April 11, 2013 - Perfect Happiness

"Mt. Timpanogos Goat"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #101

“God’s Will for me is perfect happiness.”

How many of us cringe when we hear the words salvation and atonement? I know I always have, and that's just from the general collective consciousness of the world, because I wasn't taught that these are things which God demands of us if we are to get to heaven. I was taught in Christian Science that the kingdom of heaven is within you. And atonement's definition is the realization of your unity with God and all of creation. Salvation is understanding the truth of your being and demonstrating it in daily life. God is Love, and therefore I Am, too. And so, what is left other than happiness? If we give up fear and replace it with Love, peace reigns within and is demonstrated without. When we give up notions of separation from God and each other, replacing them with thoughts of unity and feelings of Oneness, joy is expressed. It is said in A Course in Miracles that everything is either a call for love or an expression of Love. I see a call for love as looking for something outside of yourself to bring you something which you do not have. An expression of Love is an acknowledgement that everything you need is already there, because you are reflecting the Love that you are as the image and likeness of God. As we clear out material beliefs concerning our identity, happiness will fill the void which is left. This comes from realizing that Love is all you need. The Beatles were right!!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“That God's wrath should be vented upon His beloved Son [you], is divinely unnatural. Such a theory is man-made. The atonement is a hard problem in theology, but its scientific explanation is that suffering is an error of sense which Truth destroys, and that eventually both sin and suffering will fall at the feet of everlasting Love.”

Science & Health Page 23:5-10

April 10, 2013 - Happiness and Joy!

"Happy Dog in Boulder, Colorado"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #100

“My part is essential to God’s plan for salvation.”

Today we are urged to be fully present in the joy which is our inheritance as a reflection of God. When I hear the word joy, I tend to think of exuberant happiness. But quiet, peaceful happiness spreads joy, too. And we've all had times in our lives when happiness doesn't seem to be present at all. At times like those, it's even more important to understand our part in all of this: and that is to express God. In every situation, whether solemn or celebratory, our function is the same. Sometimes it seems too simple, doesn't it? All we have to do is to allow everything to be Love: to reflect it, to live it, to be it! A sentence from today's lesson says: "God's Will for you is perfect happiness." Wow! God wants me to be happy!! And not just wants me to, but tells me how to do this, if I will listen. Once again, quieting the material senses is the key to hearing guidance. There are so many ways to open up to spiritual sense. Let's listen and see what joyous ways we discover today!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Harmony is produced by its Principle, is controlled by it and abides with it. Divine Principle is the Life of man. Man's happiness is not, therefore, at the disposal of physical sense. Truth is not contaminated by error. Harmony in man is as beautiful as in music, and discord is unnatural, unreal.”

Science & Health Page 304:16-21

April 9, 2013 - My Only Function

"Zion National Park"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #99

“Salvation is my only function here.”

Our only function is seeing, knowing, and living Truth. It can be rather difficult to understand that salvation and forgiveness are a part of the dream of material existence; that there is in reality nothing from which to be saved or forgiven. The distinction between illusion and reality is essential to this understanding. And even an understanding does not preclude a desire to hold on to unreality. I was shown an illustration of this reluctance while sleeping. I had a long and elaborate dream involving not being able to find nor help a loved on who was in trouble. There was snow so deep it couldn't be passed, along with many other impediments which produced anxiety and distress in my slumber. The dream seemed to go on forever. and I kept trying to climb out of it. But when I woke up, my first thought was of going back to sleep to see how the dream would end! As I was sliding back into sleep, the thought came to me that this wasn't necessary. Why should I care how it ended? Couldn't it end any way I wanted it to?? As I came back to conscious awareness, it occurred to me that this was a perfect analogy showing our desire to hold onto illusions. From this perspective I will notice my actions and thoughts today, looking at them from all sides to see if they are coming from God or my own personal ideas of how things should be. I am holding to the fact that God is All, and that I reflect this Love as my governing Principle. I gratefully accept this salvation today and always.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The starting-point of divine Science is that God, Spirit, is All-in-all, and that there is no other might nor Mind,--that God is Love, and therefore He is divine Principle.”

Science & Health Page 275 6-9

April 8, 2013 - Renewal

"Denver, Colorado Sky & Airport"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #98

“I will accept my part in God’s plan for salvation.”

The wording of today's lesson could seem to be a form of predestination, in which our free will is taken away and we are put into some sort of automaton state where we are warriors for God. The freedom which comes with our resurrection from material belief does not feel oppressive to me! The message of the crucifixion and resurrection, I see as uplifting. Neither A Course in Miracles nor Christian Science puts Jesus on the cross. The crucifixion is simply the death of material belief, in which the Christ idea is risen in all the beauty of divine Love, and the ascension of our thought is the ultimate reality of Life. This is God's plan for salvation: Accept yourself as the spiritual idea you are and let go of the material thought basis which binds you to unreality. Spring is a time of renewal in all of nature. We have chosen this time of year to rise in the spirit of Truth, to celebrate our transformation which comes by the renewal of our minds, to realize that no one can give us salvation because it's already ours. What could be more joyously perfect!! I share with you in celebration today!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"RESURRECTION: Spiritualization of thought; a new and higher idea of immortality, or spiritual existence; material belief yielding to spiritual understanding."

Science & Health Page 493:9-12

April 7, 2013 - I Am Spirit

"South Africa Sunrise"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #97

“I am spirit.”

Once again today's workbook lesson takes me to the seven synonyms for God as given in Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. Those are: Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love. And I, as a reflection of this thing called God, embody all of these synonyms within the truth of my being. Seeing Spirit as our true substance shows us how to live beyond thought which holds us in the belief that we are this body. Seeing beyond this mental image of ourselves caged in matter allows a breaking free within us. The much-quoted "Our Deepest Fear" from Marianne Williamson's A Return to Love tells us that what we fear most isn't our inadequacies but our power. Here is the paragraph from the book: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” These words will be a constant reminder to me today that I Am a reflection of God, and this will be demonstrated through knowing that I am Mind, I am Spirit, I am Soul, I am Principle, I am Life, I am Truth, I am Love.

Mary Baker Eddy quote: [This is from a dialogue between matter and Spirit. Spirit is speaking here]

“I am Spirit. Man, whose senses are spiritual, is my likeness. He reflects the infinite understanding, for I am Infinity. The beauty of holiness, the perfection of being, imperishable glory,--all are Mine, for I am God. I give immortality to man, for I am Truth. I include and impart all bliss, for I am Love. I give life, without beginning and without end, for I am Life. I am supreme and give all, for I am Mind. I am the substance of all, because I AM THAT I AM.”

Science & Health Page 252:32-8

April 6, 2013 - Salvation is Ours

"Morning in Mongolia"
photo by Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #96

“Salvation comes from my one Self.”

What a peaceful realization it is to know that salvation is not something given to us by someone or something, but is from our own Self. Salvation is peace and joy which cannot be given nor taken by someone else. I witnessed a little interlude in which two people thought their happiness and peace were being affected by each other. I was in the doorway of my place of business and a man was standing in the street taking a picture. He started to come back to the sidewalk, but because of stacks of limestone and barricades between him and the walkway, he needed to go 20 feet or so in either direction to get there. He chose to step over an orange cone and cross amidst the construction. The owner of Peace, Love, and Cheesecake reprimanded him, pointing out the reasons he shouldn't be doing that. The trespasser was walking my way, and I could see that he was disgruntled. I said jokingly (and I hoped flirtatiously!) as he passed: You're such an adventurer! He blurted out some disparaging words about the man who had gently corrected him. I made my final pitch for lightheartedness as the man stomped up the street. These little encounters would be much different if we realized and demonstrated today's lesson. By listening for guidance from your One Self, I seriously doubt that you would be led to either walk where there is danger or point out that danger to someone else. Knowing your only real government is from Love, God, allows salvation for you and everyone and everything. Today I will remember this sentence from Lesson 96: "Problems that have no meaning cannot be resolved within the framework they are set.”

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"When we endow matter with vague spiritual power,-- that is, when we do so in our theories, for of course we cannot really endow matter with what it does not and cannot possess,--we disown the Almighty, for such theories lead to one of two things. They either presuppose the self-evolution and self-government of matter, or else they assume that matter is the product of Spirit. To seize the first horn of this dilemma and consider matter as a power in and of itself, is to leave the creator out of His own universe; while to grasp the other horn of the dilemma and regard God as the creator of matter, is not only to make Him responsible for all disasters, physical and moral, but to announce Him as their source, thereby making Him guilty of maintaining perpetual misrule in the form and under the name of natural law."

Science & Health Page 119:1-16

April 5, 2013 - I Am One Self

"River Rocks on the Buffalo"
painting by Carol Dickie

A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson #95

“I am one Self, united with my Creator.”

The title of a Wayne Dyer book has come to thought many times today: "There's a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem". We are learning that there is only one problem -- that is, the belief in separation from God.  Today I have heard from two friends about events which could greatly impact their lives, and therefore, all our lives. One instance involves a hog farm being built in the beautiful, sparsely-populated area surrounding the Buffalo National River. From the time I was a child, efforts have been made by numerous lovers of the land to keep this area a pure preserve, a natural paradise for everyone to enjoy. Floating on this river, camping by it, hiking its trails, discovering its secrets, these are among the things which help us to feel our Oneness with all that Is. Next, when making a stop at the library on my way home, I heard from another friend about a proposed electric line which would involve removal of huge numbers of trees, putting in their place poles half a football field in length, carrying huge lines for miles. These super-duper electricity-carrying beasts will also cut through people's backyards and the pristine woods of our Ozarks. What is the answer here? What do we do in response to unnecessary and harmful activities, done in the name of making our lives better? Everywhere we look something similar is happening. Unjust laws and inhumane practices sadden us, leave us dismayed, feeling hopeless. We don't need sympathy or by-rote platitudes to find answers. In today's ACIM lesson we are advised thus: "I am one Self, united with my Creator, at one with every aspect of creation, and limitless in power and in peace." Holding to spiritual Truth such as this, in listening contemplation, is the way I've found to hear answers to impossible questions. The acceptance that we are all united, that we are the loved of Love, leads to doors opening in thought which we didn't know existed. I'm not sure what the answers are, and neither are my friends who are distressed about these events. But I do know that there is a spiritual solution to every erroneous thought. Let's listen for it today.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"Identity is the reflection of Spirit, the reflection in multifarious forms of the living Principle, Love. Soul is the substance, Life, and intelligence of man, which is individualized, but not in matter. Soul can never reflect anything inferior to Spirit."

Science & Health Page 477:20-25