August 27, 2014 - Am I Worthy?

ACIM Workbook Lesson #239

“The glory of my Father is my own"

Often we believe that we are not worthy to accept our divine nature as the image and likeness of God. This false humility is only mortal mind, or ego, trying to keep us from shining. I'm-not-worthy feelings from my past tend to recur in thought, provoked by the most tenuous connection. A teacher's scorn, a friend's put-down, my own disappointment in myself -- these things seem to linger, arguing that I couldn't possibly be good enough to accept myself as a joint heir with Jesus.  But with every affirmation of Truth, with every revelation of divine Mind, I reaffirm  that I Am That I Am, and come a step closer to understanding.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The Divine Being must be reflected by man,--else man is not the image and likeness of the patient, tender, and true, the One 'altogether lovely;' but to understand God is the work of eternity, and demands absolute consecration of thought, energy, and desire.”

Science & Health Page 3:12-15

August 26, 2014 - Life

created by Sandy Wythawai Starbird

ACIM Workbook Lesson #238

“On my decision all salvation rests."

It seems we have too many decisions in daily life. Even the tea section in the grocery store has so many choices it can be daunting! And so when we are told that "On my decision all salvation rests", it's tempting to say "No thanks!" But this salvation spoken of here is received by one decision: to wake up and accept our own divinity. There are no considerations to mull over in this decision, there are no choices which are better than others, nor is there any reason for fear of failure. All duality, all choice, vanishes when we realize there is only one thing to desire: to know that God is Life: not my life, or your life, but Life! From this understanding, everything is manifested in our experience, all from the freedom of knowing that the Love which is God is the only Principle of our existence.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“By interpreting God as a corporeal Savior but not as the saving Principle, or divine Love, we shall continue to seek salvation through pardon and not through reform…" Science & Health Page 285:23-26

August 25, 2014 - As I Am Created

ACIM  Workbook Lesson #237

“Now would I be as God created me."

How did God create me? If I think of creation from a standpoint of human, mortal mind, I may think of things like the Adam and Eve story. To look past material illusory opinions to pure spiritual ideas is to begin to understand how "God created me". We tell ourselves: I'm only human. I cannot be created in the image and likeness of God. If we accept the Adam and Eve story -- or any other material creation myth -- as the truth of our being, we live the dream of life in and of matter with all the limitations implied. The realization that we are an idea of God takes us to the threshold of  understanding Life. Today I will see all as this spiritual truth, omitting no one nor thing!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The mythical human theories of creation, anciently classified as the higher criticism, sprang from cultured scholars in Rome and in Greece, but they afforded no foundation for accurate views of creation by the divine Mind.”

Science & Health Page 255: 5-10

August 24, 2014 - Stop Thinking

ACIM Workbook Lesson #236

“I rule my mind, which I alone must rule."

Reading today's topic brought a remembrance of a school trip where I had five students in my car. During the six-hour drive, one of the boys kept up an almost non-stop stream-of-consciousness babble. I finally told him that everything that went through his head didn't need to come out of his mouth! That's sort of what we're learning today, too. We don't have to allow every thought that pops into our head to rule us. I don't freak out when I do have thoughts I'm not interested in having, but I do turn them away. We have that power!  We're not victims of random thoughts flying around like pollen. We are created by divine Mind and have that heritage to call upon. Mortal mind, ego, is not our ruler, and we can just say no when fearful thinking wants our attention.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“God's thoughts are perfect and eternal, are substance and Life. Material and temporal thoughts are human, involving error, and since God, Spirit, is the only cause, they lack a divine cause. The temporal and material are not then creations of Spirit. They are but counterfeits of the spiritual and eternal.”

Science & Health Page 286:21-27

August 23, 2014 - I Am Love

ACIM Workbook Lesson #235

“God in His mercy wills that I be saved."

Do you ever feel punished and try to make deals with God, if only whatever the problem is would just stop? The mass consciousness we swim in keeps telling us we've done something wrong and we can't be saved until we do a whole bunch of things right. Let's allow all of those beliefs to go away today and concentrate on what feels like Truth to us right now, in this moment. I will, at every possibility, quiet my thoughts and allow this Truth to permeate my being. It's there all the time, this Love which is God, this divine Love which supports us more surely than the waters of mass consciousness. Our true consciousness is expressed most perfectly in two words: I Am. I'm going to keep it simple today. Join me!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“The scientific unity which exists between God and man must be wrought out in life-practice, and God's will must be universally done. If men would bring to bear upon the study of the Science of Mind half the faith they bestow upon the so-called pains and pleasures of material sense they would not go on from bad to worse …”

Science & Health Page 202:3-9

August 22, 2014 - Never Need Say Goodbye

ACIM Workbook Lesson #234

“Father, today I am Your Son again.”

photo from Aaron Springston

There never was a time when we were separated from God, and separation has no place in what divine Mind has created. When saying goodbye to treasured friends, I realize this Truth more than ever. We share more than a few years' worth of memories. We share eternity. That is, after all, what Oneness is, isn't it? Sometimes I think it may be too difficult to wrap my brain around this we-are-one thing. And sometimes it feels the same with saying goodbye: it's just too difficult to examine closely. For mortal mind, it is too much. Thank goodness we're spiritual! With this knowledge, I am free to examine how divine Mind sees the situation. No separation, no loss, all One. What great opportunities we have to practice feeling this Truth! Namaste', dear One.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Life is without beginning and without end. Eternity, not time, expresses the thought of Life, and time is no part of eternity. One ceases in proportion as the other is recognized. Time is finite; eternity is forever infinite. Life is neither in nor of matter. What is termed matter is unknown to Spirit, which includes in itself all substance and is Life eternal. Matter is a human concept. Life is divine Mind.”

Science & Health Page 568:26-4

August 21, 2014 - Guided by Divine Mind

photo by Richard Quick

ACIM Workbook Lesson #233

“I give my life to God to guide today."

I have made a vow to myself to only "see, hear, and repeat good". Here's a seemingly harmless repetition that was an example of  mindlessly repeating something for the sake of conversation. One of our local woodworkers makes exquisite boxes which we sell in the gallery. His art is also available at a world-class museum store in a neighboring town. A man had come in looking for his work and was very upset because we had so few boxes available. He grumbled that the museum didn't have many and he had expected more from the artist's hometown. When this particular artist came in to bring us more little boxes, I unthinkingly told him about the encounter with the potential customer who went away in a huff. Why did I do this?? As soon as the "story" was out of my mouth, I realized I was repeating something that was totally unnecessary. This is but one example of how easy it is to jabber for no reason. If I were allowing myself to be guided by divine Mind, I never would have considered repeating such a thing. I'm learning!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“When we fully understand our relation to the Divine, we can have no other Mind but His,--no other Love, wisdom, or Truth, no other sense of Life, and no consciousness of the existence of matter or error. The power of the human will should be exercised only in subordination to Truth; else it will misguide the judgment and free the lower propensities. It is the province of spiritual sense to govern man.”

Science & Health Page 205:32-7