Thursday, September 1, 2016

Reflections on People You Meet on Your Journey

Susan did a talk on this subject and we decided to share it with you.  This talk can be found in our new book, which is going to be published by Christian Faith Publishing in about 6 months.  Our book is a collection of spiritual essays, that you can ponder at your leisure,  meditate on, or simply relax with the words and phrases that speak to you.  You may discover your pathway to Spirit.  This is our desire for you... to find the peace that is always within your heart.  Enjoy the talk!



The People We Meet Along Our Journey

There are three types of people we tend to draw into our lives, and they come into our lives for a reason.

I’m sure most of you have heard this:  Others exist to reflect something we think or feel about ourselves.  They’re mirrors. 

They start coming into our lives at a young age.  Usually in the form of parents, siblings, friends, teachers, etc.  Hopefully they reflect what we truly are at that tender age (and at our current age, whatever that may be):  A child of God, perfect and loved.  Sometimes this doesn’t happen.  Sometimes we are imprinted at that young age with fear, doubt, sadness, and at times, pain.

These are NOT reflections of us… they are the reflections of the people around us.  Being so young, we can’t tell the difference, but as we get older we can tell the difference.  These people are not reflecting us, they are reflecting themselves… their own fear, doubt, sadness and pain.

What is reflected to us from time to time are the negative emotions and feelings of others.  We can spend our lifetime trying to overcome these feelings.  But, there is a shortcut.  We call it God.  God the shortcut.  (No, Gary, not God the short cake, God the shortcut.)  And, Jesus is the conduit through which we can see ourselves as we truly are:  All the love, all the peace , all the vibrancy, all the comfort, and all the joy we can hold  (and it’s a lot) comes from God through our Christ self.  This is one mirror we can absolutely trust.

Then we have the mirrors that truly reflect who we are.  People we connect with as soon as we meet them.  They think and feel about themselves the way we think and feel about ourselves.  Look around this church and you will see of them.  This is because the Christ within us recognizes the Christ within them.  The Christ within me sees the Christ within you.

Every so often, we run into people who seem to be the exact opposite from us.  They may be angry, stingy, hurtful, snobbish, critical or putting out other vibes of negativity. Are they reflecting something we feel or think about ourselves?  We have to be honest and actually look at ourselves.  Do we get angry easily or often, do we hoard our prosperity, do we hurt others with our words, are we snobbish or critical? 

At times I think we are like this, but we can’t see it.  That’s why someone mirrors it to us.  And, these types of people will keep coming into our lives until we ‘get’ it.

There’s a flip side to this.  As Christ Beings, we reveal the Christ within to other people.  Our unconditional love, our patience, our compassion, our peace.  Yes,  we are mirrors, too.  We send out the positive energy to others, so that they may see it in themselves.  We are beacons of light.  Look around again and see this energy in others.  It’s there.  You feel it and you know it.  How do you feel it and know it?  Because we live in Christ consciousness. We try and live in Christ consciousness.  It’s kind of difficult to stay in that place especially when we are confronted by someone who lives in fear, anger, negative thinking and judgment.  But this is our opportunity as Children of God to reflect to them the truth of who they are.  Children of God… that’s right.

Being a mirror to others isn’t always easy.  Sometimes we don’t feel worthy, or are not sure how to handle these types of people.  But, if we are vigilant and connected to our Christ self we can’t help but reflect these positive qualities to the ‘mirrors’ we meet.

Look at John the Baptist.  When he met Jesus he said, “You should be baptizing me!”  Jesus was acting like a mirror to John, but John couldn’t see his Christ self looking at back at him.  He only thought of how unworthy he felt to baptize Jesus.  But, Jesus insisted and John capitulated.  Perhaps at that moment, when John said, “Yes, I will”, he saw himself in Jesus.  He saw his own Christ presence.  He felt peace and love, not just for Jesus, but for himself.  Isn’t that wonderful?   Isn’t that magnificent… as Gary would say? 

So, remember you are a mirror, too.  And, pay attention to who comes into your life, even for a short time, because they could be mirroring something to you.

The second type of person we gather into our lives are people who give us the gift of information or insight.

We have to be vigilant here, too.  We need to keep our eyes and ears open to these gifts.  It’s easier to see these offerings coming from people we love or people who believe what we believe; more difficult to see in everyday people we briefly meet during our day.

These gifts are usually priceless.  The gift of information or insight guides us along our journey.  It is most often the Christ speaking through other people straight to our heart.  This information or insight, or even coincidences or a nudge are invaluable.

In Karen L. King’s book, the Gospel of Mary of Magdala (Jesus and the first woman apostle), Mary gives comfort to the disciples after Jesus has passed.  The disciples are distraught and concerned for their own well being. Mary explains to them what has actually happened to Jesus after he died:

Ms. King says, “The Gospel of Mary focuses… on Jesus as a teacher and mediator of divine revelation.  The Savior teaches that at death, the human body dissolves into the elements…only the spiritual soul is immortal and lives forever.  This knowledge, she goes on to say, “leads people to discover the truth about themselves – that they are spiritual beings made in the Image of God”.  “There is no hell or eternal punishment in the Gospel of Mary’s teachings, for God is not conceived as a wrathful ruler or judge, but is simply the Good”.

Important information for a lot of deserving people, wouldn’t you agree?  We, at Unity, understand this, but many people do not.  This is a gift of information or insight we sometimes share with other people when we are nudged by God to do so.  Unity people do not proselytize.  We realize everyone is on their own spiritual path, and we honor that.

On the other hand, we need to be willing to hear what others have to say about God.  Sometimes we can find a precious nugget of truth in what they believe.  It is a piece of insight that we may need to continue on our own spiritual path.

I have friends who are Catholic, agnostic, Presbyterian and Baptist.  They usually feel free in giving me information on how they view God and religion… or don’t.  These friends I am thinking of are wonderful people… loving, generous, usually happy, but they can also be full of fear and worry.  I gently remind them that God loves them, and they can overcome any obstacle if they just turn it over to God.  They usually understand this, but several of them have the fear that they are being judged by God.  I tell them again that God is a loving God and does not judge. 

This is usually how far I go.  If I start to talk about God as Principle, or the Christ within, they get funny looks on their faces or their eyes glaze over.  However, I do have friends who listen and have been enlightened.  I have passed along information or insight.

We also pass along information and insight by the way we live our lives.  Don’t you find, when you are truly living from the Christ within, people are attracted to you, and want to know why you are so joyful?  When people ask me, I truthfully and simply tell them.  I am a child of God and I am filled with the love and perfect peace of God.  I claim who I truly am, and pass it on.  Sometimes, just this little bit of information causes an insight for that person and they want to know more.  Other times people will just turn away.  They think it’s either too easy or too hard to live life as we do.  But, for those who listen, understanding will begin. They have connected to our Christ Light even tho they may not know this has happened.  But, we know, don’t we?

So it is important to pay attention for insights and information we receive from others.  It can change our lives… or it can change someone else’s when we are the informer.  It is our wonderful responsibility to live our lives with delight and have people ask how we can be so serene in such a troubled world. We can because we see the Christ in everyone we meet.  Even our mirrors.

The third type of person we meet is here to set something in motion or to support us.

For me, one of these people has been my beloved Gary.  I’ve also had many teachers who have prompted me to reach for my goals.  Reverend Marcia supports and guides me, and continues to be a lovely Christ light in my life.  Other people have done the same for me.

These third persons are our teachers and our greatest teacher is Jesus.  Jesus teaches us to heal, love, laugh.  He shows us gratitude and humility.  Jesus teaches us about God and the spark of divinity in all of us – the Christ self.

Jesus teaches humanity, compassion, trust.  That the kingdom is within and the Father and I are one.  Jesus teaches us the truth.

Teachers set our minds and hearts into motion.  We move from one level of understanding to the next; where we meet our new teachers.  They support us and nurture us.  They love us and guide us.

Teachers respect us and acknowledge what we have learned thus far.  We emulate them, or wish to, but often our spiritual path leads us away from this type of imitation, for we must become our true self, and our true self is new and special and always unfolding.

Teachers set in motion our futures, or perhaps, just the next few moments of our lives.  Teachers don’t have to be around for a long time for us to get their lesson.  Learning comes quite naturally to us when we remain open.

Who set something in motion for you?  Your parents perhaps?  Did they set in motion and support your abilities to love, be generous and kind to others?  What of a friend, sibling or spouse.  What of a teacher or minister. 

When you look back at your life the teachers clearly stand out.  We may remember the people who have mirrored us, and we may be grateful to those who bring us gifts of insight, but it is the teachers we love the most, for they loved us.  And, it’s a pure love.  A Christ love.  It says, “Come with me and let’s explore our innermost self… this is what I have learned for me, this is what I have discovered.”  And we soak it up, don’t we? Like a sponge.

I know I’ve learned a lot from my sister, my children and grandchildren.  My sister supports me no matter what the circumstances of our relationship may be at the time.  My children and grandchildren have taught me undying love and devotion and healing.  Even when they may have made things difficult at the time, they set into motion my abilities to be patient, kind and willing.  Willing to try rollerblading… no, not really.  And these special people, plus many, many others have supported me in my goal to love and understand myself better.

And, do you know where my greatest support comes from?  That’s right… GOD.  Because He is the one who set my life into motion and continually supports me.  He has done the same for you and you and you.  All of us.

God set everything into motion and supports us.  He is also our mirror and has given us the gift of insight.  We meet God wherever we go – wherever we are – whomever we are with.  Pay attention to other people for they embody God.  Stay in the moment so nothing passes you by.

God is the ultimate reflection of ourselves, for we are always connected toGod.

And so it is.

Blessings in All Ways, and always...
Gary and Susan Eby

 

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