Day 78

Today's Lesson:

Let miracles replace all grievances.

Today's idea shows us that each time we make a decision about anything, we actually decide between a grievance and a miracle. Each grievance stands like a dark shield of hate before the miracle it would conceal. As we raise that shield before our eyes, we can't see the miracle beyond. But it is there waiting for us in light, even though we see the grievance instead.

As we begin to lay our grievances down, the Son of God will appear in shining light where the grievance once stood. He stands in light, but we were in the dark. Each grievance made the darkness deeper, and we could not see. But today we will choose not to be blind to God's Son - we will look toward truth, not toward fear.

Today's lesson asks us to select one person we have used as a target for our grievances, and lay the grievances aside and look at him. Someone, perhaps, we fear and even hate; someone we think we love who has angered us; someone we call a friend, but whom we see as difficult at times or hard to please, demanding, irritating or untrue to the ideal he should accept as him, according to the role we set for him.

We are to hold him in our mind, first as we now consider him. We are to review his faults, the difficulties we have had with him, the pain he caused us, his neglect, and all the little and the larger hurts he gave. We are to regard his body with its flaws and better points as well, and we will think of his mistakes and even of his "sins."

Then let us ask of Him Who knows this Son of God in his reality and truth, that we may look on him a different way, and see our savior shining in the light of true forgiveness, given unto us. We ask Him in the holy Name of God and of His Son, as holy as Himself:

Let me behold my savior in this one. You have appointed as the one for me to ask to lead me to the holy light in which he stands, that I may join with him.

What you have asked for cannot be denied. Our savior has been waiting long for this. He would be free, and make his freedom ours. No dark grievances obscure the sight of him. We have allowed the Holy Spirit to express through him the role God gave Him that we might be saved.

Miracles I'm noticing:

As I was reading and then typing this lesson this morning, I kept thinking of all the love and light we who are reading this could provide if we all together sent this energy to one person - perhaps George Bush or Osama bin Laden or someone else who could use our healing love. In Fargo we could all send it to our mayor. We can also work individually with someone we consider an enemy, or someone we consider a friend. I notice how, even before I've done today's meditation, I feel much calmer about anyone who crosses my mind.

Since I've been doing this work for the past 2 1/2 years, I can honestly say that I can't think of anyone with whom I have a long-term grievance. I've been allowing love to replace fear as often as possible; however, there are still people with whom I can identify small grievances - dark clouds that cover the sunlight in them.

That reminds me of something I heard Deepak Chopra say once. He said that even though we may look at a gray sky and think the sky is really gray, the sky is actually always blue above the clouds. We have mistaken the clouds that cover the sun as the sky itself, when really the sky is always blue. That's like the light within the Son of God (all people). It is only our grievances that block that light.

I understand this more as I continue reading Debbie Ford's The Dark Side of the Light Chasers where she says it takes some time and effort sometimes, but whenever we can see the dark side of someone else in ourselves as well, it becomes much easier to see the light through the darkness. We can see that anything someone else can do, we are capable of as well - and then we can shine the light of love and forgiveness on others and ourselves. Changing our minds from fear and hate to love and trust is the definition of a miracle.

That's a much happier way to live!