is a miracle. And so it is. In the second lesson we are reviewing today - Let me recognize my problems have been solved - here is what A Course in Miracles says:
I seem to have problems only because I am misusing time. I believe that the problem comes first, and time must elapse before it can be worked out. I do not see the problem and the answer as simultaneous in their occurrence. That is because I do not yet realize that God has placed the answer together with the problem, so that they cannot be separated by time. The Holy Spirit will teach me this, if I will let him. And I will understand it is impossible that I could have a problem which has not been solved already.
What this tells us is that as often as our egos present situations that seem to confirm our separateness (thus resulting in a grievance), the Holy Spirit simultaneously provides us with a miracle, a chance to shift our perception from fear to Love. All we must do then is look beyond what we initially may perceive as a threat. There is a miracle hidden within every fearful situation.
Recently, as I have been progressing through the Course, I have begun to look at every person I encounter as a reflection of myself (for that is, in actuality, what we all are - reflections of one another). It has been a wonderful experience, and one which makes looking past any potential grievances much easier. For instance, I will see an older woman with beady eyes and over-sized neon green glasses speaking nonsensical phrases to her cat and think to myself, "That's an interesting choice I made in that life. I'm sure my cat thinks I look pretty." Or I'll be watching the news and see videos from Taliban members while I shake my head and say, "Wow, I was really mistaken in my beliefs as that person. I hope I learn that inflicting so much fear upon others will only hurt myself." Sure, this may seem like an odd concept at first, but give it a try. The more you do it, the more you'll begin to see that hidden force connecting us all. The more we reach past the fear-based illusions of our egos to see the Light in each other, the closer we will come to healing our world.
So let us give praise that things are not what they seem, nor need they ever be. In every person, in every circumstance, there is an opportunity for us to perform a miracle. All that consists of is seeing ourselves in one another - in realizing that we are not apart, but forever connected to the Source of Light that brought us into existence. Let us be grateful that this is so.
Until tomorrow,
Journeyman
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