Mistaken Belief

photo credit: Richard Quick

When I was at a bridge tournament a few weeks ago, there was a fire at one of our local veterinary clinics. I was getting ready to play in the morning session and a friend came up and told me that it had burned to the ground and all the animals were dead! That night, I found out that wasn't entirely true. There had been a fire, and four animals had succumbed to the smoke. But the picture in my mind all through that day was something totally horrific, and at times my thought went to them and I felt great sadness. This is an example of how our thoughts and beliefs dictate our reality. It also shows me why it is so important to give up all our our beliefs and ideas about what things mean. The first 50 workbook lessons in A Course in Miracles help us to understand the importance of this. We cannot live in the moment and see things as they truly are as long as we're seeing them through the lens of our limited thinking. I'm pleased to occasionally notice the error posing as Truth!

"A blundering despatch, mistakenly announcing the death of a friend, occasions the same grief that the friend's real death would bring. You think that your anguish is occasioned by your loss. Another despatch, correcting the mistake, heals your grief, and you learn that your suffering was merely the result of your belief." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 386