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Love is recognizing that which is real in each and every person. And what is real in each person is that we were all created by Love and therefore are Love. We all want our divinity––our essence of love and goodness––to be recognized. A Course in Miracles states that all actions either come from love or are a call for love. Recognizing that a person’s so called "horrid" side is really their fearful side can help us see them in a new, non-judgmental way. The Course states that the only right response to a call for love is to love. So does this include recognizing the divinity in (i.e., loving) strangers? Does this include loving people in service jobs? Grumpy old people? Whining babies or lovers? You bet it does!!!

Do you always know how to do this? Your "ego" doesn’t always know. In fact, it never knows. But your Divine Self does. Often it is necessary to ask for help from a Higher Source in order to respond from your Divine Self, rather than from your fearful or egoic self.

One way to come from our Divine Self is to be in a place of "What can I give?" rather than, "What can I get?" In relationships, we often look for what we can get. A new and much more rewarding approach is to look for what we can give. When we see the other person’s interest as the same as our own, we have really entered that new realm of giving. Since each one of us wants our divinity to be recognized, the good news is that as you give this recognition, you can’t help but feel your own divinity.

But what about our Love, our Divinity, in everyday situations? Where we're coming from makes all the difference. Every situation in our lives is nothing less than a chance to love. For example, in the store, it might look like you are buying a loaf of bread, or returning an item, but really you are relating to another human being who wants the same things in life as you do. Here is your opportunity to love another. And for those of us who want to "wake up" and continually ask, "How do I do that?" the answer is, "by loving whoever and whatever is in your experience at the moment!"

Try an experiment: The next time someone annoys you or you find yourself judging him/her, try thinking of him/her as your son or daughter. As you drive on the freeway, look at the people driving the cars around you and imagine that they are your children. See if you suddenly have a different feeling about them. How will you respond to another, if you feel the love a parent has for his/her child? For myself, I have found this technique to be very useful in giving up judging others. As a friend of mine said, "The song, ‘What the world needs now is love,’ could be rephrased: ‘What the world needs now is mothering (fathering).’”

It works on yourself too! When you are unhappy with yourself, step outside yourself and look at yourself through the eyes of a loving parent. Feel your compassion take the place of your tension. It’s a wonderful relief.

Lighten up by giving yourself and everyone else a break and recognize your own and their divinity, too! Namaste!

Certified Personal & Professional Life Coach Pauline Thom has taught Anger Management in prisons and taught meditation to prisoners on how to see themselves and their world differently. A Course in Miracles coach & member of the International Coaches Federation, Pauline can be reached at (714) 751-HOPE (4673) or emailed at coachpal@flash.net