I know how this goes, and yet I fall for it every time. I fall for the drama, the who’s right and who’s wrong of it all. It’s so easy to get caught up in the noise and distraction.
You just want attention. You don’t want my heart….
This isn’t just the chorus of a kickass pop song, it’s my shoutout to the ego. The sole purpose of the ego is distraction. It’s like it’s constantly saying, “Don’t look over there; look here! Look at the shiny problems, the glitzy romances, the bright, new villains!”. And all it ever wants you to avoid is the Love you came from. All it ever wants you to turn away from is God (Oneness, Peace etc.).
When I’m caught up in blame and finger-pointing, I only need to look to Lesson 22 from A Course in Miracles and the line: “Is this the world I really want to see?” And sometimes it is. Sometimes we do want to stay caught up in the back and forth and see it through for a while. It will, however, become much too uncomfortable again.
When I believe I need to be right, my mind is closed. When I am willing to be wrong, my mind is open. With an open mind, anything is possible- and that anything is Love. And I know how flowery that sounds. I know it seems like such an abstract concept, but it only appears that way because this world we see is so completely focused on pain and the relief of said pain.
The ego only wants your attention and thrives from it. Turning away from its noise and opening yourself up to Love is not easy, but it is required. There are a million ways to do this. The Course is merely one. The key here is your willingness. Are you willing to see that there is a part of your mind that only wants your attention? A part of your mind that wants merely to focus on how everyone is either better or worse than you? That wants you to navigate a flux of highs and lows constantly?
And are you also willing to see that there is a part of your mind that waits patiently? A part of your mind that is pure Love and endless compassion? That knows you exist beyond this world of limitation? As it says in Lesson 78: “He waits for you behind your grievances, and as you lay them down, he will appear in shining light where each one stood before.”
The ego wants attention. God’s already in your heart.
So as I recall the ego’s tired M.O. and my predilection for falling right into it, I also recall that I can gently turn away. I can be willing to be wrong and invite in a better way.
From here, I breathe deeper. From here, I remember who I really am.
And all is well.
