By Ray Hart

My lesson from A Course Of Miracles for today is: "LOVE WHICH CREATED

ME IS WHAT I AM,"

And it reminds me that whenever I accept that God created me in His Image it is not my interpretation. (Poor Guy if he looked like me!) If I am created in His Image, God being Pure Love, then I must be Love as He is. That means to me that in spite of my attempts to prove otherwise I really cannot change me as God created me. WOW! What an insight! Then I realize all the more that my brother is created by Pure Love too. So what I need to do in my daily life is to realize that everybody that I encounter is created by God in His Image, and not what I think I see otherwise.

Is that a miracle? It is to me. As a result, every seeming chance meeting is a Holy Encounter. I pass someone on the street and even if that someone doesn’t look at me it nevertheless is holy. With this thought occasionally in mind (I haven’t reached the point of more than about ten percent of the time) I can see my brother as giving love to me, or calling out for love. Hmmm... What does that mean to me?

In the seventies I made it a point to see all of the United States. Frequently I would hitchhike around the country, and go to Mexico and Canada. What happened to me was that I was never stranded or "stuck" anywhere for long periods of time. Along with my backpack I would have my fishing rod in sight because it did not fit inside. It was amazing what happened. People who never even dreamed of giving a ride to a hitchhiker would stop and pick me up. I think that was my first insight into seeing love at work.

Nearing the border of Canada on a warm damp day I was singing to myself and totally looking forward to my first ride through the Canadian Rockies. It was mid July and the southern winds caressed me as I turned to look at the sound of a sports car. It had slowed behind me and stopped as I turned. It was a two-seater with an attractive person at the wheel. She asked if I was going across the border. Yeah!

We drove through the check point and sped off with a roar. Snow still topped the mountains. In July? Yeah! As we became acquainted Margie told me she never stopped to pick anyone up. When she saw the fishing rod she was certain that she had made the right decision. We went on and on

just getting to know each other and in a few miles we were old friends.

Ahead of us was a wide highway with only one car. It’s flashers were blinking. We slowed and were ready to offer help when suddenly there appeared in the middle of the road -- lopping along the yellow line -- a moose, followed by a seemingly awkward baby in close pursuit! They didn’t slow and seemed quite unafraid as they went by. I swear the mother smiled as her head nodded up and down! The baby simply was intent upon keeping Mom’s hindquarters in focus.

Margie and I made camp in the Rockies and went on to Banff’s Hot Springs the next day. We discovered the paint pools where the Indians would acquire the ochre to use on their bodies and faces, and Margie and I were able to enjoy it all by simply being there without fear or conventions from the past. We parted friends, and we shall forever realize that God does for us what we could not do for ourselves!

--- © Ray Hart