IN GOD'S IMAGE

Chapter 5

Marcus Aurelius: "The moment dawn breaks, one ought to say to oneself: I shall today meet a man who is imprudent, one who is ungrateful, one who is treacherous, one who is violent... I am intimately acquainted with him; he is one of my kind, not through blood or family, but because both of us partake in reason and both of us are particles of divinity. We were born to work together."

If we were indeed created in the Image and Likeness of THE SPIRIT, then we need to fully understand IT before we can understand ourselves. The premise is simple enough and so is the application of your understanding; i.e., YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN A PATTERN WHEREBY YOU CAN DO WHAT 'IT' DOES!

God loves, do you?

God is patient, are you? God asks nothing for ITSELF, do you? I&L infers that THE SPIRIT which manifests ITSELF in The Creative Energy is repeated within us and then again in our creations, which are images of our comprehension of the relationship we share with them (our exp).

If we bear within us the pattern that images the processing of the Character, or Nature of THE SPIRIT as IT bears fruit within that Creative Energy we call God, how do we recognize it? We comprehend what it means to understand ourselves as evidenced via YOUR CREATIONS EITHER WORK OR THEY DON'T! Sad to say but if you have not come to an understanding of The Awareness of the Oneness we share with Our Father, then you won't be able to tell whether your creations "work" or not! Even if they don't work (via what it is that you desired), THE SPIRIT will provide the missing pieces that will be eventually revealed to you via your experiences in either the Spiritual or Finite realms..

Our Father says: "It's OK to step out on faith alone--I will give you understanding WHEN YOU SEEK IT!" Getting to know The Father isn't much different than becoming acquainted with someone you've just met You observe certain characteristics that you feel are worthwhile and others that you don't care for--it's not a matter of judging but rather a case of having chosen values that you feel are essential for a meaningful relationship. Your selection may or may not be ideal, but it's the best you know at any given time. However, don't accept them as the final word for making choices for as long as you live, whether in the Infinite or Finite Realms, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE IN THE PROCESS OF MEASURING UP TO BEING AN IMAGE OF "THE SPIRIT". THIS INCLUDES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE YOUR MIND!

Such a study may be beneficial in an area where the ability to see behind the facade would make all the difference when choosing individuals for positions where they are to serve the community such as the police force or the President of the United States. It could also serve on a more personal level as in "Love's more beautiful the second time around" when, having experienced disappointment, we seek deeper for the unseen behind that seen. Never make a decision without being aware that you have two choices--to do otherwise is to "make a rash decision."

Whether it is an occasion to become familiar with an acquaintance or Our Father, the outgrowth stems from the ability of the "initiator" to give incentive for a response from a potential friend. The Creative Energy is a reciprocal force that responds according to the "spirit" of the one approaching--for a relationship can only become that which has motivated it. Do you seek relationships for the purpose of leaning on someone? Did you lean upon THE SPIRIT first?

 Characteristics of God   My Characteristics 
     Love                 _________________  
     Understanding        _________________
     Selflessness         _________________ 
     Knowledge            _________________ 
     Patience             _________________ 
     Service              _________________

Envision God's characteristics as being ten times greater than you think they are, and then rate yourself from one to ten. Now take a deep breath and smile, remembering that you are in the image and likeness of ITS Character whether, at this moment, you recognize it or not.

As for recognizing the characteristic of a potential friend, there are two sides to the picture. We all harbor positive and negative natures and can often be quite clever in releasing one or the other according to need. With THE SPIRIT--it's easy--One Nature; with Mankind--it takes the ability of either a private eye or a lawyer--both are adept at reading people. However, as Ones made in the I&L, we have been given an innate, intuitive ability to do just that. The school we attend for this education is none other than "Self."

How do we prove that the listed characteristics are indeed Our Father's? ...Study Nature and its multiplicity of life. Sense the interrelatedness of all life forms. Find clues that indicate similarities of Spirit, or where you and IT are similar.

...Pay close heed to God-like characteristics within the rules and regulations that Mankind has set up with the intention that we live together in harmony. However, just because Mankind sets them up does not mean they emulate THE SPIRIT.

...Marvel at the interplay of human relationships whether for weal or for woe which, behind the facades, speak of one Soul seeking to relate to another for such experiences indicate the quality of character within the creativity of those made in the Image & Likeness of THE SPIRIT.

...Look closely into the eyes of a newborn child for therein abides a full-blown Soul ready to renew its awareness of THE SPIRIT within its creative forces wherein lie the vibrations of your shared relationship.

...LOOK UP INTO THE HEAVENS OR INTO THE FACE OF A FLOWER!

Please note that the characteristics mentioned work not because God said they would, but because you have chosen to accept them as essential ingredients for that God whom you would worship. Having accepted them, you look for those qualities within yourself first and then in others. It's not a matter of judging, it' a matter of making choices. Such characteristics are evidence of LOVE at work, with PATIENCE abounding, with INGENUITY in wild variety, with the "giving" of energies for the sake of others.

One example of how to act as one in ITS Image is demonstrated when we become a friend to someone in need. We do so without any expectation that they accept our recommendations. Rather do we give of ourselves, as Images of THE SPIRIT, in loving hope that their experiences may soon coalesce their understanding of their relationship with THE FATHER.

Realizing that your relationship draws upon your own on-going process will bring into play patience with them as well as yourself. Do not expect to see immediate results. Maybe you will or maybe you won't...THAT SHOULD NOT BE YOUR CONCERN. If you think you should, then you have set yourself up as the judge who lays down predetermined results, and the potential of helping is blocked via lack of understanding of how The Creative Energy works.

However, you can be sure that there is taking place within your Soul and theirs a growing, learning "education" that more likely than not is unknown to either of you. This is classified as "dead patience" in process--dead in that the results are unknown to you in your present experience as a Soul on earth, but you can be sure that "something is happening" on both the Finite and Infinite levels for both of you.

All of our experiences bespeak of the degree to which we "invited" THE SPIRIT to be present when we made use of The Father"s Energy. This infers that we are "companions" with THE SPIRIT as the Provider of the stage (Creative Energy) upon which we play out our relationships with each other. Each chosen role we play resulted from an act of Free Will/Choice whereby we are or are not in harmony with THE SPIRIT abiding within that Creative Energy we call God.

You will recognize God in accordance with your ability to know yourself. Therefore is Truth a multifaceted concept for we were given Free Will to choose whom we would call God. When we are unhappy, dissatisfied or frustrated, we simply have not gathered sufficient experience that enables us to comprehend the Nature of THE SPIRIT that stands behind that Creative Energy we call God. Rather than being in ITS Image & Likeness, we live in the shadow of our own creations.

Describe your positive and negative characteristics: (write them down)




Now that you "see," how will you incorporate the positive within your individual Creative Forces?



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