Now that we know that the secret to all our challenges in life is learning to love your self, how do we go about that? The suggestions I made in the previous blogs are a good place to start, and the next step along the road is to learn from others.
There is a three tiered process of learning to love others and it begins with plants. Plants are very simple. They respond to our loving care by growing stronger and blooming brighter. You may have noticed that some individuals are great at growing plants and we refer to them as having a ‘green thumb’. Anyone can have a ‘green thumb’ by loving plants! This means caring for them, protecting them, and appreciating them. Try this experiment, go to the store and buy a potted plant. Learn how to care for it and do so by giving it the water, food and light that it needs. Play soft music for it, talk nicely to it, praise the plant for growing well and for blooming if it has flowers. Over time the plant will thrive and you can tweak your approach and most importantly create the habit of caring for this plant. It takes 30 days to create a habit so be faithful to this experiment for at least that long. In reality the process lasts a lifetime. Remember to self talk in a positive way, which means to acknowledge to yourself and others how much you love plants and enjoy learning about them. Once you feel good about growing plants then you can move up to the next level, animals.
Pets are great teachers! Why do you think so many people have dogs and cats? We are learning to Love! Fido and Kitty are our teachers. In reality any animal can be our teacher as they will respond to our care and attentions appropriate to the animal. I have a friend who loves snakes and others who are all about fish and aquariums. Birds make good teachers too, so find the one that works best for you and do the same experiment that you did before with the plant. This process will likely take much longer and it is often years before we realize our success. The nice thing about dogs is they are very forgiving and incredibly loving. Loving a dog could not be easier! Remember to self talk in a positive way! So when you feel confident loving your pet then the next step is personal relationships.
Loving another human being takes many forms and we are learning from every person we meet. Some are teaching how not to love and others are teaching how to love. The ACIM (A Course In Miracles) says that we are all teachers and students at the same time. We learn from our children just like they learn from us! We learn from criminals about what not to do just as they learn from the consequences of their actions. This is Oneness expressed. Everyone is learning what love is and is not from everyone and every experience in their life.
Until you learn to love the person in the mirror though you are simply a spectator in the bleachers who is teaching how not to love. Maybe it is your turn to step out onto the field and play the game of life. In the process of learning how to love, you become the teacher.
😉 Sequoia Elisabeth
Oneness Ministry 