Doing God's Work
There’s a trap that I fell into because I do work pertaining to spirituality: The belief that somehow it is different from other work I could do in the world. I certainly knew that everyone on a spiritual path was not going to end up making their living in a way that would seem directly related to their spirituality, but I also found that I looked at my mentoring and writing as though they were different from the house-cleaning business I had for over 20 years. But I’ve learned that they are not different; they are exactly the same: an illusion.
Sometimes, my wife, Courtney, will say something about me ‘doing God’s work’ and I tell her that there is no such thing (she doesn’t accept this). Yes, God has a ‘plan’ for my salvation, but that is within me, and it extends through my awareness, but it has nothing to do with what I do in the world. I could still be cleaning houses, or do some other work entirely, and my salvation would still function in the same way. I have to forgive whatever shows up, wherever I am, so it’s all the same whatever I’m doing, wherever I perceive myself. By perceiving work that has a spiritual nature as different from other work I was categorizing illusions; I was making some illusions more real to me than others. This realization set me free, as I am always set free when I let go of illusions. It takes a lot of work to make illusions seem real!
When I made the choice to awaken, my purpose for everything in the world shifted from being an end in itself to serving this goal. So everything in the world became equal in meaning, in usefulness, and in value. There is no ‘God’s work’ to separate out from anything else that I do. I am either extending my awareness of God or denying God, and this has to do with my mind, not with what I seem to be doing in my perception that I am in a world. Spiritual awakening is wholly inward.
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Read The Message of A Course in Miracles: A translation of the Text in plain language at www.themessageofacim.com.
Sometimes, my wife, Courtney, will say something about me ‘doing God’s work’ and I tell her that there is no such thing (she doesn’t accept this). Yes, God has a ‘plan’ for my salvation, but that is within me, and it extends through my awareness, but it has nothing to do with what I do in the world. I could still be cleaning houses, or do some other work entirely, and my salvation would still function in the same way. I have to forgive whatever shows up, wherever I am, so it’s all the same whatever I’m doing, wherever I perceive myself. By perceiving work that has a spiritual nature as different from other work I was categorizing illusions; I was making some illusions more real to me than others. This realization set me free, as I am always set free when I let go of illusions. It takes a lot of work to make illusions seem real!
When I made the choice to awaken, my purpose for everything in the world shifted from being an end in itself to serving this goal. So everything in the world became equal in meaning, in usefulness, and in value. There is no ‘God’s work’ to separate out from anything else that I do. I am either extending my awareness of God or denying God, and this has to do with my mind, not with what I seem to be doing in my perception that I am in a world. Spiritual awakening is wholly inward.
>>>>
Read The Message of A Course in Miracles: A translation of the Text in plain language at www.themessageofacim.com.
Comments
As usual, you have put your message into simple language that makes perfect sense. Thank you for reminding me that "doing God's work" in this dream is just another illusion, much the same as writing for a living or owning a book store or fixing plumbing.
What you have done for me in your short but trenchant piece is free me from the struggle within as to whether or not what I "do" is "holy" enough.
The reminder that it doesn't matter what I do, as long as I am extending God makes perfect sense.
It is, indeed, a freeing message.
Thank you so much.
Jo
Your words here reminded me of something in the Bible. I used to spend time daily reading the Holy Bible before this shift in consciousness occurred for me. But you sparked a memory here.
There was a parable Jesus supposedly told about the work men who started their work at dawn and ended at dusk and receieved a certain payment for the day's work. The late arrivals (sometimes 1 hour before end of day) were also paid the same as those who worked all day. (It was written much more poetically than I'm doing here).
But it feels like Jesus was trying to get across the same thing you are stating here. It's all the SAME. The value of the pay is nothing, of course, is a clear meaning here. But also he de-values time too. Whether it's an hour or 8 hours. It's all the SAME.
I'd love to hear your thoughts .....
In peace and love
Janet