One of the first lessons in A Course in Miracles says that we see everything in our life through the lens of past interactions and beliefs. So, for instance, if I meet someone with red hair, my perception of that person is immediately skewed according to other red-headed people I’ve known, and by what I’ve been told about them. If I stop and think about it, I remember passages from children’s books about girls with red hair and freckles being adventuresome and having gumption (there’s a word you don’t hear much anymore!). Unknowingly, I bring those expectations into the present.
The Course reminds us that we do this with everything—every person, every landscape, every conversation, every item we interact with throughout the day. So our day, without us even being aware of it, may go something like this: “Here’s my favorite chair, there’s the tree that sheds so much when the wind blows, here’s the person who owes me $20.”
The point, the Course says, is that our past perceptions color our present interactions and experiences. This can be especially significant in relationships, where we hold on to past slights and old grudges and carry them around with us every day. No wonder relationships go sour when we can’t see a person as they truly are, but instead as what they owe us.
Today, take a few moments just to see things and people in the present. Change your vision, as the Course says, by seeing through the lens of love rather than fear. And if you find that fear is standing in your way, ask for those fear-based thoughts to be healed so you can see this new day in its true light.
