Oh, the little pin-pricks of ego. Dozens a day. The sense of being overlooked, ignored, not honored fully, not even thought of, slighted as if you were unimportant and not worthy of notice, made small of or nothing of, uncared about, as if you were of no consequence, undermined, neglected, as if you don’t even amount to a hill of beans. Is this at all familiar to you? Do you have moments or even days of this? This is ego at its best which you know by now is at its worst.

I will tell you frankly that you deserve greater and higher regard. All of My children merit. You may have the idea that, if you were important, had a high position, perhaps were extremely wealthy, or a famous opera singer, movie star, leader of a country, you would have the regard you so desire and deserve. If the red carpet were laid down for you everyday, if your presence parted waves in a crowd, if you had a parade of governmental cars with flags before and after you, you still would yearn for a true appraisal of you and not just your perceived status.

Public affection would not do it for you every day. It might get tiresome. You might prefer to be yourself in the sun or under the stars.
 
Beloveds, here We are talking of image contrasting with Truth. Surprisingly, a stronger self-image from within makes you humble. A lesser self-image is also from within, and a fragile self-image is at the core of your requiring more and better input from outside. You are looking for props. Props are not enough.

Beloveds, fanfare is only fanfare. The exterior cannot really build up your interior as you would like it to. Surface, no matter how grand, is still surface. Deep within is deep within. What is missing is your own regard for yourself. You, My beautiful child, are not a monkey in a zoo who has to be fed from outside. You are someone, no matter how unnatural your habitat may seem to you, who has to nourish himself.

No one is more deserving than you. No one is less deserving than you.

There comes a point when life teaches you that all the acclaim for you in the world takes second place to your Self-Realization. And what is your Self-Realization of but of Our Oneness? You may fit well into the world or you may not, yet your Identity is far greater than whatever the world says. We can say that there is nothing in the world that can offer you enough. Worldly joy is wonderful, yet it can’t be more than it is. It is you who are greater than you grant yourself.

There is no worldly crown big enough for your True Worth. There are no jewels worth your True Worth. There is nothing out there that can do it for you. The outside world cannot give you all you need or that you think you need. Only you can do it. Only you and I can do it. I am already doing My part. I look into your eyes and I know what I see. You look into your eyes and you do not see what I see. You see surface. You see others’ thoughts of you.

Of course, you have to look deeper than you are looking now. No cosmetician can do it for you. No plastic surgeon can do it for you. No photographer can do it for you. No columnist can do it for you. No award in the world can do it for you.

Throw off ego. Tell it to go away. You have better things to do than to suffer ego.

Beloveds, yes, you are in the world, yet you are on a Journey to Your Self.