A Course in Miracles Lesson 68

Love holds no grievances.

Grievances are footholds and handholds for ego because they obscure entirely the truth of our creation by love as love. “To hold a grievance is to let the ego rule your mind and condemn the body to death” (W-pI.68.1:4). This is because grievances are tacit admissions that we believe are bodies and thus vulnerable to attack of all kinds.

When we identify as bodies, we separate ourselves from our Creator and from Creation. It is the equivalent of falling into a deep sleep, and dreaming of war, suffering and cruel gods who make it all so. This is the essence of illusion! Our Self “appears to sleep” and the part of our mind given to making illusions “appears to be awake” (W-pI.68.2:1).

“Appears” is key word here. Illusions are different from hallucinations. When we hallucinate, we see something that is not there. When we “see” an illusion, we are confused about what is there. It’s like looking at a bit of rope and thinking it’s a snake.

A Course in Miracles restores perception to right-mindedness, which means we see clearly, and our clear seeing becomes the means by which our mind opens to remembrance of its true nature by remembering its Creator.

In this way, the course is the alternative to the egoic trick of making an image of God and going to war with it.

It is as sure that those who hold grievances will redefine God in their own image, as it is certain that God created them like Himself, and defined them as part of Him . . . It is sure that those who hold grievances will forget who they are, as it is certain that those who forgive will remember (W-pI.68.3:1, 3).

If we let go of grievances, then we will know peace because we will know what we are in truth.

This is a big step for many of us because grievances seem impossible to release grievances. They feel inevitable, unavoidable. If we could release them, then we would have!

And yet.

It is imperative that we realize that we hold grievances because we like them. Yes, this is ego’s work. But ego functions because we choose to let ego function. We have to come to the insight that this is happening because we want it to happen. Then, when the impossibility of relinquishment appears, we can avail ourselves of help.

Love holds no grievances. I would wake to my Self by laying all my grievances aside and wakening in Him (W-pI.68.7:5-6).

Here the split is made clear. The mind that is under ego’s spell cannot let go of grievances. But what we are in truth can. Therefore, the work is simply to trust God and our Teacher – be it Jesus or the Holy Spirit – and allow them to turn our mind away from grievances and towards healing.

This is a miracle and as a miracle it does not acknowledge degrees of difficulty (e.g., T-1.I.1:1).

Note the subtle way in which this lesson reminds us that our healing is not separate from that of our brothers and sisters. We hold grievances against them; as they do against us. Therefore, when we release those grievances, we also release our brother and sisters.

In this way we are no longer “alone in all the universe in the perception of ourself” (W-pI.68.5:5) but joined with our brothers and sisters, all “equal in God’s Love” (T-31.II.7:1).

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