when I am serving others!"
This course has emphasized that altruism does not work. Any attempt to sacrifice myself sacrifices every one's happiness. When one person is hurt everyone is hurt because we are all in this together. Only by pursuing my own enlightened self-interest do I enhance every one's best interest.
In like manner, since we are all in this together, by finding ways to serve others I serve myself greatly. Even while my ego would counsel me to separation and damaging forms of selfishness, my spirit always counsels me to serve others and provides guidance as to what does and does not serve every one's highest happiness.
Service doesn't have to look like what the world thinks of as service. I've learned in this course that the world's way of looking at things is more often than not 180 degrees backwards. For example, A little old lady radiating total peace while rocking in her rocking chair on her front porch in Wisconsin is bringing infinitely more peace to everyone in the world than antiwar protesters at war with their counterparts in the Pentagon.
My heart and soul will guide me perfectly. Yes, I might be guided to serve meals at a homeless shelter or volunteer in some way the world would think of as service. On the other hand, I might be guided to sit in meditation in the mountains. I might be guided to seclude myself and work on my new invention. I might be guided to urge everyone in the world to read "Atlas Shrugged." There is no way for me to intellectually figure out how I can best serve. I just have to listen inside and hear what is right for me.
The truth is when I am following the instruction of my inner spiritual guidance, my heart and soul, I am serving everyone. But even with great loyalty to spiritual guidance I don't always see how I am serving. Could Thomas Edison even begin to imagine giant cities aglow 100 years into the future when he invented the incandescent light bulb? Could the inventor of the alphabet have imagined...?
My goal this week is to dedicate myself as never before to being in the service and to feel how it "lights me up" to know I am serving.
Upon awakening each day this week I will use a decree which reminds even the depths of my ego mind why I am really on earth:
"I live for no other reason than to serve the light."
I will say this aloud over and over for a full 10 minute period and at the end of the period I will follow with a sincere asking:
"Today let me be shown how I can best serve."
This asking prepares my mind to be alert for service possibilities that may present themselves to me during the day.
Throughout the day I constantly remind myself that by following the spiritual guidance of my heart and soul I am indeed serving others as well as myself ... and serving greatly. I ask myself many times during the day:
"How do I FEEL knowing I am serving?"
Also during the day I pay attention to how my service attitude is affecting those around me in all relationships from seemingly chance encounters to deep involvements.
At the end of each day, I review my progress. On a scale of zero to 100, what percentage of my day was truly in service? I let my subconscious mind give me a percentage. Does my "service percentage" satisfy me? Would I feel even better if my service was greater? What would happen to my relationships if I was really, REALLY, REALLY serving everyone ... maybe 100 percent?
Before falling asleep I feel grateful that I can be of service and say one last time for the day with great joy:
"My relationships are out of this world when I am serving others."
Also available free of charge online:
Course in Political Miracles
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