To gain the most from A Course in Miracles Lesson Insights, we recommend
that you read the corresponding lesson in the Workbook of the Second or
Third Edition of A Course in Miracles published by the Foundation for Inner Peace.
Review: “My mind holds only what I think with God.” and
“I will accept Atonement for myself. Only salvation can be said to cure.”
Only returning to God will cure all sorrow and all pain, all lack and loss. We all came from God and have never left God in truth. We experience something other than our true Self, our Source, when we join with the ego thought system. We join with the ego thought system by identifying with its beliefs, its thoughts, its false ideas.
All the false ideas found within the ego thought system are founded on the belief that we are separate from our true Self, that we are separate from God’s Love. When we believe we are separate from God’s Love, we can’t help but experience sorrow and pain, lack and feelings of loss. Belief in the ego thought system is belief in the death of our one Self.
The only cure or antidote for the pain and loss we feel is accepting Atonement for ourselves. Accepting Atonement means accepting a change of mind, accepting a return to the truth, accepting God’s Love, returning to our right mind, remembering that our mind holds only what we think with God. Only this return to the truth is a true and lasting cure for all the ills of the world. Our real salvation comes as we return to our one true Identity which alone is real. We delay this return when we get so wrapped up in the world’s activities that there is no “time” left to devote to God.
God is my salvation. God is the cure to every ill, every sense of lack, and return to God is the only answer; return to Love is the only answer. Today I will practice letting my mind open to receive the truth about myself and my brothers. It is only the truth of our oneness in Love that provides the real answer I seek.
It is helpful to remember that the Course defines Atonement as perfect Love. It also says it is the undoing of what never happened. It is not paying for or doing penance to expiate sin. Atonement does not make sin real, but in fact recognizes its unreality.
This is a reversal of most Christian teaching and is an example of the many ways the Course redefines many religious terms as part of the complete thought reversal it is leading us toward. In the Manual for Teachers, Atonement, salvation, forgiveness and healing are all equated as one.
There is no sacrifice in Atonement or salvation, only healing and forgiveness. Through forgiveness I learn to see innocence everywhere. As I see innocence, I see harmlessness and I return to the awareness of God’s perfect safety and His Love. I no longer need to defend against the truth but rather see it as my Source of happiness, peace and freedom.
The recognition that this world is all illusion means that all the interactions between bodies and forms have no effect whatsoever on Reality. What is unreal cannot affect Reality at all. I begin to see, as truth replaces illusion in my awareness, that nothing has ever really happened to change me in any way. Thus forgiveness is natural, for it is recognized that in truth, there is nothing to forgive. This recognition opens my mind to the awareness that it holds nothing but the thoughts of Love I think with God. Step by step, these lessons are guiding me to the full acceptance of my Self, as I was created.
A passage that means a lot to me is, “The Holy Spirit is not delayed in His teaching by your mistakes. He can be held back only by your unwillingness to let them go.” I have posted this where I will see it frequently. It is important to me that I remind myself that my errors have no real effects. There is no reason for me to feel guilty or afraid because of them. Experiencing fear and guilt is just my way of clinging to my errors. I choose, instead, to release them. This is a way that I accept Atonement for myself.
© 2003, Pathways of Light • www.pathwaysoflight.org • Toll-free: 1-800-323-7284
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.
Has this page been helpful to you?
Your contribution in support of this site is greatly appreciated. To make a tax deductible contribution or become a member online, go to http://www.pathwaysoflight.org/polshop/home.php?cat=254.
Or send a check or money order to Pathways of Light, 6 Oak Court, Ormond Beach, FL 32174-2623 (USD only, please) Thank you for your support.