Lesson 29
God is in everything I see.
Today we are given a statement that is truer than true, “God is in everything I see,” as The Work by Byron Katie would state. In this lesson we are invited to investigate the Absolute Truth of this statement. As with our other Course lessons the proof is in the pudding (or practice).
I once visited the American Museum of Natural History. One could spend an entire weekend there and still not see everything. To me, it is a magical place of wonder regarding our existence and the potentialities of our evolution as a Universe and as man. I was struck when I saw an exhibit on how alike humans are. Science tells that any two humans share 99.9% identical DNA and that 0.1% that is not similar is what gives us our uniqueness. This may make you look different at your fellow-man. We truly are that similar.
Not only are humans similar in our genetic make-up but we are also closely related to other plants and animals. There is a wonderful website that gives a simple breakdown about the topic of DNA. Take a look at the following information from a website entitled Putting DNA to Work by Marian Koshland Science Museum in Washington, DC, at how similar we all are.
What percent of their genes match yours?
- Another human? 100% – All humans have the same genes, but some of these genes contain sequence differences that make each person unique.
- A chimpanzee? 98% – Chimpanzees are the closest living species to humans.
- A mouse? 92% – All mammals are quite similar genetically.
- A fruit fly? 44% – Studies of fruit flies have shown how shared genes govern the growth and structure of both insects and mammals.
- Yeast? 26% – Yeasts are single-celled organisms, but they have many housekeeping genes that are the same as the genes in humans, such as those that enable energy to be derived from the breakdown of sugars.
- A weed (thale cress)? 18% – Plants have many metabolic differences from humans. For example, they use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide gas to sugars. But they also have similarities in their housekeeping genes.
It is amazing how just 0.1% difference in DNA can make us look unique from other humans but when that number gets larger we have a different species all together yet something about us is still strikingly connected, even with weeds. I just point this out as there is an essence that is very comparable in us all. For some of us, this may help make today’s statement not as big of a leap to understand.
“You may find [today’s statement] silly, irreverent, senseless, funny, and even objectionable (ACIM Lesson 29 2:2).”
We have already discussed in previous lessons that everything is made up of tiny moving particles. Today we step into recognizing that each one of those particles is a “mini-universe” or a “mini-God.” That we are all tiny little Gods bouncing around at different frequencies, making us, once more, much more alike than we are different. I am reminded that I am not just looking at a table, lamp, chair, or even a body but I am looking at a vibration that is bouncing at various speeds in which to give a solid or viscos form. I am looking at something that is made up of tiny universes, as am I, just exploring space at a different rate and vibration than I appear to be. Thus, we are all particles of Gods bouncing around and witnessing the expression of one another, including inanimate objects.
“Yet we emphasized yesterday that a table shares the purpose of the universe. And what shares the purpose of the universe shares the purpose of its Creator (ACIM Lesson 29 2:4-5).
We are all the same, made up of God, with the One Universal Purpose, but unique in our portrayal of Her. A dear friend once told me, while reflecting on a mutual acquaintance, “That friend is just God doing it his way.” Once more that is truer than true. That is what we all are: God’s walking around, being Gods, expressing our God vibrations in our own unique way. Mostly, we are all walking around being God’s pretending we are not Gods or we are walking around trying to remember that we are, indeed, God, but that is another miracle for another miracle moment later down the road.
If all of this does seem like a big leap to you, think about going out in nature for a bit. Nature is often the easiest place to see how similar we all are and to witness the True Essence that we all share in. Many that go out in nature can easily see they are one with the trees, sky, and all of Mother Earth. Nature has the beautiful gift and ability to break down our barriers and resistances, opening us more to accepting the Truth of what is. From witnessing nature, one can expand to see that God is not only in the beauty of the outdoors but is also in what appears to be ordinary objects like a chair, a book, or a candle, and even present in more dynamic objects such as humans, animals, and food. There is, for Divine reason, that wonderful bumper sticker, “Dog is God.”
I have often contemplated this lesson in various ways by looking at a table and asking “God, show me Your love in this table. Show me the love in this container of water. Show me the love you have for this container, this table, this chair. Show me how this chair is filled with your love.” No matter how you want to put it, I feel that these statements allow my judgment of what is to release, allowing the real purpose to be shown to me and to see how love is purposefully moving with the power of the universe in everything around me. This also leads me to wondering, if God is in everything, then what can be separate? How can anything be apart from another? Are humans really 0.1% different or are we actually just One?
If the words I write today don’t entice you or a little science or even the practice period themselves, maybe a little music can ease over any gaps in the proof of today’s pudding. Music has been known to create transcendental effects. Maybe that should be on its warning label?
Below is a wonderful song from fellow Course student, professional bass player, and five-time Grammy Award winner, Victor Wooten. In writing that sentence, I am aware of how he is using his 0.1% of uniqueness. Pretty cool. How are you using your’s? Enjoy his song entitled, “I Saw God The Other Day.”
Guess what? “She looked you. He looked like me.”
Enjoy. Namaste.