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Chapter 12: The Holy Spirit’s Course of Instruction

4. The Poverty of Outrageous Requests

I once instructed a young man, in response to his question about what he needed to do to follow me, to sell all he had and distribute the proceeds to the poor, and then to follow me. Apart from addressing the specific need of this brother in that moment, the universal meaning of my response was that if you have no investment in anything in this world, you can teach those hungering and thirsting for Truth where their Treasure is.

All those who believe they reside in this world have merely invested wrongly, and they are poor indeed in relation to what has real Value! And because the poor are in need, it is given the miracle worker to help them in a unique way, since the miracle worker is also in this world. Consider how perfectly your lesson will be learned if you do not share the belief in the poverty of illusions. For poverty is lack, and there is only one lack – separation – since there is only one need—Union.

Suppose a brother or sister requests or insists that you do something for them. The very fact of their request or insistence indicates that they believe their relief in that moment lies in having this thing done. If you experience resistance or opposition to their request or insistence, and refuse them out of this reaction, you are indicating that you believe your relief in that moment lies in not doing what has been requested or insisted of you. In this case you would be making the same mistake that your brother or sister has made, namely thinking that what is needed for relief in the moment is outside yourself, thus making this error real to both of you.

Requests and insistence indicate investment, or the assigning of importance, and what you invest in is always related to your notion of what you believe will bring you relief from a perceived problem at hand. The question that needs to be asked to bring appropriate relief is always twofold; first, what needs relief, and second, how can it be truly relieved?

Whenever you react with negation toward a brother or sister, for whatever reason, you are believing that the ego – theirs or yours – needs relief, and that this can be accomplished by denial. This “solution” denies the miracle and reinforces the belief in lack. Remember that those who demand or refuse are both caught in the poverty of illusions like the poor rich man, having invested in the wrong treasure. In truth their poverty is a call for help for the abundance of the gift of a miracle, not for further impoverishment. You who could help them through a miracle are surely acting detrimentally if you accept their poverty of belief as yours. If you do not invest in the same poverty of perspective as they have, it won’t occur to you to overlook their true need.

Recognize what does and does not matter in each situation by asking for Spirit’s Interpretation, and if your brother or sister asks something of you that you might initially consider “outrageous,” including the manner in which it is asked or demanded, respond to it with miraculous thinking because the form of the request does not matter, but the need for Union behind it does. If you refuse your brother or sister, your opposition establishes that the form does matter to you and the need does not. It is only your own interpretation, therefore, that can make any request outrageous, for in reality nothing can be asked of you, because every request of a brother or sister is really for you, offering you another opportunity to think miraculously. Why would you insist on denying them? For to do so is to deny yourself, and to impoverish both. In their requests they are really asking for awakening, and as you give awakening you will receive it.

Poverty is always of the ego. No “outrageous” request can be made of anyone who recognizes where their Treasure is, and decides to accept nothing else. Awakening is for the mind, and it is attained through Peace. The mind is the only thing that needs relief, this Relief comes through awakening, and Peace is the only Way to accomplish It. Any response other than Love – or a desire to truly help – to anything you encounter arises from confusion about the “what” and the “how” of relief. And responding with Sanity is the only answer to this confusion. Always keep sight of this, and never allow yourself to believe, even for an instant, that there is another answer. For if you do you will surely place yourself among those in poverty, who do not understand that they dwell in Abundance, and that awakening has come.