A Parable of a Woman and Five Sons

There was a woman who had five sons. All of her sons were comic book fans, so she took them to Comic-Con. Each boy dressed as his favorite comic book character and spent the entire day at Comic-Con pretending to be the character he dressed as.

When they arrived home that evening, each boy ran off in a different direction, continuing to play the character he’d played all day. As the woman walked through the house looking for her sons, she came across her youngest son first. She said, “Go into your bedroom and change out of your costume. When you are done, come into the kitchen for chocolate cake and milk.”

A few minutes later, the woman came across her eldest son. She said, “Go into your bedroom and change out of your costume. When you are done, come into the kitchen for chocolate cake and milk.”

The woman continued through the house in this way until she found each of her five sons, saying to each of them, “Go into your bedroom and change out of your costume. When you are done, come into the kitchen for chocolate cake and milk.”

The last son that the woman found loved cake the most, so he changed his clothes the fastest. He ran into the kitchen and saw a round chocolate cake cut into six slices. The boy said, “Mom, since I was the fastest can I have two pieces of cake?”

“No,” the woman said, and she gave her fast son one piece of cake and a glass of milk.

Next the eldest son came into the kitchen. He looked at the five remaining slices of cake and said, “Mom, since I am the oldest, can I have two pieces of cake?”

“No,” the woman answered, and she gave her eldest son one piece of cake and a glass of milk.

Two more boys came into the kitchen and the woman served cake and milk to each of them. Finally, the youngest boy came into the kitchen. He was only four years old, and so he had worked very hard to take his costume off all by himself. “Momma,” the youngest said, “Since I worked the hardest, may I have the extra piece of cake?”

“No,” the woman answered. “Each one of you took off your costume, so each one of you get the same amount of cake.”

Why didn’t the woman give the extra piece of cake to the fastest boy, the eldest boy or the boy who had worked the hardest? It is because each one was her son. The differences made no difference.

There are apparent differences among us. Some of us gain wisdom quickly. You could say we are fast, like the woman’s fastest son. Some of us have been on the spiritual path for many years. You could say we are the elders, like the woman’s eldest son. Some of us are very committed and work very hard at awakening. We are a lot like the woman’s youngest son. However, we are all already consciousness, so our apparent differences make no difference at all.

Today’s reading focuses on letting go of the differences we see in one another. That doesn’t mean that differences won’t appear. It means that differences are appearance only.

When we focus on differences, we focus on appearances as if they are reality. When we let our sight soften around differences, and we look for sameness—for the fact of each human, in which there is no difference at all—we open to reality.

(Before reading from NTI today, read Matthew 20:1-16 in the Bible.)

There are three stories in the Bible at Matthew 19. The first is a discussion about whether divorce is allowed or not allowed under God’s law, and that includes the question of whether it is better not to marry at all. The second story is about how the disciples thought playing with children was a waste of time for the master, who had more serious business to attend to. And the third is the story of the rich man who wanted to inherit the kingdom of God, but could not give up his role as provider for his family and servants.

These three stories have one thing in common: People are trying to figure out what is right to do in the world so they can ‘please God’ and ‘inherit the kingdom of Heaven.’ They are coming from confusion in their attempt to understand; therefore, understanding is out of reach for them. Today’s reading looks at the confusion that underlies all three of these stories and helps to set us free from confusion so we can reach understanding. This tip highlights three clarifications from today’s reading:

1. 1. It is not what you do that is important, but why you do it. No matter what you do, look to the heart to see why you are doing it. Are you doing it simply because it is here now, or do you hope to get something from it? Do you have an agenda? Are you attempting to manipulate the future, escape the past, or are you in the moment being present with what is?

    

   2. Do not expect consistent rules of behavior that you can learn and master in a world of change. Rules of behavior vary between one time in history and another time, between one culture and another culture, and between one set of circumstances and another set of circumstances. Remember that humans create rules of behavior, because humans have forgotten how to live by conscience from moment-to-moment. Instead of trying to figure out consistent rules of behavior when there are none, learn to live by intuitive conscience in every moment.

    

   3. Adults confuse love with attachment. You are attached to something (or someone) when you believe that you get something from it, most likely security, happiness, self-image or worth. You love something (or someone) when you simply appreciate it because it is here now. Its presence is enough. Love is appreciating presence. That is the only real love. Anything else is attachment. Let go of attachment, and the reward is love.

    
   Contemplate these three clarifications. They will help remove confusion, which will allow you to know understanding.

Our second day of Messiah kindergarten begins with a review of the most important lesson of all for Messiahs:

I have told you before not to think for yourself. … I say to you, practice with Me today. Do not think for yourself. Ask Me in all things and leave all things to Me.

Today’s reading focuses on love and forgiveness. The tips on how to forgive are exquisite. Read slowly. Take today’s reading deeply into your heart, all the way up to and including the very last paragraph. Don’t miss a thing.

After you have read the reading once, you may want to read it again. It might also be helpful to take notes. Anything you can do to remember today’s reading is helpful, because you must remember it before you can put it into practice.

One teaching from today’s reading is how to be with another when there is a difference or disagreement that needs to be addressed. Often, when we rely on the inner Teacher, we are guided to drop our point of view and let the other have his way. However, sometimes a situation needs to be faced. Today’s reading shares specific instructions on how to do that.

Also, clarity is brought to a common spiritual confusion through today’s reading. Since spiritual students often confuse themselves with the body-personality-mind, they sometimes think that they are personally responsible for everything they experience. For example, if a relative is a mean alcoholic, they think healing their mind will also heal the relative.

When we heal our minds, grace is generated through the creative principle, but whether that grace affects our alcoholic cousin or something else in the world is beyond our control and concern. Many factors feed into the creative principle to determine how grace affects the picture of the world.

As today’s reading says:

Do not be confused. You are not responsible for your brother’s place, but if you cannot forgive him his place, you are lost from yours.

If we experience any upset regarding another person, it is our opportunity for healing. However, the purpose of healing isn’t to change the other person. It is for our own awakening, an awakening that is helpful to consciousness as a whole.

(For related information, reference the tips for ACIM Workbook Lessons 345 and 353.)

I remember a story Adyashanti told once. He had an awakening. When he told his teacher about the awakening, she said, “Good. You are a baby Buddha now.” ~ha ha~

Well, we are baby Messiahs, and like all babies, we need to be taught. That is how we are to see today’s reading. It is part of that teaching. Our role is to listen very carefully, and then put the teaching into practice.

Today’s message is very clear:

Thinking for yourself is not the way to understanding, …

We are to become reliant on the inner Teacher for understanding. Instead of being caught up in the happenings of the world, we are to ask the inner Teacher, “How is this helpful to me?” Or we could ask, “How shall I see this?” “What would you have me learn from this?” “How shall I understand this?” “What am I not seeing that I need to see?” Etcetera.

We are to go to the inner Teacher about everything that confuses us, upsets us, frightens us, or appears to cause guilt or a sense of unworthiness in us. Like a baby who knows nothing at all, let the inner Teacher teach right understanding of everything you experience.

Pay attention to the tips in today’s reading. There are only a few, but they are each very important. Consider today’s reading to be the first day of kindergarten for baby Messiahs. Imagine another young child sitting in your class with you, a little boy named Jesus. Notice how interested he is in the teaching. Notice how the teaching thrills him, and he eagerly takes in every word. Give yourself to the teaching just like he does. He’s a good role model.

Here is a story from the Bible:

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16: 13-19)

Today’s reading says, “You are Peter,” so let’s look at Peter in relation to the story told above and see what “You are Peter” means.

When Jesus asked the apostles who they thought he was, Peter said that Jesus was the Messiah. What does that mean? According to Dr. Leila Leah Bronner, a scholar of Jewish and Biblical studies, “the term referred to an ‘anointed one,’ a divinely chosen figure who would bring to fruition God’s plan for his people and for all humankind. The term also conjured up images of a future world filled with peace and divine tranquility. These two biblical ideas were elaborated upon in the post-biblical era.”

With that definition of Messiah, let’s imagine Peter’s answer to Jesus’ question in this way:

You are one in whom God’s plan for humankind is being fulfilled. Through you, peace and divine tranquility will be brought to all of the world.

Now, let’s imagine that the one listening to Peter is not identified with a body-personality-mind; it is unity consciousness. Unity consciousness responds:

Blessed are you, for this was not revealed to you by your body-personality-mind, but by inner spiritual knowing. And I tell you that you are a rock of faith to have trusted this knowing. On this rock I will build my assembly, and the ego will not overcome it. I now anoint you. I give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Follow your inner knowing, and it will lead you to know heaven, which is here now. But be aware that whatever you believe on earth is believed in heaven, because heaven is here now. And whatever you let go of on earth will be let go in heaven, because heaven is here now.

Jesus is often seen as The Messiah, the only anointed or chosen one. However, as soon as Jesus saw an inkling of inner intuition in another, and he saw that one trusting inner intuition enough to speak it, he anointed that one.

What does this mean?

It means that as soon as genuine spiritual intuition awakens in us, and as soon as we trust it enough to begin following it over the personality-mind, we are the Messiah, the one in whom God’s plan of awakening is being fulfilled.

This isn’t said to make anyone feel special. This is a great responsibility of humility, because it means we have awakened to the point of choice. We are no longer limited to only the personality-mind, a slave to its thoughts. We have awakened to spiritual intuition, so we are able to choose what we will trust and follow.