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
