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LESSON 242 AUGUST 30 SUNDAY
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What is the World?
Daily Lesson 242
Sarah's Reflections
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Course in Miracles Society (CIMS) is an international group of Course students and teachers organized to discover, authenticate and propagate the Divine Teachings of A Course in Miracles.

 

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Happiness Must Be Constant
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A COURSE IN MIRACLES
CH 21 "THE INNER PICTURE"
VIII. "PERCEPTION AND WISHES"

Elusive happiness, or happiness in changing form that shifts with time and place, is an illusion which has no meaning. Happiness must be constant because it is attained by giving up the wish for the inconstant. Joy cannot be perceived except through constant vision. And constant vision can be given only those who wish for constancy. The power of the Son of God's desire remains the proof that he is wrong who sees himself as helpless. Desire what you will, and you will look on it and think it real. No thought but has the power to release or kill. And none can leave the thinker's mind or leave him unaffected.

WHAT IS WORLD?    
What Is the World?  
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  The world is false perception. It is born
   of error, and it has not left its source.
   It will remain no longer than the thought
   that gave it birth is cherished. When the thought
   of separation has been changed to one
   of true forgiveness, will the world be seen
   in quite another light; and one that leads
   to truth, where all the world must disappear,
   and all its errors vanish. Now its source
   has gone, and its effects are gone as well.
 
   The world was made as an attack on God.
   It symbolizes fear. And what is fear
   except love's absence? Thus the world was meant
   to be a place where God could enter not,
   and where His Son could be apart from Him.
   Here was perception born, for knowledge could
   not cause such insane thoughts. But eyes deceive,
   and ears hear falsely. Now mistakes become
   quite possible, for certainty has gone.
 
   The mechanisms of illusion have
   been born instead. And now they go to find
   what has been given them to seek. Their aim
   is to fulfill the purpose which the world
   was made to witness and make real. They see
   in its illusions but a solid base
   where truth exists, upheld apart from lies.
   Yet everything which they report is but
   illusion which is kept apart from truth.
 
   As sight was made to lead away from truth,
   it can be redirected. Sounds become
   the call of God. And all perception can
   be given a new purpose, by the One
   Whom God appointed Saviour to the world.
   Follow His light, and see the world as He
   beholds it. Hear His Voice alone in all
   that speaks to you. And let Him give you peace
   and certainty, which you have thrown away,
   but Heaven has preserved for you in Him.
 
   Let us not rest content until the world
   has joined our changed perception. Let us not
   be satisfied until forgiveness has
   been made complete. And let us not attempt
   to change our function. We must save the world.
   For we who made it must behold it through
   the eyes of Christ, that what was made to die
   can be restored to everlasting life.
   
    ~ Original Hand Script
 
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 L e s s o n 242
This day is God's. It is my gift to Him.   
   
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  I will not lead my life alone today.
   I do not understand the world. And so
   to try to lead my life alone must be
   but foolishness. For there is One Who knows
   all that is best for me. And He is glad
   to make no choices for me but the ones
   that lead to God. This day I give to Him,
   for I would not delay my coming home,
   and it is He Who knows the way to Him.
 
    And so we give today to You. We come
    with wholly open minds. We do not ask
    for anything that we may think we want.
    Give us what You would have received by us.
    You know all our desires and our needs.
    And You will give us everything we want
    and that will help us find the way to You.
 
   
     ~ Original Handscript of ACIM October 19, 1970   
 
      
  
      
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LESSON 242
This day is God's. It is my gift to Him. 

Sarah's Commentary:


In the Lesson commentary yesterday, the focus was on the world as false perception made as an attack on God. It was stated that the world is a result of our choice for separation, and with it our individuality and differences. Now Jesus shows us that what we have made can be used as a classroom for undoing the ego thought system. He tells us, "As sight was made to lead away from truth, it can be redirected." (W.PII.Q3.4.1) Just like anything we have made, the world, the body, and our special relationships, all can be used by the Holy Spirit for healing. While the ego tries to ensure that we see the world as real, the Holy Spirit can redirect our way of seeing it and give it a new purpose, which is to wake up from this dream. "Sounds become the call of God, and all perception can be given a new purpose by One Whom God appointed Savior to the world." (W.PII.Q3.4.2) Now we are called to see the world as the Holy Spirit beholds it, which sees beyond the forms of this world and beyond their unreality to the content of love. Ultimately, we learn we have been wrong about everything we think we know and think we understand about ourselves, others and the world.  

What this means is that we look at the purpose we have given the world, which is for seeing our guilt in others, using others for our own ends, and winning at their expense. Now we can turn these experiences to a new purpose, where we no longer want to see others guilty, we no longer want the power struggles and conflicts, and we choose to use our special relationships for healing and holiness. We increasingly choose to see that the peace and joy that comes from joining has more appeal than maintaining our focus exclusively on what we think we want. There is now a willingness to see we have been wrong and are willing to be taught.

Jesus pleads with us to, "Hear His Voice alone in all that speaks to you. And let Him give you peace and certainty, which you have thrown away, but Heaven has preserved for you in Him." (W.PII.Q3.4.4-5) While we believe we have thrown away our peace and joy, Jesus assures us this hasn't happened. It has been preserved for us. We cannot and have not changed ourselves from our holy creation. However, we have lost awareness of who we really are. The peace and certainty is still in us, covered over by our mistaken perceptions. Our eyes may still see misbehaving bodies and our ears may still hear sounds of war, but now the purpose is to see with Christ's vision beyond the forms of what our eyes report. What we see and hear is now being questioned. We become the observers of the characters in the dream, seeing it from outside of the dream, where we look at it without judgment. And each time we do, we bring back more light to our minds and to the world, and with that is the realization that no one is separate from us. We all share the same ego and the same One Self. And though this is the case in reality, the forgiveness work we undertake in the world is with regard to how we are currently seeing differences.
 
"Let us not rest content until the world has joined our changed perception." (W.PII.Q3.5.1) Our interests are not separate from anyone else's. We save the world by our willingness to release the meaning that we have given it.  Thus, "What was made to die can be restored to everlasting life," (W.PII.Q3.5.5) meaning we awaken to the reality that life cannot end. While the body was made to die, who we are can't die. We are changing our minds from thoughts of death to thoughts of life. Our reality, as infinite, eternal beings has always been. As Jesus said, "Before Abraham, I am." The world, of bodies and of death, has no reality.
 
Today's Lesson, "This day is God's. It is my gift to Him," (W.241) is a lesson of humility. When we lead our lives alone, we are actually leading them with the ego. We are believing we know what is best for us. To recognize "there is One Who knows all that is best for me" (W.242.1.3) is to acknowledge that I don't know anything. The information on which I base my decisions is very limited. This means I am always uncertain, yet with the Holy Spirit, everything is known and lived in the flow of total trust and certainty.
 
I know that I have turned to the wrong teacher whenever I feel anxious, stressed, worried, unhappy, and focused on my plans and goals for  happiness, and never certain of what to do. I know I am mistaken when I feel less than peaceful. I know I am choosing to rely on my own resources, trying to figure out how to resolve the problems of my life as I perceive them. It is a relief to remember that I just need to step back and turn to the Guide within that does know where my peace resides. My issue is forgetting to ask and going off on my own, thinking I know what I need. We think we need to maintain control over all of the many decisions in our lives. We get upset if our preferences for how things should be don't pan out. Yet if we release our attachments to our preferences and remember the script is already written, what is there to manage? All that is left is to ask for help to see the situation differently.

I recall when we were at the funeral for Don's dad. Our friend, Linda, was to sing at the grave site, but was not there when the interment was about to take place. At first, I was feeling quite attached to having her there and very disappointed she had not turned up as planned. I chose to let the disappointment go and accept things as they were. Just as the minister was about to start the proceedings, coming from the distance was the sound of her beautiful voice as she was moving toward where we were standing. The hymn we had chosen for her to sing was, "It is Well with my Soul." And yes, those words reverberated with my soul and I knew then it is truly well with my soul. That is the case whenever we let go of our expectations of how things should be. Letting go of our attachments does not necessarily mean everything will show up in this way, but it does release us from the upsets we experience as a result of our attachments. For me this was a situation that reinforced the value of acceptance.

To let go, to accept and to trust are the ways we learn the foolishness of living our lives alone (W.241.1.2) without turning to our inner guidance and recognizing the support of the Holy Spirit that is always there. He is not only our Guide but Companion. He walks with us. We are never alone, but in order to experience that truth, we need to admit we don't know, and we don't understand. To surrender our understanding and turn within, where truth abides, is to release our reliance on the ego. There are just too many variables for us to ever be certain, so make space for guidance from the One who does know all the variables we can't know. We make space through forgiveness of all that is false.

When I look at my life, it does not always look like things are working out the way I would like. Although, the way I would like does not mean the way that will lead to God. The goal is to awaken. It is not to have a prettier dream. I have to remind myself daily that I don't know my own best interests. What I think serves me can set me back, while what I think is good can keep me invested in the dream. As Jesus tells us, "Some of your greatest advances you have judged as failures, and some of your deepest retreats you have evaluated as success." (T.18.V.1.6)(ACIM OE T.18.VI.41)   

In Chapter 24, we are told to "Forget not that the healing of God's Son is all the world is for." (T.24.VI.4.1) (ACIM OE T.24.VII.52) The situations that offer us the most healing may take place in ways that we do not welcome, but what does the ego know about true healing? About coming home? It is the end of the ego for us to awaken from this dream, so the ego has invested its resources in keeping us from choosing the right mind. Indeed, when we make progress in releasing our mistaken thoughts, tremendous resistance can arise. I know all of us have experienced it from time to time in many different ways. We seem to take two steps back with every step forward. Resistance is there because we still cling to our individuality and our specialness, and when we do make progress, the ego can become very suspicious. Then we question whether this path is right for us.
 
Whenever something we think we want fails to happen, we need not be distraught. It can all be used for our greater good. We have not been abandoned. He knows our deeper needs. It is only my interpretation of meaning gives rise to my emotional experience, and that interpretation is what I need to be willing to release for His judgment. In the Manual for Teachers, Section 10, we learn, "It is necessary for the teacher of God to realize, not that he should not judge, but that he cannot. In giving up judgment, he is merely giving up what he did not have. He gives up an illusion; or better, he has an illusion of giving up. He has actually merely become more honest. Recognizing that judgment was always impossible for him, he no longer attempts it." (M10.2.1-5)(ACIM OE 10.2)
 
Don't we all feel the burden of deciding by ourselves? Wouldn't it be easier if we learned to trust the Guide who offers us so much? Jesus tells us, "When you have learned how to decide with God, all decisions become as easy and as right as breathing. There is no effort, and you will be led as gently as if you were being carried down a quiet path in summer." (T.14.IV.6.1-2)(ACIM OE T.13.IX.92) Don't we all wish for that? Just to be in the flow where everything works.
 
Let us give this day to God. Let's remember to enter the quietness of our minds and ask for His help with everything. Let us determine to take our hands off the controls we think we have, which is only an illusion anyway! We may protest we aren't hearing guidance from the Holy Spirit, but we need to take the quiet time in meditation. We leave room for His Answer by stepping back from the problem, and continuing to ask in every situation. Then we trust the answer will come and we are willing to receive it, continually expressing gratitude for every answer we get. It may mean we literally have to leave the room, sometimes in the midst of a discussion where the ego is holding sway, to take a few moments away from the storm in order to return our minds to sanity. Taking the time we need, in order to remind ourselves we don't know our own best interests and asking Him to set the goal for us, allows us to reenter the situation that seemed to be causing us so much distress, and then ask for help to return our minds to sanity.

Jesus continually encourages us to focus our healing on behalf of our own happiness. Many of the things we ask for from God delay our homecoming. They are things we think we need for our happiness. Isn't that what we usually pray for? Isn't that what the secret of the "Secret" is all about? We believe we know what we want for our happiness, but the 'me' that thinks it knows is always the ego, and the ego thought system is not about our best interests. The things I think I want may instead weigh me down and keep me attached to the world. If we insist on keeping our goals and staying in charge of our decisions, we will find that turning our minds over to the Holy Spirit and surrendering to His guidance will indeed be threatening. His priority is not about our stuff, our status or our special relationships. He knows, just as a good parent knows, what a child thinks he wants will not deliver the joy and happiness he believes is contained in what he asks for. Jesus reminds us often that we are like that child.

Let us give this day to God today as our gift to Him. Let us be determined to protect the day from our own whims and wishes by asking for Him to be the Guide today. When we are tempted to define the day today, let us take a moment and step back and release our desires and wishes. Our experience of the day comes from God and not what seems to be happening to us. Come to the day with a wholly open mind. It is not for us to define what is in our own best interests. We truly don't know.
 
Love and blessings, Sarah
   
TEXT Paused for Weekend
 
Chapter Twenty One 

VIII. Perception and Wishes            

70 Do you not see that all your misery comes from the strange belief that you are powerless? Being helpless is the cost of sin. Helplessness is sin's condition-the one requirement that it demands to be believed. Only the helpless could believe in it. Enormity has no appeal save to the little. And only those who first believe that they are little could see attraction there. Treachery to the Son of God is the defense of those who do not identify with him. And you are for him or against him; either you love him or attack him, protect his unity or see him shattered and slain by your attack.
 
71 No one believes the Son of God is powerless. And those who see themselves as helpless must believe that they are not the Son of God. What can they be except his enemy? And what can they do but envy him his power and by their envy make themselves afraid of it? These are the dark ones, silent and afraid, alone and not communicating, fearful the power of the Son of God will strike them dead and raising up their helplessness against him. They join the army of the powerless, to wage their war of vengeance, bitterness, and spite on him to make him one with them. Because they do not know that they are one with him, they know not whom they hate. They are indeed a sorry army, each one as likely to attack his brother or turn upon himself as to remember they thought they had a common cause.
 
72 Frantic and loud and strong the dark ones seem to be. Yet they know not their enemy, except they hate him. In hatred they have come together but have not joined each other. For had they done so, hatred would be impossible. The army of the powerless must be disbanded in the presence of strength. Those who are strong are never treacherous because they have no need to dream of power and to act out their dream. How would an army act in dreams? Any way at all. It could be seen attacking anyone with anything. Dreams have no reason in them. A flower turns into a poisoned spear, a child becomes a giant, and a mouse roars like a lion. And love is turned to hate as easily. This is no army, but a madhouse. What seems to be a planned attack is bedlam.
 
73 The army of the powerless is weak indeed. It has no weapons, and it has no enemy. Yes, it can overrun the world and seek an enemy. But it can never find what is not there. Yes, it can dream it found an enemy, but this will shift even as it attacks, so that it runs at once to find another and never comes to rest in victory. And as it runs, it turns against itself, thinking it caught a glimpse of the great enemy which always eludes its murderous attack by turning into something else. How treacherous does this enemy appear, who changes so it is impossible even to recognize him!
 
74 Yet hate must have a target. There can be no faith in sin without an enemy. Who that believes in sin would dare believe he has no enemy? Could he admit that no one made him powerless? Reason would surely bid him seek no longer what is not there to find. Yet first he must be willing to perceive a world where it is not. It is not necessary that he understand how he can see it. Nor should he try. For if he focuses on what he cannot understand, he will but emphasize his helplessness and let sin tell him that his enemy must be himself. But let him only ask himself these questions, which he must decide to have it done for him:
 
75 Do I desire a world I rule instead of one which rules me?
   Do I desire a world where I am powerful instead of helpless?
   Do I desire a world in which I have no enemies and cannot sin?

   And do I want to see what I denied because it is the truth? 
 
76 You have already answered the first three questions but not yet the last. For this one still seems fearful and unlike the others. Yet reason would assure you they are all the same. We said this year would emphasize the sameness of things that are the same. This final question, which is indeed the last you need decide, still seems to hold a threat the rest have lost for you. And this imagined difference attests to your belief that truth may be the enemy you yet may find. Here, then, would seem to be the last remaining hope of finding sin and not accepting power.
 
77 Forget not that the choice of truth or sin, power or helplessness, is the choice of whether to attack or heal. For healing comes of power and attack of helplessness. Whom you attack you cannot want to heal. And whom you would have healed must be the one you chose to be protected from attack. And what is this decision but the choice whether to see him through the body's eyes or let him be revealed to you through vision? How this decision leads to its effects is not your problem. But what you want to see must be your choice. This is a course in cause and not effect.
 
78 Consider carefully your answer to the last question you have left unanswered still. And let your reason tell you that it must be answered and is answered in the other three. And then it will be clear to you that, as you look on the effects of sin in any form, all you need do is simply ask yourself,
 
79 Is this what I would see? Do I want this?
 
80 This is your one decision; this the condition for what occurs. It is irrelevant to how it happens but not to why. You have control of this. And if you choose to see a world without an enemy in which you are not helpless, the means to see it will be given you.
 
81 Why is the final question so important? Reason will tell you why. It is the same as are the other three except in time. The others are decisions which can be made and then unmade and made again. But truth is constant and implies a state where vacillations are impossible. You can desire a world you rule which rules you not, and change your mind. You can desire to exchange your helplessness for power, and lose this same desire as a little glint of sin attracts you. And you can want to see a sinless world and let an "enemy" tempt you to use the body's eyes and change what you desire.
 
82 In content, all the questions are the same. For each one asks if you are willing to exchange the world of sin for what the Holy Spirit sees, since it is this the world of sin denies. And therefore those who look on sin are seeing the denial of the real world. Yet the last question adds the wish for constancy in your desire to see the real world, so the desire becomes the only one you have. By answering the final question "yes," you add sincerity to the decisions you have already made to all the rest. For only then have you renounced the option to change your mind again. When it is this you do not want, the rest are wholly answered.
 
83 Why do you think you are unsure the others have been answered? Could it be necessary they be asked so often, if they had? Until the last decision has been made, the answer is both "yes" and "no." For you have answered "yes" without perceiving that "yes" must mean "not no." No one decides against his happiness, but he may do so if he does not see he does it. And if he sees his happiness as ever changing, now this, now that, and now an elusive shadow attached to nothing, he does decide against it.
 
84 Elusive happiness, or happiness in changing form that shifts with time and place, is an illusion which has no meaning. Happiness must be constant because it is attained by giving up the wish for the inconstant. Joy cannot be perceived except through constant vision. And constant vision can be given only those who wish for constancy. The power of the Son of God's desire remains the proof that he is wrong who sees himself as helpless. Desire what you will, and you will look on it and think it real. No thought but has the power to release or kill. And none can leave the thinker's mind or leave him unaffected.
 
   

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