Friday, April 10, 2015
Lesson 100: “My part is essential to God’s plan for salvation.”
The Course teaches that we are all equally worthy and all equally used for the implementation of everyone’s salvation. We have to give up the ego’s need to be “special” because God tells us here that everyone is essential and everyone is equally important. The ego generally likes to think it is the best because the ego’s self esteem is based on hierarchy and being better or worse than the next person. Jesus teaches us here that there is no need for competition nor will there ever be, because God so loves all of us and so made us equally useful.
God says we all play a part in the plan because God gives us all elevated purpose, consciousness, and usefulness. God wants us to be engaged in the big picture of the happy dream where salvation is our right because we all are important enough to help change the consciousness of the dream we live in. God first wants us to know that on one hand we are all equally important so we have no need to lose our elevated consciousness by participating in a better-than-thou game because we never have the need to elevate ourselves. God does that without any effort on our part.
Thus, we want to let go of any need to attack anyone else so we might raise ourselves on God’s pecking order because God doesn’t ever even have one. On the other hand, while we are equally useful to God’s plan for salvation, we do all add uniquely to the broad picture. God gave us extraordinary gifts in the expression of each of our individual uniqueness. The Course says that nothing in the world is of God because God is not made of the world.
However, I think the Course would say that our extraordinary contribution to the world is a God given gift because it serves all whom we encounter and adds richness to the spiritual plan of God’s making. When we contribute our extraordinary nature to what we do in the world, I think of this as a gift of pure love. What is amazing about us is that we are filled with a sense of inspiration, which I think of as pure love. Thus, in bringing this talent to the world, we are simply sharing love. And I think people in turn also feel incredibly grateful for the experience of this gift so people express gratitude. And gratitude is pure love.
What we need to do is remember how wonderful it is to share such incredible gifts with the world, as it is such a happy calling and gift. I think this is nothing but a blessing. What Jesus wants us to do is not to get attached to the experience of this gift. Know that giving it is a privilege and that we are wholly blessed for this means of benefitting ourselves and the world. While you see how truly amazing this gift is, at the same time, hold it ever so gently. Give it up when you have moments of trying to control it or when your heart isn’t feeling inspired about giving it. Give it back to God- to incubate- and when the giving of this gift feels aligned again, share it with all.