Fear of experiencing miracles comes from our deep-seated unworthiness that we are not worthy of love. We need new experiences—miracles—that contradict our limited sense of self. We are afraid to drop the mask and experience our power because we think we misused our power and are afraid of experiencing it again. The ego would keep us small. So, “A Course in Miracles” reminds us of how worthy we are. You are worthy of experiencing miracles. The mind has a deep sense of being not worthy, but the Spirit is trustworthy and worthy of your trust in Him. The belief in being unworthy of love runs deep in the mind, but it is a worthy task to allow feelings of unworthiness to come up for healing. Healing is something you’re worthy of, and you can embrace your own self worth now.
Littleness
The Rinse Cycle
Everything you think and say and do teaches all the universe. The mind is terrified of its own power because it believes it can miscreate. But there is only Love. The Holy Spirit works with us to rinse our mind of unloving thoughts and beliefs, and through this rinsing we see that there is nothing left BUT Love. In truth, it was impossible to miscreate in the first place.
True Empathy
True Empathy is staying with the Christ, with what is real and true, regardless of the form or circumstance. David Hoffmeister shares about a life experience using true empathy while visiting a dying man in a Catholic home. This was not the David character speaking but instead, the experience of giving himself over for the Holy Spirit’s purposes in an uncompromising way. The ego and its thick layers of people-pleasing covers over the small, little self.
The Power of Desires (Part 2)
The power of desire is very strong. Anything that you truly desire, you experience. If you feel bad, the desire is what is at the core of it all. When you want to open yourself to the grace of God, you must first recognize the power of your wanting. The ego’s judgment pushes the awareness of that power down. People are afraid of the power of their thoughts. Until you first start to take the limits off the mind, you think you are tiny. Defense mechanisms are there to keep you from seeing how powerful your thoughts are. You ask for too little and pray too small.
Feeling Angry at the World
The belief in separation is projected out onto specific people and situations. It’s typical for it to be experienced as anger with bosses, judges, policeman, parents; people with authority. The little-me takes the role of victim and is stuck feeling angry at the world. David quotes Alanis Morissette: “Thank you for your most generous triggers.” (Alanis Morissette, “Madness”) The ego rages at God, strangely wanting to be “right” about its misperception of littleness. If we can remember this gentle phrase from the songwriter however, we can stop the explosion of the ego and approach the truth of any situation with some grace. Taking responsibility for our own projections is ultimate and true humility.