Forgiveness paints a picture of a world where suffering is over, loss becomes impossible and anger makes no sense. Attack is gone, and madness has an end. What suffering is now conceivable? What loss can be sustained? The world becomes a place of joy, abundance, charity and endless giving.
ACIM: Lesson 249:1:1-5
I had a hard time with the What is Salvation?...because that word,'salvation', has a lot of conditioned connotation attached to it and it doesn't settle easily in my mind. I am hoping the next section, What is the World? ...will be easier to understand and explain. I have to remind myself and you that these are just words...only pointers to a greater understanding that cannot be explained with words.
3. What is the World?
The first line kind of says it all, The world is false perception. The way we see the world is erroneous ...it is "wrong". And I can use the 'right and wrong' here when I talk about this world view because that is partly what makes the world we tend to see through ego's eyes so wrong. It is full of duality and dichotomy. So the 'world', as we see it now, is ego's world...an illusion created and limited by ego's dependency on the five senses, body borders to seperate, sin and punishment and the development of fear. It is an illusion...a false reality created so ego can thrive...a place that locks God and love out.
All we need to do to see the "real" world...to see "rightly"... is to change our perception..to seek what lay beyond this world ego paints for us to the truth of who we are and from Whom we came. Forgiveness is simply a change in perception.
Lesson 241: This holy instant is salvation come.
When we forgive the world for its illusions and see quickly in this instant...this moment, the only time there is...that we are all One...we immediately are saved. We are home. The illusion of suffering leaves and the truth of joy and Love emerge into our awareness.
Lesson 241: This day is God's. It is my gift to Him.
Here we recognize that we really do not understand the world but we ask that we be led to God Who does understand it. We trust in Christ and the Holy Spirit to take us toward home, to God. Thy Will be done.
Lesson 243: Today I will judge nothing that occurs.
This is a beautiful lesson in accepting and appreciating what is...without the need to judge or label....to put aside our dualistic tendencies that keep us caught in the illusionary world and to just allow creation to be itself. We admit that we don't know, in conceptual terms, what is ahead of us but that truth is in us all.
Lesson 244: I am in danger nowhere in the world.
In this lesson we are taught that there is no need to be afraid or to doubt. In the real world, so unike ego's, we are safe. It is only illusion that threatens.
Lesson 245: Your peace is with me, Father, I am safe
In lesson 245 we are reminded that God's peace is with us always and it is our duty and privilege to pass that peace onto the world. When we share this peace we recognize who we truly are...a united Self.
Lesson 246: To love my Father is to love His son
We can not find our way to God if we have hate or vengeance in our hearts for others. We choose to love all of humanity as God wills we do.
Lesson 247: Without forgiveness I will still be blind
We will not discover the truth without forgiveness and forgiveness is merely recognizing how we have percieved wrongly. Our brother( again...look past the masculine terminology) is not the enemy...he is a part of who we are. We see Self in our brother's eyes.
Lesson 248: Whatever suffers is not part of me.
Here we recognize that the suffering we percieve is not a part of who we really are...it is simply a mind creation, an illusion. We are Love, as is God, as is everyone.
Lesson 249: Forgiveness ends all suffering and loss
Once we see ourselves and the world for what it really is there can be no more suffering. Right view ends suffering. When we remove our minds from ego's traps, and return them to God's Mind...this is forgiveness and this is what ends suffering and loss.
Lesson 250: Let me not see myself as limited
When we look upon our "brother" ( another) we see ourself...our powerful, unlimited Self so attack would never be warranted.
All is well!
ACIM (2007) A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume: Workbook. Foundation For Inner Peace: Mill Valley
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