Love, Courage, and the Call to Act

Aug 22, 2025

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Three voices crossed my path recently . . .

One was Governor Gavin Newsom, calling us to resist the dismantling of our democracy and to not sit idly by while authoritarianism takes root. His words stirred my heart—I felt appreciation for his courage and agreement with his warning.

Another was Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, dismantling the hypocrisy of so-called “Christian” rhetoric that fuels hate against immigrants, LGBTQ people, and others. She asked a simple but piercing question: What would Jesus do?Her clarity exposed the gap between the teachings of Christ and the politics of exclusion. I cheered her on.

And the third voice was far quieter: my A Course in Miracles (ACIM) lesson for the day. Its reminder was simple—do not let fear guide your steps. Follow joy. Pause when the ego tries to run the show. This teaching has shaped me deeply, helping me live with less fear, more tolerance, and more presence.

At first glance, these voices felt at odds. Two urging fierce resistance to cruelty and authoritarianism, one urging me to stand down from fear. But I’ve come to see that they are not in opposition. They are three threads of the same fabric.

The Civic Call

Governor Newsom is right: democracy is not self-executing. Silence in the face of tyranny is consent. To preserve the freedom for each person to express their essential self without fear of imprisonment or repression, we cannot retreat into apathy.

To act in defense of freedom is not interference in someone else’s “life path.” It is stepping into our own path with integrity.

The Prophetic Voice

Jasmine Crockett’s words rang out with moral clarity: Jesus would not preach hate or imprisonment. He fed the hungry, visited the sick, and protected the outcast. To those who wrap cruelty in “Christian” garb, her reminder was piercing: What would Jesus do?

This is not interference. This is conscience. This is calling us back to truth.

The Spiritual Reminder

And then ACIM. “In my defenselessness my safety lies.” “I need do nothing.” These aren’t calls to passivity; they are reminders that action born of fear only multiplies fear. Action born of love can heal.

ACIM has given me the inner clarity to pause, to catch myself when the ego wants to lash out, and to reset in the present moment. Without that pause, even my activism would become just another form of attack. With it, I can respond rather than react.

Integration: Acting Without Interfering

Here is the synthesis I’ve come to:

The Gospels emphasize practical compassion—feed, visit, protect.
ACIM emphasizes inner clarity—see through fear, forgive.

Together, they show us that outer compassion and inner clarity are not opposites but partners.

Some say this world is a bit like The Matrix: a projection, a training ground. ACIM would agree—it calls this world a classroom, a place where we learn and unlearn, where we grow into and toward ascension. If that is true, then Earth is our School, and each lesson is an invitation to rise into Love.

In this School, we sometimes must also serve as gatekeepers—not out of judgment or dominance, but out of responsibility. A gatekeeper preserves the conditions of freedom so learning can continue. Just as we would stop a child from running into traffic—not to interfere with their destiny but to protect their chance to live it—so too can we resist systems of cruelty without interfering in souls’ eternal paths.

What Jeshua Might Say

Jeshua in the Gospels and Jeshua in ACIM may seem to speak different languages, but their essence is the same: Love God, love your neighbor, see Christ in all.

The Gospels call us to tangible action: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, protect the vulnerable.
ACIM calls us to inner awakening: forgive, release fear, and see that only Love is real.

When woven together, these teachings harmonize: contemplation fuels compassionate action. Inner clarity gives rise to outer courage.

Closing: The Call to Act

These are heavy times, yes. But also times of awakening. The call is not either/or—it is both/and.

We can resist tyranny without hatred.
We can protect democracy without fear.
We can be fierce without being cruel.
We can be gentle without being silent.

And in all of this, we carry forward Jeshua’s true call: to love our neighbors as ourselves.

May we each find the courage to act, the clarity to forgive, and the joy to keep walking forward in Love.