Willingness to Choose Again

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #217 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” Review: #197 “It can be but my gratitude I earn.”

When my mind wants to replay a circumstance in all its glorified drama, I recognize that I have a choice. I can choose again and not see that person, that event, in a way which causes me to feel yet more pain, anger, sorrow. I can think instead of the goodness, kindness, and love inherent in everyone, and allow its reality to form an image in my thought. I can play lots of games with myself in this way, and perhaps cajole myself out of thinking badly or sadly, but to get to the root of this circular dream, the answer may lie in the ideas we're studying today: "It can be but my gratitude I earn". I take this to mean, in part, that I needn't worry about what anyone else thinks about me. If I am being true to myself as a reflection of divine Love, that is enough! 

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks and joy to see them disappear, — this disposition helps to precipitate the ultimate harmony.”  Science & Health Page 323:32-4

Inverted Thought or Freedom

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #216 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” Review: #196 “It can be but myself I crucify.”

Best friends, lovers, and all other forms of close interpersonal relationships, are to be cherished and appreciated. It seems impossible to lose the feelings which drew us together in the first place, and when there is a breach in trust or harsh words spoken, it’s painful. The first reaction in such a situation may be blame, as no one wants to think they are wrong. I don’t want to feel right or wrong in a current chasm which has developed between myself and someone I love very much, nor do I have any desire to apportion blame for what has occurred. Attacking him will not make me feel any better. If I attempt to nail him to a cross with harsh feelings or condemnations, I will be crucifying myself. I don’t want to join the ego thought system which tells me how I should feel in this or any other situation. I refuse to attack and crucify myself. I choose freedom for us both.

Mary Baker Eddy quote: “When examined in the light of divine Science, mortals present more than is detected upon the surface, since inverted thoughts and erroneous beliefs must be counterfeits of Truth.” Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures  Page 267:19-22

Gratitude

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #215 Central theme: "I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me." Review: #195 "Love is the way I walk in gratitude."

I am gaining confidence in learning how to get out of my own way, relying on the wisdom which is heard through spiritual sense. Today is not about being grateful to God, but because of God! God is Love. To experience and demonstrate this Love, nothing is required of me other than my awareness of it. When facing circumstances which feel difficult, I will look at them under the microscope of Love, honestly wanting to know the Truth of the situation. In gratitude, I open my eyes to whatever may be revealed.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

"We should examine ourselves and learn what is the affection and purpose of the heart, for in this way only can we learn what we honestly are. If a friend informs us of a fault, do we listen patiently to the rebuke and credit what is said? Do we not rather give thanks that we are "not as other men"? During many years the author has been most grateful for merited rebuke.” Science & Health Pages 8:28-3

Giving It Up To Love

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #214 Central theme: "I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me." Review: #194 "I place the future in the Hands of God."

I know a woman who is involved in the messy settlement of her mom's estate. When she gets letters from the attorneys, she puts them in her bible and says she's giving it to God. This is NOT what we're talking about today! The willingness to radically rely on God opens the way for ideas and spiritual sense to lead us in ways we may not have considered before. Things may then "come up" from the depths of our emotional stores, allowing them to be acknowledged and released. That's what I call "giving it to God"! The past is gone. With every letting go of well-rehearsed, long-gone events, or the quiet release of guilt or pain, peace becomes reality for me. It doesn't matter if anyone was right or wrong, it doesn't make any difference what motives were involved, part of me has been emptied to be filled with the only reality: Love.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“We cannot fill vessels already full. They must first be emptied. Let us disrobe error. Then, when the winds of God blow, we shall not hug our tatters close about us.”

Science & Health Page 201:13-15

Forgive and See Differently

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #213 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.”

Review: #193 “All things are lessons God would have me learn.”

Today's review reiterates, "Forgive, and you will see this differently." Most everything which comes to mind, I would like to see differently. And so I shall forgive. Letting go of belief, misunderstanding, learned behavior, guilt, blame, the past, the future -- what's left to see? This present moment! — with no expectations or interpretations!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Spiritual sense, contradicting the material senses, involves intuition, hope, faith, understanding, fruition, reality.”

Science & Health Page 298:13-15

Fulfilled Function

photo credit: Aaron Springston

ACIM Workbook Lesson #212 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” Review: #192 “I have a function God would have me fill.”

In our early years we are often asked the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" We are encouraged to choose a profession as our function in life. Many of us were never comfortable with this and didn't manage to do it. For instance, I graduated from high school a year early because I wanted to get out into the world. I went to college because that's what everyone was supposed to do. I majored in music because everyone expected me to. I changed my major numerous times, never finding anything I could imagine doing all my life. What if, rather than choosing what we "want to be", we are rather taught to love ourselves and the world around us, with no preconceived notion of what we plan to do with our lives? What if, by living and expressing Love, we find ourselves drawn to our true purpose, the "function God would have us fill"? Just imagine how happy everyone would be! When the expression of Love is our purpose, our function becomes obvious. And it's never too late to see it!

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“Spirit, God, gathers unformed thoughts into their proper channels, and unfolds these thoughts, even as [It] opens the petals of a holy purpose in order that the purpose may appear.”

Science & Health Page 506:18-21

Compass of the Heart

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ACIM Workbook Lesson #211 Central Theme: “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” Review: #191 “I am the holy Son of God Himself.”

What barriers am I putting up which keep me from seeing my reality as the experience of divine Mind? This is something I will think about today, because it could be anything. I recall a novel with the intriguing title of “The Art of Hearing Heartbeats”. The main character loses his eyesight when he’s a young boy. One of his mentors tells him that the true essence of everything is invisible to the eyes. He tells the blind child how eyes distract us as they love to be dazzled, and that we rely too heavily on them and neglect our other senses — and he means more than hearing or taste or smell. “I’m talking about the organ within us for which we have no name. Let us call it the compass of the heart.” So today I will let barriers fall and intuition rise, knowing in Truth I’m the holy reflection of Love.

Mary Baker Eddy quote:

“God creates neither erring thought, mortal life, mutable truth, nor variable love.” Science & Health Page 503:24-25