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.
“This day is God’s. It is my gift to Him.”
This lesson is another example of remembering that giving and receiving are the same. When I give my day to God, I am open to receive His gifts. When I think I have a will different from His, I am choosing against God and against His gifts. I think I want something else.
It is interesting to observe the subtle ways I attempt to tell God what to do. I may say I am open to His Will, yet I may have conditions in which I will receive His Will. I may be willing to accept His Will provided I don’t have to move or I can have a certain relationship I think is important or I can have the kind of clothes I think are important. These conditions I hold in my mind are there only because I believe my will is not the same as God’s. I believe I know what will make me happy and I’m not really sure God’s Will will make me happy.
There is a suspicion in the back of my mind that God demands sacrifice, which is another way of saying God doesn’t care about my happiness. Yet the Course says His Will for me is perfect happiness. So I must be missing something. I am believing the ego’s lies that tell me specialness will bring me happiness. But when I seek specialness, I must also choose to be separate from God’s Love. Thus I am missing His Love and misinterpreting what His Love is.
The ego doesn’t tell me that it’s substitute for love — specialness — will never satisfy. In fact, choosing specialness is literally self-sacrifice. To have specialness, I must give up awareness of my Self, which is limitless, eternal Love. Specialness is an attempt to limit Love, yet Love cannot be limited and be Love.
And so today I choose to give my day to God without reservation. Thus I open my heart to receive the gift of All That is, the gift of Love. There is no greater treasure. Nothing else can bring me perfect happiness and peace that cannot be disturbed. Thank You God for Your gifts to me.
Giving my day to God is the same as giving my day to the truth. This world of separation is a defense against God. Today I would practice refraining from defending against the truth. Today I would let my mind be quiet. Today I would practice opening to my real Life, the Life I live in God eternally. Today I would practice opening my mind and listening to the Holy Spirit, Which is my bridge of return to the truth.
I give this day to recognizing only God is real. I would let myself be carried by the Wings of Peace. I would let my perceptions be transformed so what is not true disappears and falls away into the nothingness that it is.
Today I would take all thoughts of apprehension or worry to God. God is Where my true safety lies. I would return to the one Identity That is real. I open my mind to God and let all false ideas of division fall away. The truth is true and nothing else is true. God is real and nothing else is real. I give this day to God.
I didn’t think there was much for me to surrender to God today. As I sat there letting my mind wander, little worries started popping up and the list turned out to be longer than I would have thought. I gave it all to Holy Spirit and asked Him to show me a new way of seeing them. I told God that I surrender my entire day to Him and I didn’t have any suggestions as to how it is to go. I asked Holy Spirit to keep an eye on me and if I start taking parts of it back to remind me of my commitment.
My reaction is interesting. I feel elated; then I feel nervous. Doing everything myself and being in control is a lifelong habit for me and one I’ve been taught is both vital for my survival and is my responsibility and not to be shirked. So, I give that reaction to Holy Spirit. I really think I can afford to trust the Creator of the universe with the important issues of my life for just one single day. After I see how He does with today, I’ll make a decision about tomorrow. (That is meant as ironic humor-I think!)
Ha! I too am still trying to bargain with God. I found myself saying I need to get this done and THEN I’ll let God do the rest. How arrogant!
I have to remind myself that God really does have all the right answers, not me, who is but a vessel. God knows what to say, when to do it, what to do and what experiences I need. Every time I think I have surrendered, I have these little reminders.
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