Welcome Home

This morning when I went out the door, I couldn’t help but pause when looking at our “welcome” mat.  I see it every day, but today it had a different meaning to me.  I started thinking to myself, “who is not welcome here?”.  At first I wasn’t sure why this strange question popped up in my head, but then I thought back to this morning’s message in A Course in Miracles which stated:

“My grievances hide the light of the world in me.” 

Right after I read my lesson for the day, I started searching my mind for any grievances I’ve held in the past and any that I still can’t seem to let go of.  This was a powerful exercise and it reminded me of my goal to “live in the light”.  If I truly want to see the light in everyone and everything then I have to be willing to release all of my judgements, opinions, and grudges – period.  This is not a new concept to me (I even wrote about judgement here), but what is new is my bold willingness to actually do it all the way.

Today, I am overwhelmed by a feeling a love toward everyone and everything.  As I searched my mind for who would not be welcome in my space, I couldn’t think of one person.  I am releasing all of the grievances that I’ve cherished for years about people, places, corporations, corrupt politicians, lobbyists, slavery, celebreties, murderers, terrorists, etc.  I am seeing all of these things through the lens of God…the lens of love, compassion, forgiveness, kindness, peace, harmony, and non-judgement.

 “We are literally attempting to get in touch with the salvation of the world.  We are trying to see past the veil of darkness that keeps it concealed.  We are trying to let the veil be lifted, and to see the tears of God’s Son disappear into the sunlight.”

What a profound shift this had on my thinking!!  I have to admit that when I started this blog a few months ago, I had a few judgements that I didn’t want to release.  I felt justified in my opinions and wanted to argue my point anytime someone brought these topics up.  When one of those same topics came up today, I noticed how radically different my response was – I responded with compassion for the person being talked about.  I notice that I am more naturally viewing peoples “sins” (or mistakes as the Course describes them) as a cry for help or a cry for love instead of trying to argue the 20 reasons why they are dead wrong for what they did.

 The Course also teaches that there is “no order of difficulty in miracles” (in short, the “miracles” are forgiveness).  I first read this particular line of the course in 2007 – at the same time I was reading the visual edition of “What’s So Amazing About Grace” which discusses this same idea.  God forgives all mistakes equally – a murderer receives God’s forgiveness and love just as sure as someone who steals candy from the store.  While I understood this concept intellectually at the time that I read it, I didn’t actually know what it felt like to look at life from that viewpoint.  I had strong opinions about the horrible things occuring in the world and held grievances against them while forgiving the seemingly “small” mistakes of others.  Looking through this lens of love feels SO good…I feel so much lighter and more free than ever!

What if we all viewed everyone and every situation with a loving heart?  What a peaceful world we’d create by choosing forgiveness and “welcoming” everyone into our space with love.  That is heaven on earth.  We can do it!  We are doing it…one by one.  The shift starts with us “being the light” in each and every moment of our lives…even in the darkest of situations, we can be the glimmer of hope that reminds everyone of our home sweet home.

Keep shining!

~Kandace

P.S. This post made me think of the song “Home” from The Wiz…click here for my favorite version by Jazmine Sullivan (when she was just 11 years old)…amazing!

About the Author: Kandace Jones

I used to live life shackled by fear, doubt, and worry. I put on a happy face while navigating my day-to-day duties, but I was emotionally drained, stressed, and unhappy. When I hit rock bottom, and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, I was determined to live life differently. I knew there had to be another way. Out of that determination, and guidance from Spirit, the "Living in the Light" blog was born. It documents my spiritual journey out of the darkness and into the Light. After nine months of publicly sharing my journey, and consciously releasing my attachment to the ego, I experienced a powerful spiritual awakening. I went from living in fear, doubt, worry, and stress to complete inner peace. My greatest passion has become assisting others on their own journey to inner peace. My spiritual memoir, From Stress to Peace: An Intimate Journal on the Journey from Living in Darkness to Living in the Light, is available now on Amazon and BN.com. Click the tabs at the top of the page to learn more about the From Stress to Peace 21-Day Challenge, Living in the Light Retreats, 1:1 sessions, and the Living in the Light Community - all of which are designed to support your journey to inner peace. I appreciate you taking the time to visit the blog and look forward to supporting you in any way I can!