On-the-Job Training

by Kalie Marino

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In 1978, a few months after beginning to read A Course in Miracles, I decided to work full time for God. In my missionary zeal, I thought working for God meant speaking the word of God. I didn't realize then that the "word of God" is written in our hearts and is communicated through living love, which is what God is. I had so much to learn.

Every morning when I woke up, I asked God what He wanted me to do that day. I was learning to follow my inner guidance, which would direct me to visit someone in need of counsel; something I loved to do.

One morning, God changed the location of my classroom. My inner teacher guided me to the want ads in the newspaper and selected an ad from a stamp manufacturer. This seemed strange to me. Perhaps God wanted me to visit the interviewer, I thought. Before I knew what had happened, I had been guided to take the job. How disgusting!

It was the worst job I could imagine. I had to make cold calls on business firms. I had become a door-to -door salesperson, selling meaningless, self-inking stamps. I felt degraded. How could God possibly want me to do this?

By the third day, I was extremely upset. I had found no redeeming qualities in this job. In the afternoon, I stopped by my girlfriend's office and asked if I could use her office to meditate. I wanted to have a serious talk with God about this job.

When I got to the stillness, I could hear my inner teacher's voice saying, "This is your new discipline. Your job is not to sell stamps. Your job is to give unconditional love to everyone you meet."

My job now had a purpose and a new meaning; one that I could understand. So, I set out with enthusiasm to fulfill this purpose in the business world. It was exciting and challenging; giving unconditional love without recruiting anyone to my way of thinking; demonstrating love with my being instead my words.

It was like being on a secret mission in which I discovered ways to help people love themselves by loving and appreciating them for who and what they really were. My teacher always showed me where to go, who to see, what to say and how to reach their hearts through my heart, quietly and without applause. Every day was filled with joy. I was being loving, which was the only thing God wanted me to do.

One day I was guided to a bank and down the steps into the bank president's office. I don't remember exactly what happened, but after being there only a few minutes, he closed the door and asked his secretary to hold all calls. We spent the next hour talking about our relationship with God. I guess this was just one of God's little perks, because I loved every moment of it.

On another day, a university secretary told me to go into the comptroller's office and wait for him. The door was open and the comptroller was on the phone. I went in and sat down, waiting for him to finish his call. He was arguing angrily with someone. When he hung up, he began to pour out his troubles to me, like he had known me for years.

After thirty minutes of sharing from his heart, his mouth suddenly dropped open, startled, like someone had just thrown cold water on him. He looked at me with utter amazement, saying, "Who are you?" He had just realized he didn't have the faintest idea who he was talking to or why I was there.

I told him about the stamps I sold, and he hurriedly gave me an order. I think he was embarrassed when he realized he had just poured out his heart to a total stranger. I was amazed to discover that time and familiarity aren't necessary to experience intimacy when giving love is the only purpose for a relationship.

My sales broke company records and I wasn't even trying to sell stamps. I wasn't trying to get anything. But by giving from the heart, I was receiving and being successful on all levels. When I learned this much, I was able to move on to another assignment.