II. SECTION 13. What is a Miracle?
Lesson 349 Today I let Christ’s vision look upon all things for me and judge them not but give each one a miracle of love instead.
- So would I liberate all things I see and give to them the freedom that I seek. For thus do I obey the law of love and give what I would find and make my own. It will be given me, because I have chosen it as the gift I want to give. Father, Your gifts are mine. Each one that I accept gives me a miracle to give. And giving as I would receive, I learn Your healing miracles belong to me.
- Our Father knows our needs. He gives us grace to meet them all. And so we trust in Him to send us miracles to bless the world and heal our minds as we return to Him.[1]
Practicing non-judgment, one day at a time, is beneficial to our mental makeup as well as our journey back to God! Psychological research in this avenue shows in study after study that those of us who practice non-judgment or even attempt to practice non-judgment, also score high on compassion for self and others, positive well-being, pleasantness, unselfishness, non-discrimination, and taking responsibility for one’s life choices. In other words, practicing non-judgment will not only pave the way for our return to our Father, but help us get over neurotic, unhealthy patterns of relating to ourselves and others as we go. Each week our study group brothers relate testimony, bearing witness that as we practice the mind-training lessons, we are recognizing, managing, and resolving our daily problems in a far more fruitful, loving and joyful way than we did before we started the Course!
A healthy mind is a mind on its way to salvation. Our Father asks us to look on all things and choose to judge them not! We are not here to judge ourselves or each other – we are called to offer a miracle of forgiveness and love. This is the function of all who would call Jesus our Lord and our Savior. This is how we free all things we see. This is how we experience, through our non-judgment, the freedom we crave from condemnation.
We learn through all our holy scriptures that our forgiveness depends upon the forgiveness we extend to others. When we accept the gift of God’s Love and tender mercies, we can only keep this for ourselves when we share it with all we know. Withholding love and tender mercy from one, is withholding it from all, our Course teaches us as well as our daily lives.
This has been a chore for me. I am quick to say how much I hate this one or that one. The other day in our study circle, during a side conversation, I loudly spouted off about how much I hate people who do not brush their teeth. Everyone looked at me with a bit of shock. Where this particular quirk came from, we will not get into, but you who were there will kindly remember how quickly I recovered my sense of love and forgiveness for those who did not acquire the habit of keeping their teeth brushed! Who am I to judge? Surely there are failings in personal hygiene for which we are all guilty. If I were drowning, would I take the helpful hand of my rescuer even if he had not brushed and flossed that morning? Of course, I would. I would not be the least bit concerned about his stinky breath or the broccoli stuck between his incisors. My heart would fill with love and gratitude to my rescuer for the rest of my days.
When we look upon all things through the eyes of Christ, we realize that we are all in the same boat and on the same journey. Some of us are patiently or anxiously awaiting our destination, others are diving in and out of the waters happily or unhappily partaking of the chaotic sea, while others are hanging over the rails expelling their lunch. In whatever state we find ourselves on our return, Christ is calling to us to give miracles of love. We overlook what the ego would present to us, we forgive it, and offer compassion and love instead of judgment. This is the miracle.
We are not going to arrive separately, but together, as one. As long as we are pointing our finger and finding reasons not to love one another, for whatever reason there may be, we are prolonging our time in the turbulence of separation. Today – we see Creation through Christ’s eyes and offer love instead of judgment. We love those who are our friends and brothers and we love those who would be our enemies. We forgive the murderers, rapists, and home invaders even as we forgive ourselves. We say – there are no levels of separation; we say – there are no levels of miracles. To judge one is to judge all. To withhold a miracle from one is to withhold from all.
We cannot do this without the grace of God! And so we trust in Him to share His grace to bless the world and heal our minds as we cruise the unsettled sea back to Him.
[1] A Course in Miracles. Workbook for Students. Lesson 349 Today I let Christ’s vision…Foundation for Inner Peace, Second Edition, p. 478.
the friar patch 