"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists.
Herein Lies the peace of God."
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A
Course in Miracles
MANUAL for TEACHERS
14. How Will the World End?
1
Can what has no beginning really end? The world will end in an illusion, as it began. Yet will its ending be an illusion of mercy. The illusion of forgiveness, complete, excluding no one, limitless in gentleness, will cover it, hiding all evil, concealing all sin, and ending guilt forever. So ends the world that guilt had made, for now it has no purpose and is gone. The father of illusions is the belief that they have a purpose; that they serve a need or gratify a want. Perceived as purposeless, they are no longer seen. Their uselessness is recognized, and they are gone. How but in this way are all illusions ended? They have been brought to truth, and truth saw them not. It merely overlooked the meaningless.
2
Until forgiveness is complete, the world does have a purpose. It becomes the home in which forgiveness is born and where it grows and becomes stronger and more all embracing. Here is it nourished, for here it is needed. A gentle Savior, born where sin was made and guilt seemed real. Here is His home, for here there is need of Him indeed. He brings the ending of the world with Him. It is His Call God's teachers answer, turning to Him in silence to receive His Word. The world will end when all things in it have been rightly judged by His judgment. The world will end with the benediction of holiness upon it. When not one thought of sin remains, the world is over. It will not be destroyed nor attacked nor even touched. It will merely cease to seem to be.
3
Certainly this seems to be a long, long while away. "When not one thought of sin remains" appears to be a long-range goal indeed. But time stands still and waits on the goals of God's teachers. Not one thought of sin will remain the instant any one of them accepts the Atonement for himself. It is not easier to forgive one sin than to forgive all of them. The illusion of orders of difficulty is an obstacle the teacher of God must learn to pass by and leave behind. One sin perfectly forgiven by one teacher of God can make salvation complete. Can you understand this? No; it is meaningless to anyone here. Yet it is the final lesson in which unity is restored. It goes against all the thinking of the world, but so does Heaven.
4
The world will end when its thought system has been completely reversed. Until then, bits and pieces of its thinking will still seem sensible. The final lesson which brings the ending of the world cannot be grasped by those not yet prepared to leave the world and go beyond its tiny reach. What, then, is the function of the teacher of God in this concluding lesson? He need merely learn how to approach it, to be willing to go in its direction. He need merely trust that, if God's Voice tells him it is a lesson he can learn, he can learn it. He does not judge it either as hard or easy. His Teacher points to it, and he trusts that He will show him how to learn it.
5
The world will end in joy because it is a place of sorrow. When joy has come, the purpose of the world has gone. The world will end in peace because it is a place of war. When peace has come, what is the purpose of the world? The world will end in laughter because it is a place of tears. Where there is laughter, who can longer weep? And only complete forgiveness brings all this to bless the world. In blessing it departs, for it will not end as it began. To turn hell into Heaven is the function of God's teachers, for what they teach are lessons in which Heaven is reflected. And now sit down in true humility and realize that all God would have you do you can do. Do not be arrogant and say you cannot learn His own curriculum. His Word says otherwise. His Will be done. It cannot be otherwise. And be you thankful it is so.
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A
Course in Miracles
MANUAL for TEACHERS
15. Is Each One to Be Judged in the End?
1
Indeed yes! No one can escape God's Final Judgment. Who could flee forever from the truth? But the Final Judgment will not come until it is no longer associated with fear. One day each one will welcome it, and on that very day it will be given him. He will hear his sinlessness proclaimed around and around the world, setting it free as God's Final Judgment on him is received. This is the judgment in which salvation lies. This is the judgment that will set him free. This is the judgment in which all things are freed with him. Time pauses as eternity comes near, and silence lies across the world that everyone may hear this judgment of the Son of God:
2
Holy are you, eternal, free, and whole, at peace forever in the Heart of God. Where is the world and where is sorrow now?
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Is this your judgment on yourself, teacher of God? Do you believe that this is wholly true? No, not yet, not yet. But this is still your goal—why you are here. It is your function to prepare yourself to hear this judgment and to recognize that it is true. One instant of complete belief in this, and you will go beyond belief to certainty. One instant out of time can bring time's end. Judge not, for you but judge yourself and thus delay this Final Judgment. What is your judgment on the world, teacher of God? Have you yet learned to stand aside and hear the Voice of Judgment in yourself? Or do you still attempt to take His role from Him? Learn to be quiet, for His Voice is heard in stillness. And His Judgment comes to all who stand aside in quiet listening and wait for Him.
4
You who are sometimes sad and sometimes angry, who sometimes feel your just due is not given you and your best efforts meet with lack of appreciation and even contempt, give up these foolish thoughts. They are too small and meaningless to occupy your holy minds an instant longer. God's judgment waits for you to set you free. What can the world hold out to you, regardless of your judgments on its gifts, that you would rather have? You will be judged, and judged in fairness and in honesty. There is no deceit in God. His promises are sure. Only remember that. His promises have guaranteed that His judgment, and His alone, will be accepted in the end. It is your function to make that end be soon. It is your function to hold it to your heart and offer it to all the world to keep it safe.
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A Course in Miracles
WORKBOOK
Part II
What Am I?
1
I am God's Son, complete and healed and whole, shining in the reflection of His Love. In me is His creation sanctified and guaranteed eternal life. In me is love perfected, fear impossible, and joy established without opposite. I am the holy home of God Himself. I am the Heaven where His Love resides. I am His holy sinlessness itself, for in my purity abides His own.
2
Our use for words is almost over now. Yet in the final days of this one year we gave to God together, you and I, we found a single purpose that we shared. And thus you joined with me. So what I am are you as well. The truth of what we are is not for words to speak of nor describe. Yet we can realize our function here, and words can speak of this and teach it, too, if we exemplify the words in us.
3
We are the bringers of salvation. We accept our part as saviors of the world, which through our joint forgiveness is redeemed. And this, our gift, is therefore given us. We look on everyone as brothers and perceive all things as kindly and as good. We do not seek a function that is past the gates of Heaven. Knowledge will return when we have done our part. We are concerned only with giving welcome to the truth.
4
Ours are the eyes through which Christ's vision sees a world redeemed from every thought of sin. Ours are the ears that hear the Voice of God proclaim the world as sinless. Ours the minds which join together as we bless the world. And from the oneness that we have attained we call to all our brothers, asking them to share our peace and consummate our joy.
5
We are the holy messengers of God who speak for Him, and carrying His Word to everyone whom He has sent to us, we learn that it is written on our hearts. And thus our minds are changed about the aim for which we came and which we seek to serve. We bring glad tidings to the Son of God, who thought he suffered. Now is he redeemed. And as he sees the gate of Heaven stand open before him, he will enter in and disappear into the Heart of God.
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A Course in Miracles
WORKBOOK
Lesson 353
My eyes, my tongue, my hands, my feet today
Have but one purpose---to be given Christ
To use to bless the world with miracles.
1
Father, I give all that is mine today to Christ to use in any way that best will serve the purpose that I share with Him. Nothing is mine alone, for He and I have joined in purpose. Thus has learning come almost to its appointed end. A while I work with Him to serve His purpose. Then I lose myself in my identity and recognize that Christ is but my Self.
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ACIM Edmonton
Sarah's Reflections
Lesson 353
My eyes, my tongue, my hands, my feet today
Have but one purpose---to be given Christ
To use to bless the world with miracles.
Sarah's Commentary:
Our bodies, which were made by the ego, can be given over to the Holy Spirit for His holy purpose to bless the world with miracles. We were talking over breakfast this morning about how much time we spend focusing on what is going on in the world that we don’t like, whether gossiping about what others are doing, debating world issues, or lamenting the state of things. In the psychological system known as
transactional analysis
, this type of activity is labeled as the game of "ain't it awful," and we can spend a big part of our lives engaged in it. We seem to hold opinions about everything coming from the "I know mind." Yet our time, when used for the purpose of waking up to who we really are, is spent in communion with the Divine.
"Father, I give all that is mine today to Christ, to use in any way that best will serve the purpose that I share with Him."
(W.353.1.1)
What this means is that we must stay vigilant, witnessing to our thoughts and opinions so the judgments, which keep us invested in the illusion, can be given to the Holy Spirit to be released. The only valuable purpose for time is forgiveness. To know what we need to let go of, we must become aware of the judgments we are making and give them over to the Holy Spirit for healing. When we turn to the Holy Spirit within to show us how to see every person and situation that we encounter in our day, we humbly give up our ideas and recognize that we truly don’t know anything. We become an example for others that there is always another choice available in the mind than to look with judgment. Yes, judgments will come up, but we don't have to give them attention. We can remember to laugh at the idea that there is any reality in this world. The only problem that we have is when we take everything seriously.
Peace can only be extended through us when we experience it within. There is nothing we need to do for this peace. It is already what is given us in our creation. When we don't experience it, we are blocking it with our own thoughts and ideas. It is not dependent on anything external, or on anything happening, or not happening. We may have a flat tire, lose our wallet, burn the cake, or break a leg, but we can still choose peace. If our mind is disturbed by any situation or event, it is an opportunity for healing. Watching our thoughts, without judging ourselves, is to watch the movie of our lives as we sit with Jesus in the theater, observing the play. Non-judgmental awareness starts the transformation process. It allows us to observe our pattern of thinking and our behaviors from a neutral place, and that is a healing process in itself. If we get triggered by something, it does not make us wrong. It means that there is some gold to be mined in seeing what we are defending. All we need to do is be willing to look.
When we willingly bring any darkness in our mind to the light, the Holy Spirit shines away the blocks to the awareness of the presence of love in us. Rather than lament our perceived problems, we can choose to see every issue as another opportunity for healing. Purpose answers the question, "What is it for?" Will we use this situation for our needs, our specialness, to hold grievances, to attack, to win, and to be right; or will we release the blocks to love through forgiveness? It is up to us to choose.
Everything we have made brings us pain. When we think of our lives, they are constantly challenged by daily demands that we place on ourselves, which can never be perfectly met. We live with limitation, loss, demands, expectations, and disappointments, which are all based on what we value. When we relinquish our investment in our specialness, we come to know our Identity as we were created. Specialness is what we have made of ourselves. It is the state of separation from love.
Jesus tells us,
"Your mind will elect to join with mine, and together we are invincible."
(T.4.IV.11.5) (ACIM OE T.4.V.67) When we do the healing in relation to some difficulty with another, a shift happens energetically in the relationship, even when the other person seems not to be involved. It thus only takes one of us to heal any relationship. We share the same purpose and the same Christ Self. There is only One Mind. The power of the miracle, working in any situation, brings this reality to awareness. The other person in the relationship will accept the gift of freedom offered through our healing when they are ready, but the gift that has been given has been received by some part of the mind the moment it is given.
In the Manual for Teachers, Jesus asks us if we still select some aspects of our lives for healing while keeping others apart. He says:
"The extent of the teacher of God’s faithfulness is the measure of his advancement in the curriculum. Does he still select some aspects of his life to bring to his learning, while keeping others apart? If so, his advancement is limited, and his trust not yet firmly established."
(M.4.IX.1.1-3) When we are truly faithful, we live in a state of trust.
"Generally, his faithfulness begins by resting on just some problems,"
(M.4.IX.1.5) while we keep others for ourselves.
"To give up all problems to one Answer is to reverse the thinking of the world entirely. And that alone is faithfulness."
(M.4.IX.1.6-7) There are still things we figure we can manage on our own and do not need to stop and ask for His help. We are still just taking small steps in this process of turning inward for guidance in everything. Jesus assures us that each of the steps we take is a worthwhile achievement in our journey to faithfulness and our goal of peace. There is only one worthwhile function for these bodies and it is to let God's Voice speak through them.
When we bring faithfulness to our lives, Jesus says that we exhibit all the other attributes of God's Teachers, which are trust, honesty, tolerance, gentleness, joy, defenselessness, generosity, patience, and open-mindedness. Our only purpose here is to
"bless the world with miracles"
(W.353) by giving
"all that is mine today to Christ."
(W.353.1.1) It is based on a willingness to be vulnerable. It requires honest self-reflection. It requires giving up defenses‑-- the façade we hide behind in our attempt to maintain our false self. We are called to notice when we are acting out an old pattern. I recently had an incident where a friend became upset with something I said. I felt hurt and unjustly accused. I could not shake the feeling and wondered why such a small incident was so upsetting to me. It was not until I was willing to look more deeply that I remembered a similar feeling of victimhood from the past. I carried a mantra of, "No one understands me." I felt sorry for myself and not only felt misunderstood, but unfairly treated. I recently discovered my inner child that was indignant about the ways of the world. I was willing to see that this pattern did not serve me, but kept me in despair. My deep hurt had nothing to do with the current incident. A healed mind would not be upset by what others are thinking or saying.
When
"I give all that is mine today to Christ, to use in any way that best will serve the purpose that I share with Him,"
(W.353.1.1) I learn that nothing is for me alone. When we reach that place in our learning, Jesus says that our journey here is almost over. I know how much I still withhold from the Holy Spirit to be used for my own purposes. I also know that each time I turn to Him, I make progress. I am aware that so much more darkness has come to light for me as I have willingly looked at those places in my mind that I had previously chosen to overlook, to cover over with niceties, or to hide from myself. I no longer feel the same need to defend and protect my hateful, judgmental thoughts by diminishing them as minor irritations. I can look at it all much more dispassionately and see the pockets of hate and judgment. The Holy Spirit never judges us, so it is always safe to look with Him.
Jesus tells us that he does not ask for our adoration of him. He only wants us to bring our pain, our suffering, and our hurts to him. He knows that bringing awareness to these places in us, which we defend so vigorously, is how we achieve healing. Thus, we need to look at our hate, our specialness, our judgments, our guilt, our shame, and the anger within our mind, and not condemn and judge ourselves, but simply observe. In quantum physics, we are told that the observer changes the observed just by witnessing it. That is all we need to do. Our part is simply to notice our patterns and observe them with compassion. If we really want to heal, we need to welcome everything that shows up in our mind and bring it all to awareness; yet see its unreality.
We sometimes get discouraged when the darkness of our egos comes to awareness. Yet this is the time to recognize that it is there because we are ready to see it. We have asked for healing. Everything that needs to be healed will come to our attention as we are ready to look at it. The more we welcome it, the easier the process becomes.
Using our bodies and our resources to bring miracles is the true purpose of our lives. It is the only thing that will make us happy. Nothing else. We give up trying to get and instead we look to see where we can give. We have no identity other than our Identity in Christ. We have no role other than to join with Jesus to bless the world with miracles. We experience the joy of giving with no expectation but also with no sense of sacrifice; and then our lives become increasingly peaceful and joyous, as judgment, guilt, and fear fall away. We now have a foundation and no longer feel that we are victims of changing circumstances and unexpected events as our confidence, trust, and faith grow. This is about letting go, breathing deeply, and allowing the stress of trying so hard to be released.
Jesus talks of the importance of the purpose we share with him. As we join in purpose in this classroom with Jesus, we are invited to ask him continuously:
"What would You have me do? Where would You have me go? What would You have me say, and to whom?"
(W.72.9.3-5) When the blocks are cleared away, everything we do comes from love. It is a natural response and does not require a lot of soul searching but comes naturally. As we come to know our Identity, we understand that there is no sacrifice, since we only serve our One Self. Thus, our true Will, joined with God, is set free.
I end on a note of gratitude for the help and support on this journey. I thank you for your part in my awakening and am forever grateful we are all going home together, supporting each other every step of the way as we let Him use our eyes, our tongue, our hands, and our feet today for just one purpose.
Love and blessings, Sarah
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