As mentioned during my tip for lesson 164, NTI teaches that the ego began with the wish for something different than what is. Because that is the basis of the ego, that is a key element of the ego thought system. If you pay attention to your mind, you will see that this idea shows up in one form or another multiple times each day.
Every time we think we do not have enough, there is the wish for something different.
Every time we complain about how things are, there is the wish for something different.
Every time we resist a task we need to complete, there is the wish for something different.
Every time we judge ourselves or someone else as not good enough, there is the wish for something different.
Etcetera.
Today’s lesson talks about he who “wanders on in misery and poverty, alone though God is with him, and a treasure his so great that everything the world contains is valueless before its magnitude.”
The treasure “so great that everything the world contains is valueless before its magnitude” is awareness-life-presence.
Reflect upon that for a moment. Without awareness-life-presence, nothing would be. The sound of a bird’s song or the sound of waves rolling onto the beach, the sight of a beautiful sunset or the sight of a herd of deer moving through the pines—nothing that symbolizes the treasure of life could be without awareness-life-presence. Awareness-life-presence is the basis of everything we treasure, and therefore it is the greatest treasure of all.
We wander alone “in misery and poverty” whenever we listen to the ego thought system with the wish for something different at its foundation. We are not satisfied with the treasure of awareness-life-presence. Instead, we choose unhappiness as we seek for something different. Even after change occurs, we seek for something different again. Therefore, one who is focused on the ego thought system is never happy for long, because the wish for something different continues to heckle him/her.
Today we will shift our attention from unhappiness to happiness, from the wish for something different to appreciation for the magnificent treasure that is always present.
Each time you notice the wish for something different in your mind today, pause. Shift your attention to awareness-life-presence, and spend a few moments appreciating it. Be as vigilant in this practice as you can be. I say this, because the wish for something different is a strong habit; it could occur many times during the day without you noticing it.
For example, the wish for something different may show up as the wish for more time to get things done, or as the wish for fewer things to do. It may show up as the wish for less traffic or a shorter line at the grocery store. It may show up as the wish that someone around you were different than he/she is. It may show up as the wish that you were different or that your body was different. It may show up as the wish that the world was different than it is.
Pay attention today for the wish for something different in whatever way it shows up in your thoughts, and then shift attention to notice the treasure. Let yourself feel appreciation for awareness-life-presence. Follow that by slowly saying to yourself, “I am entrusted with the gifts of God.”
