About 22 years ago, when I was in Ministerial School at Agape, and I had been a licensed Science of Mind Practitioner for a couple of years, a spiritual counselor for a couple of years, and a spiritual teacher and leader for about 5 years, I remember having some intense episodes of consciousness crisis.

I had grown my awareness enough to be able to see where I was fooling myself. I could recognize that I was teaching spiritual principle, but at the same time, I didn’t always live by what I taught. I saw that was also true for a lot of the spiritual teachers around me. There was a lot of “do as I say, not as I do,” behavior and thinking.

I didn’t like it in myself, it scared me. And I didn’t like it in others either.

It took me quite a few years to finally face the fact that the reason I didn’t feel good about myself was that I wasn’t walking my talk.

One thing led to another, one realization of truth after another raised my vibration until I could finally see that what I truly desired most in life was to be true to my Self – the Higher Holy Spirit Self. And that’s what A Course in Miracles teaches us.

At one point in ACIM, we’re actually told to stop thinking we know what will make us happy, because we don’t. And that’s an absolute fact. Anyone who’s identified with the ego, the small, selfish self, has no real idea what will make them happy.

When I finally discovered that by simply being as consistently loving and kind as I could possibly be would actually make me happy, I decided to go for it. I started to realize that being unloving was one of the main ways I was holding myself back.

AND being unloving was one of the main REASONS that I was holding myself back – I didn’t feel worthy of being a successful spiritual teacher, and counselor because I knew that I had so many unloving thoughts and beliefs and I wasn’t yet willing to give them up.

I couldn’t see the truth until I was willing to commit to being loving.

My commitment to actively being loving raised my vibration enough to make it possible for me to have the eyes to see and the ears to hear what was really going on for me.

That was the beginning of liberation from littleness.

One of my favorite sayings from Jesus is, “seek first the kingdom within, and all else will be added to you.” ACIM tells us that we ARE God’s kingdom. We’re it. We don’t need to look outside, the answer really is within.

When we do look within for the kingdom, then we’ll find it – everything will be added unto us. What does that actually mean? It means that we begin to recognize that Peace, Prosperity, Wholeness, Freedom, Wisdom, Beauty, and all of the spiritual qualities are our natural state. The good stuff is pre-installed. Nothing is missing.

The only way to find the good stuff is to look within. Simple.

And yet, the #1 issue for all humanity is the belief in unworthiness.

That belief in unworthiness is the thing that’s projected outward and is the root cause of all hatred, racism, sexism and ageism. The only way to heal it in the world is to heal it in ourselves.

And the only way to heal it in ourselves is to realize that all are worthy. When we hold onto unloving thoughts we block our own awareness of Peace, Prosperity, Wholeness, and all of the spiritual qualities and then we experience a deep sense of lack and limitation.

Withhold from one person and we won’t be able to have it for ourselves.

A Course in Miracles says it this way: To have, give all to all.

In order to remember the truth about ourselves, we have to actively know the truth for everyone. There’s no way around that. This is how we undo the sense of separation that’s the root cause of unworthiness.

It might be a hard truth, but it’s been helpful to me to realize that if I’m judging someone, if I feel they’re unworthy of my Love and compassion, then I’m bearing false witness against them. If I’m withholding and intentionally choosing separation, that will be the immediate cause of my suffering.

I have the freedom to go the other way.

The fastest path to undoing ALL unworthiness is through self-forgiveness. That’s what undoes the deep sense of separation and restores us to our natural wisdom.

With all of the intensity in the world, now is the time for us to rise up and shift our thinking for the good of all. Instead of complaining about the world, we can take responsibility for what we see and change our mind about it.