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July-September, 2015

Releasing Resistance to Discover Peace

by Rev. Michael Graves, O.M.C.

During a recent Sunday ACIM teleconference study group (which I highly recommend) we were reading and discussing one of the lessons in the Workbook. As we read, we began sharing on a variety of different topics. You just never know what direction Holy Spirit will take a group of like-minded people. I think that is what I like most about these teleconference sessions. It is sort of like a weekly spiritual adventure.

As the session progressed, one of the participants asked a great question about the best way to access Spirit. Or as they put it, what are the “mechanics” of calling on Spirit when we need help. That question generated a lot of great shares and experiences on the subject. Then someone shared about how they had been “stripped” of almost all of their worldly sources of security and support they had relied on over the last thirty years. This lead to losing most of their material possessions and landed them in the home of a relative.

As the discussion and sharing on this subject went on, thoughts started coming to mind about my own lessons in this area. One of the biggest gifts that I received from going through the Pathways of Light ministerial training was in this very area.

What I discovered was that there was never a time when I had truly been dumped on by life. It may have seemed like it at times, but upon closer inspection and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it became clear that the situations and everything in them were perfectly orchestrated to teach me exactly what I needed to learn in the exact way I needed to learn it. Which of course meant that on some level, all of those people that I thought were the biggest problems in my life were actually Divine masters sent to help me learn. That was really hard for me to accept because I never thought that among other things, I would have to send an alimony check to one of my Divine masters. But as A Course in Miracles says, “Beware of the temptation to perceive yourself unfairly treated.” (T-26.X.4:1)

The most helpful thing I learned was that I actually create my own pain through my resistance to a situation. The more I push against it, the more pain and fear I seem to feel. I have heard it said that “What I resist persists and what I look at will disappear.” I have found that to be true. Albert Einstein said that, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” 

While it is still difficult to accept at times, I have learned to turn towards what is bothering me and simply ask Spirit what this thing is here to teach me and then be open to hear the answer. I can actually be grateful for the opportunity to grow and move towards a more functional and peaceful life.

The recent Workbook lessons have been particularly helpful to me in this area. The title of Lesson 33 is, “There is another way of looking at this.” and the title of lesson 34 is, “I could see peace instead of this.” In paragraph one it says, “The idea for today begins to describe the conditions that prevail in the other way of seeing. Peace of mind is clearly an internal matter. It must begin with your own thoughts, and then extend outward. It is from your peaceful mind that a peaceful perception of the world arises.”

Personally, I feel blessed to know where to turn to find “The Peace of God that passes all understanding” (Philip. 4:7) and it is my commitment to spread this message by word and deed, to as many of my brothers as I can.

© 2015, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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