What could you not accept, if you but knew that everything that happens, all events, past, present and to come, are gently planned by One Whose only purpose is your good?
ACIM-W-135:18:1
These lessons speak directly to my present situation and remind me of what I really want
Reach for the Truth: You Can Not Fail
No one can fail who seeks to reach the truth, and it is truth we seek to reach today. ACIM-W-131:10:2. In this beautiful lesson we are taught that we are indeed seeking as part of our mission here, but instead of searching for the meaningless we can make Heaven ( Truth) our goal. It is a goal we cannot fail at attaining. Heaven is our alternative to the world we see now, one of failure, impermanence, fear, danger, illness, darkness and death. We don't want to see that world ...we want more and we can have more. (Lesson 131)
Change Your Mind; Change Your World
Lesson 132 addresses the power of belief and through it, I see what I have been doing in my mind, creating the fearful world I see when I seek validation for bodily changes. I assumed and therefore created the dilemma I now face.. You have enslaved the world with your fears, your doubts and miseries, your pain and your tears; and all your sorrows press on it, and keep the world a prisoner to your beliefs. death strikes it everywhere because you hold teh bitter thoughts of death within your mind. 132:3:4-5
This lesson teaches if we change the mind to what we want to see, rather than what we fear seeing, the world will change accordingly. If I start believing that the past is not revisiting me/haunting me and all there is is now where people are here to help me, not harm me my whole perspective would change. The Lesson emphasizes: ... to know your Self is the salvation of the world. To free the world from every kind of pain is but to change your mind about yourself .10:1-2 We can loose the world from all we thought it was and choose our own reality instead.
This is the ultimate healing I spoke about in the previous entry.
The Easy Decision: Choose Only What is Valuable
When you let your mind be drawn to bodily concerns, to things you buy, to eminence as valued by the world, you ask for sorrow not for happiness. ACIM-W-133:2:2 This line form Lesson 133 definitely speaks to my last entries. I have been consumed by bodily concerns and I knew if I surrendered the belief that my body was so important and let go of my need to determine what was wrong with it...I would find peace.
The lesson teaches there are only two things to choose from: the valuable and the valueless. To ensure that you are choosing the valuable over the valueless ask if what you are choosing will last forever? If it doesn't last forever it is valueless.
I had to ask if my body was valuable ...it does not last forever, therefore it isn't.
Is Self valuable ? Peace? That is a resounding yes! So I choose that over seeking a body diagnosis.
Then you need to ask: am I taking it from another? Why is this choice valuable to me and does it serve a purpose? Then we need to check to see if our decision leaves us feeling guilty in anyway. If it does ego is holding the reins and the decision is not for our best interest.
This lesson teaches that no decision should be difficult.
There is No Dragon
In Lesson 134 we take another look at forgiveness and see it for what it is. We only need forgiveness for what is false because it is all about putting down the screen of illusion for the Truth.Forgiveness is the only thing that stands for the truth in the illusions of the world. It sees their nothingness. 134:7:1-2
I love this piece of advice: When you feel that you are tempted to accuse someone of sin in any form, do not allow your mind to dwell on what you think he did, for that is self deception. Ask instead, "Would I accuse myself of doing this?" 9:2-3 What he thought was never there. He does not have to fight to save himself. He does not have to kill the dragons he thought pursued him. 12:1-2 That answers my question, doesn't it, about whether or not I should fight for a diagnosis?
Put Down Your Defenses And Your Need to Plan
Lesson 135 is a long lesson on defense . You operate from the belief that you must protect yourself from what is happening because it must contain what threatens you. 135:2:1 How much does that apply to my previous entry?
Defense stems from fear and increases fear. We defend what we feel is vulnerable and weak. The body is such a thing. A Course tells us that the body, however, needs no defense. Defend its life...and you but say your home is open to the thief of time...5:4 It will be strong and healthy if the mind does not abuse it by assigning it to roles it cannot fill, to purposes beyond its scope, and to exalt aims it cannot accomplish. 7:3
The body is valueless and nor worth defending. So when I choose surrendering the body to find peace, this lesson teaches the body will respond with health!
It is not the body that needs healing but the mind. The mind engaged in planning for itself is occupied in setting up control of future happenings. It does not think it will be provided for unless it makes its own provisions. 15:1-2. This is what I have been doing and feeling!
Truth is we do not know what is best for us. This lesson pleads with us to put down our defenses because it is only when we are defenseless will we be strong in truth. We do not need to plan for attack. If there are plans to be made we will be told
I will be back!!
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