Why You Have to See Christ Everywhere
When you meet anyone, remember it is a holy encounter. As you see him you will see yourself. As you treat him you will treat yourself. As you think of him you will think of yourself. Never forget this, for in him you will find yourself or lose yourself. (T-8.III.4)
The Holy Spirit teaches you that if you look only at yourself you cannot find yourself, because that is not what you are. Whenever you are with a brother, you are learning what you are because you are teaching what you are. (T-8.III.5)
When I was first a student of the Course I was very resistant to the idea of seeing Christ in others. First of all, I didn’t think that most people were Christ-like at all. I misunderstood and thought I was supposed to see Christ in their egos, or individual identities, instead of seeing Christ instead of their egos. Second of all, I thought that the point of seeing Christ in others was to be “good” and I knew many attempts to be “good” only lead to hypocrisy. Any image-related concern (like being “good”) is always about ego.
The second quote above points out that your mind does not live in isolation in its own body apart from other body/minds and the world. The concept of an individual mind separate from what it perceives is the separation manifested. Through projection, you teach yourself that who you are and what you see are separate. This is not so. The mind always sees itself because that is all there is. In the separation, your mind hides what it believes about itself and projects it outside so that you seem to be “good” and everyone else seems to be out to get you. This is why I didn’t believe others were worthy of Christ. Listening to ego, I didn’t think I was worthy of Christ but I saw this unworthiness “out there” rather than within myself.
There really aren’t “others”. The world and “others” are really just screens on which you perceive yourself. There isn’t a separation between you and God and there isn’t a separation between your mind and the world you see. What you see is what you believe you are.The reason you have to see Christ in others is because Christ is the Truth in you. You will only remember this when you see Christ everywhere in your mind.
www.acimmentor.com
The Holy Spirit teaches you that if you look only at yourself you cannot find yourself, because that is not what you are. Whenever you are with a brother, you are learning what you are because you are teaching what you are. (T-8.III.5)
When I was first a student of the Course I was very resistant to the idea of seeing Christ in others. First of all, I didn’t think that most people were Christ-like at all. I misunderstood and thought I was supposed to see Christ in their egos, or individual identities, instead of seeing Christ instead of their egos. Second of all, I thought that the point of seeing Christ in others was to be “good” and I knew many attempts to be “good” only lead to hypocrisy. Any image-related concern (like being “good”) is always about ego.
The second quote above points out that your mind does not live in isolation in its own body apart from other body/minds and the world. The concept of an individual mind separate from what it perceives is the separation manifested. Through projection, you teach yourself that who you are and what you see are separate. This is not so. The mind always sees itself because that is all there is. In the separation, your mind hides what it believes about itself and projects it outside so that you seem to be “good” and everyone else seems to be out to get you. This is why I didn’t believe others were worthy of Christ. Listening to ego, I didn’t think I was worthy of Christ but I saw this unworthiness “out there” rather than within myself.
There really aren’t “others”. The world and “others” are really just screens on which you perceive yourself. There isn’t a separation between you and God and there isn’t a separation between your mind and the world you see. What you see is what you believe you are.The reason you have to see Christ in others is because Christ is the Truth in you. You will only remember this when you see Christ everywhere in your mind.
www.acimmentor.com
Comments
I am enjoying your blog commentaries very much, thank you!
FYI... I just came upon them today through a google search for ACIM which lead me to your mentoring site and then here..
I am a member of ACIM group on Yahoo that I enjoy very much and learn from a great deal.
I am remembering the Christ in all of us and trying to have that be my first thought when I have any kind of interaction with others.
I was in a group for ACIM recently
and had made a comment about wanting to undo my thinking at the level of cause and not try to change things here at the level of effect. Something to that effect.
The teacher/facilitator asked me to speak in a more common language.
I instantly thought 'the ego speaks first' so I stepped back in my head, so to speak, and I remember feeling that she must be feeling fearful of meeting the needs of the entire group as there were many new to the Course there.
So was she then my projection of fear? I can see that I am unsure of my own abilities to understand and get this Course correctly. Fear of failing to achieve the Atonement. So many fears to name.
All unreal.. I know, but so unconscious too.
I also though have decided that a group of that nature cannot really meet the needs of everyone's different level of understanding and I guess I am really only concerned with my own progress towards accepting/remembering the Atonement for myself. Maybe there was a lesson there that I am enough of a teacher for myself if only I am willing to do the work and the lessons in the Course daily.
Well I am off to read some more and learn and thanks so much for being here!
Cindy in Ohio
How is it our minds can project an event such as drinking poison and the body dies? This is not really happening but we see the poison, which is very complex in its chemistry, see the living body, which is considerably more complex, and there is a perceived interaction. Wow! Think about it.
Yes, there is much that can just boggle the mind when we try to understand some very complex truths with the limited human brain. One thing that I have decided is right for myself, is to let go of trying to understand it, as the confusion may be an ego 'smoke-screen', designed as a delaying maneuver, that keeps me more in the ego and farther from the Atonement.
My focus is going to be on what I do know as Truth and that is everything that appears to show up in my life is an opportunity to forgive my apparent belief in separation from my Source. Being the watcher now.
Everyone is the Christ as am I, so who's projection is it anyway .
It's funny that we are so insane
(smiles)