something to consider

I have many great professors, some of whom have become close mentors and friends.  One of them recently sent me this quote after a discussion we had about learning to love both the self and others.  

I had forgotten this quote and it was exactly what I needed to read today.  It represents a theme in my life right now--it's this theme of figuring out who I am as I recognize my abilities and my potential as God's child.

I'm training my brain (well, more-so my spirit) to learn to see both myself and other people in this light of God's understanding. (But really, it's not me training me; it's God training me.  I pray, pray, and pray some more until the Spirit gives me much-needed love and perspective.  Then I repeat the process.  Over, and over, and OVER again.  And I suppose I'll be repeating it for the rest of my life.  That's the thing about being human--we're always learning the same basic lessons, aren't we?)   


Enough of my intro.  Here's the quote:      

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others" (Marianne Williamson, Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles", Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3).