By Karen Van Allen
“You will identify with what you think will make you safe. Whatever it may be, you will believe that it is one with you. Your safety lies in truth, and not in lies. Love is your safety. Fear does not exist. Identify with love, and you are safe. Identify with love, and you are home. Identify with love, and find your Self.” (A Course in Miracles, W-pII.5.5)
Love seeks to extend itself by pouring through us and out into the world as we shine our light. This is God expressing as us and in us and shows up as the qualities of God, such as joy, peace, harmony, compassion and wholeness.
Love believes that I already have everything that I need because I am whole, perfect and complete; therefore, I do not need anything from you. Fear shows up in the world as lack and separation. I think you have something that I need or want. I might be willing to manipulate you into giving it to me. The ego has a belief that it can take something from someone else without consequences.
“Love cannot judge. As it is one itself, it looks on all as one. Its meaning lies in oneness.” (A Course in Miracles, W-pI.127.3) I can recognize a thought based on fear if I think that my interests are separate from yours.
There are people in the world that might irritate me or push my buttons. My ego does not want to respond with love, much less remember that we are all one. A tool that helps me is to go within and ask my higher Self to respond to the love in the other person. Let love speak to love. I don’t have to know how to do it perfectly; I just have to know that help is available whenever I ask for it.
A Course in Miracles study group meets in the Education Bldg. on Monday nights from 6:30-8:00 pm. New and continuing students welcome.