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Manual for Teachers: X. Open-Mindedness, P 2. 1-3-18

X. Open-Mindedness, P 2
2 How do the open-minded forgive? They have let go all things that would prevent forgiveness. They have in truth abandoned the world, and let it be restored to them in newness and in joy so glorious they could never have conceived of such a change. Nothing is now as it was formerly. Nothing but sparkles now which seemed so dull and lifeless before. And above all are all things welcoming, for threat is gone. No clouds remain to hide the face of Christ. Now is the goal achieved. Forgiveness is the final goal of the curriculum. It paves the way for what goes far beyond all learning. The curriculum makes no effort to exceed its legitimate goal. Forgiveness is its single aim, at which all learning ultimately converges. It is indeed enough.

Journal

Jesus says that the open-minded have forgiven as they let go of all things that would prevent forgiveness. So I ask myself, “What is in the way of total forgiveness in my mind?” I can find a few images in my life that indicate to me that I have not forgiven. For instance, there is a guy who drops by my page once in a while to make a snide remark about my post, and I often feel an emotional reaction toward this. So I see something in my life that is preventing forgiveness.

And no, it is not the offending guy, but the belief that I can be offended, that is preventing forgiveness. The guy is just offering me another chance to move closer to forgiveness and thus to open-mindedness. There are not many of these images for me to look at, but there are some. Often they are directed at myself, things I wish I had not done.

But, I have come to realize that the images, while helpful to let me see that there is still unforgiveness in my heart, are not the problem. If I ask myself why it is I am upset by this image, I come closer to knowing what it is that is preventing forgiveness. For instance, if I ask myself why it is that I am upset with this guy who keeps poking at me, I find that I don’t know. Haha. Well, I can ask the Holy Spirit to help me see what is going on here.

When I asked for His help, I received the word, insecure. I feel insecure when this happens. That’s a surprise! I never think of myself as insecure, especially when it comes to my spiritual understanding. I know that I am not always right, but I also know that my understanding will grow as I keep opening to my Teacher’s help.

Webster says that insecure means not confident, not certain, not safe. Ah! I see now. There is a place in my mind that is not certain of anything and this makes me feel unsafe. Following the process of asking why I am upset, this insecurity, this uncertainty, opens the possibility that the truth is not true. This is why I feel unsafe.

What if my ego mind is right and the other mind, the part I think of as my holy mind and my true self is just a delusion. This is what ego would have me believe. This belief is what must be forgiven and thus healed. It is maybe the ultimate forgiveness. As I forgive this in my mind, I am open to accepting the truth wholeheartedly.

I know that forgiveness is my desire and the path to peace and happiness. I give the Holy Spirit everything in my mind that opposes the desire for forgiveness. I have no need for any of it and I find no value in retaining it. This is why I practice A Course in Miracles. Jesus says this about the Course. “Forgiveness is the final goal of the curriculum. It paves the way for what goes far beyond all learning.” It also says that this is enough to accomplish the rest.

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