Dear Friends,
The other day, a friend of mine referenced a beautiful quote from A Course in Miracles: “Everything is Either an Expression of Love or a Call for Love, Help or Healing” (EP42). Wow! What a great reminder! We can regard our actions or the actions of others, especially those that “look like” an attack or appear to have harmful intent, as an unmet need calling for love.
Now, full disclosure---I have never studied A Course in Miracles in its entirety. (Try to contain your dismay . . .!) But I have studied it in bits, so I looked in the material for the context of this reading. Admittedly, there are some references to those who have a destructive intention. But there are more references that emphasize the motive behind every harsh word or action as a cry/call to be loved and understood, to receive help of some kind, to begin a healing process that may not even yet be known.
This reconsideration allows us to have compassion and patience for ourselves and others. It allows us to suspend judgement and knee-jerk reactions. Most importantly, it allows us to forgive.
In these days of readjustment in our lives and institutions, and with utmost respect for the changes we have undergone personally and as a human family, it is vitally important that we check our immediate reactions. Whether we have expressed or received less than kind words, we can remember that we/they may actually be calling for love, help or healing. Asking for what we REALLY need, when we have stopped to reflect, is an act of strength and courage; offering the same is an act of compassion and spiritual maturity.
Let us help each other along the way. After all the time we have spent apart, it quenches our thirsty souls to do so.
Much love and many blessings,
Rev Jill
