Creating Heaven on Earth

Mother Nature, in the form of heavy snow, has blessed me the gift of time this morning. With schools closed and clients calling to cancel, the morning has taken on a slower, more relaxed pace. Sitting with a cup of tea, gazing out the window, I feel a gentle release, glorious unexpected time to breathe a little more deeply. As I do, my mind wanders to the question of creating Heaven on Earth and, almost immediately I think “the sun is always shining despite any appearance to the contrary.” I have the realization that the grey skies and heavy snow outside could certainly make one think that the sun isn’t there. Further reflection reveals, of course, that the sun is always there. It is just momentarily obscured from my vision. Like a small child who has yet to learn the concept of object permanence, I think that if I can’t see something it no longer exists.
What does this have to do with creating Heaven on Earth? The thread is tenuous and I tug gently, letting myself be guided through a maze of loosely associated thoughts. I am led to this thought: the Divine Presence, like the sun, is always shining. It is a permanent, unchanging truth, despite any appearance to the contrary. If I believe that God is love and that the spark of God exists in every living thing, then it must follow that everything is love. Despite the apparent “realities” of war, injustice, poverty, abuse of each other and the earth, the love of God is always present in all things. It is through our recognition of this, and our acting on this recognition, that we begin to create Heaven on Earth.
James Twyman, in The Art of Spiritual Peacemaking, shares these words of Yeshua: “You are the extension of the love and the loveliness of God…Your goal today is to see one other being through the eyes of Christ Consciousness or, in other words, to be conscious of the Christ within them…How simply is salvation found…How easily is Heaven won…Claim it and it is yours.
Could it really be this simple? Is it possible that by choosing to See the presence of God in every person I encounter, that I can truly begin to reveal Heaven on Earth…that which is always there despite appearances to the contrary? This has not been an easy concept for me to embrace. Having spent the last 30 years as a social worker, community activist, and general “rabble-rouser”, working in the challenging and often ugly arenas of sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence, poverty and politics, my first inclination is always to “do” something. Organizing, rallying, teaching, lobbying, petitioning, picketing; these have long been the tools of my trade.
Drawn to the study of Spiritual Peacemaking several years ago, I have begun to move away from so much “doing” into more of a place of “being”. It is my intention to become the peace that I want for the world, and then to send that vibration out from the very core of my being, rippling into my family, my community, my world. It has not been an easy transition. The irony of working hard at “being” hasn’t been lost on me. Thankfully, I laugh easily, often at myself.
It occurs to me that the choice to See the Christ in one other person, or to become aware of the Christ within me and then extend that recognition, is a simple, profound act of doing. For me, this strikes the perfect balance between being and doing. It allows me to put my attention and energy on that which I want to create, following the basic tenet of The Law of Attraction, rather than “fighting against” that which I do not want to perpetuate. It helps me stay in a place of awareness, to observe who I am being in this moment and to make an adjustment if I notice that I am not being the eyes, heart, hands and voice of God. It allows me to See past the illusions that would hold me hostage to the belief that there are places where God does not exist, that Heaven on Earth does not already exist if we would but look for the evidence. Will you choose to look for the evidence that Heaven on Earth already exists by making it your goal today to be conscious of the Christ within one other being? Claim it and it is yours.