Lesson 247
Without forgiveness I will still be blind.
“So would I look on everyone today. My brothers are Your Sons. Your Fatherhood created them, and gave them all to me as part of You, and my own Self as well. Today I honor You through them, and thus I hope this day to recognize my Self” (ACIM Lesson 247 2:1-4).
Recently I was on public transit, sitting in the middle of the bus observing those around me. I watched as people hopped on and off. I listened as the patrons said, “Thank you, driver!” I witnessed the kindness of people as they moved to accommodate more space for those with bags or walking aids. And I also observed, with regularity, how much people created conversation with one another. One interaction both visually and audibly caught my attention. The one in observation, I coined, The Angel of Angels.
Towards the front of the bus there was the brightest of lights, a young girl bubbling over with pizzazz in her persona. This young woman started to pet an assistance dog and talked with his owner. She asked his name and inquired what the dog liked to eat and about his temperament. Just then an older gentleman came onto the bus and was trying to maneuver around the dog. He seemed rather in distress, so the young woman offered her seat. He declined and found another spot. Throughout his ride, he kept coughing rather loudly and the girl so sweetly said, “I have a cough drop, would you like it?” To my surprise, as he seemed to be sitting in a rather “put off” manner, he smiled and gladly accepted. The girl went back to petting the dog but this time the coughing gentleman joined her. It was though she had reached inside him and found his light. His manner softened and he even started to engage a bit with those around him. You could tell this was not typical of him but he was giving it a go, all because this angel saw him and recognized the beauty in him.
Later, a woman in a blue coat boarded the bus. As she walked down the aisle, the Angel of Angels said, “I love your coat!” The woman, beaming from the compliment, acknowledged this innocence in form as she walked passed my seat. You could tell it made her day. And it was making my day to watch such brilliance shine forth on this bus.
It was nearing the end of this Angel’s ride. She good-bye to her four-legged companion, his owner, and those around her, making her way to the front of the bus. And with the most bubbly of words and gestures, she clarified her destination with the driver and bebopped her way onto the street. Her step was light but her presence was deeply felt. As we drove off, I felt I just witnessed an angel. This Angel of Angels had no pretense about her. She did not see illness or deformity in others. She only saw beauty and that was the manner in which she engaged with each rider of the bus. I was taken by her expressive behavior that welcomed those around her. She was pure kindness in motion. She had vision, and her vision was shared with me on the bus that day.
“Brother, come and let me look at you. Your loveliness reflects my own. Your sinlessness is mine. You stand forgiven, and I stand with you” (ACIM Lesson 247 1:5-7).
The idea of forgiveness is to see everyone as a Child of God, including ourselves. It is recognizing the beauty and perfection that exists in all beings regardless of the outer appearance or motives. There is always a crack left for light, even on our darkest days, and we are led to it by forgiveness. The Angel of Angels I witnessed reminded me of that crack that always exists. She saw pure light and that day, I must be honest, I was a little envious. She engaged with everyone with complete abandon. She stood in her love and was met in love with each encounter. We are all angels, and on my bus ride, my fellow sister angel reminded me of the areas in which I may still be blind, but through her actions, she invited me to SEE.
“For forgiveness is the only means whereby Christ’s vision comes to me. Let me accept what His sight shows me as the simple truth, and I am healed completely” (ACIM Lesson 247 1:3-4).
As I see myself, so too, I see others. Today, I honor the process of witnessing the Children of God at play before me. We are all brilliant lights and it is our Will to SEE that this is so. Namaste.
