ACIM workbook lesson #65:
“My only function is the one God gave me.”
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| African Sunrise photo by Aaron Springston |
For years I resisted admitting that only one thing was required of me in order to know the peace I so wanted. I thought to give myself to this one thing would cause me to be some sort of religious zealot. It seemed that to live only in Spirit would somehow make me into something predictable and boring. At that time, material existence appeared exciting, while spiritual living implied a certain aloneness with God which couldn't possibly be very much fun. As the years have passed and I've become more aware of what living in Spirit means, the understanding of myself as a reflection of God has taken form in many ways. On the surface, it could seem that nothing has changed. I still work, play, sleep, interact with others. But everything is different. There is no angst nor worry about whether I'm doing the right thing and what future effects this will cause. By listening to my inner Self and following that guidance, I don't need to make lists of pros and cons and weigh the value of these in making decisions. And this following doesn't mean that I mindlessly go through life as an automaton doing what God tells me. It means that infinite possibilities are opened to me, that thought is expanded in ways that transcend the material beliefs of the past, that contentment and peace are waiting for me to find them. While holding first in thought and practice our own desires and learned beliefs about what we should be doing in daily life, it's easy to pretend that we know what we're doing. And if this doesn't bring us the happiness and peace we thought it would, we tend to self-analyze and attempt to revise our ways. By choosing to listen inwardly, life becomes more simple and fulfilling. And that's because I'm listening for my only true function.
Mary Baker Eddy quote:
"This scientific sense of being, forsaking matter for Spirit, by no means suggests man's absorption into Deity and the loss of his identity, but confers upon man enlarged individuality, a wider sphere of thought and action, a more expansive love, a higher and more permanent peace."
Science & Health Page 265:10-15
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