I will accept my part in God’s plan for salvation.
A nontrivial aspect of awakening as A Course in Miracles anticipates it is realizing that our true Self is free of error, including the error of believing that sin is possible. Accepting this becomes a gateway to realizing that we are not bodies but “thoughts in the mind of God,” for whom only joy and peace are possible.
The guiltless have no fear, for they are safe and recognize their safety. They do not appeal to magic, nor invent escapes from fancied threats without reality. They rest in quiet certainty that they will do what it is given them to do (W-pI.98.3:1-3).
Our function is to accept atonement for ourselves, which naturally aligns us with our healed mind, which naturally extends a quiet joy and peace unto the world. As the course makes clear, in choosing salvation and bringing forth its effects, we are not alone (e.g., W-pI.98.4:4).
Our acceptance of atonement will assume a worldly form. We might find ourselves taking a new approach to our marriage or to parenting. Perhaps we will find a new job or move to a new city. Go to therapy, do yoga, hike the Appalachian Trail.
The form our function takes is not what matters. What matters is what we extend through that form. And the critical element of this is getting out of our own way. We don’t demand that life do this and that. We don’t become addicted to perfect outcomes as ego would have them. We become passive without quitting. We’re watching, we’re here but we aren’t addicted. We aren’t invested.
This means that we have to be willing to let ego go. Ego is simply the voice that constantly narrates our living, constantly judging and assessing it, forever reinforcing the fundamental separation of a self split from both Creator and Creation.
The Holy Spirit is our alternative to ego. When ego is let go, the Holy Instant reappears. We remember it and in it the Holy Spirit speaks.
He will enable you to understand your special function. He will open up the way to happiness, and peace and trust will be His gifts . . . And you will have conviction then of Him Who knows the function that you have on earth as well as Heaven (W-pI.98.9:2-3, 5).
In this way, the Holy Spirit becomes our Teacher, gently teaching us how to notice ego and let go of ego, and thus to prefer the creativity and grace of liberation. We meet our own Self, and that Self is not apart from God. When we know this as our reality, it becomes all that we teach in turn.
Sean,
Seems like you are taking a dreamy approach to this lesson.
It is feeling in me like a call to arms. I’m going to spend my 5 sacred minutes with God every hour.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
Kathy
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for reading & sharing some thoughts. I never thought of it as a dreamy approach but what do I know! I’m glad you hear the lesson as a call to arms. I think that sense of urgency can be very important in breaking through the casualness that often infects our study and practice. Please don’t feel that I think my approach or opinion is better or more helpful than any other – in general, the Course seems to meet serious students where they are and to offer them as much insight as they manage at that point in their process. I’m learning, too. And of course, I’d be delighted if you want to report back on your sacred time with God. Please do!
Thanks again for being here.
Love,
Sean
Your blog is one of the blogs which I enjoy reading every day. I like to read the different insights to the Course lessons! Blessings to you, Jamie
Thank you, Jamie – I appreciate those kind words very much, and I am glad you are here with me.
Love,
Sean