Daily Inspiration for Living A Course in Miracles

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Accepting the Self Love Created

Love created me like Itself.

I am in the likeness of my Creator. I cannot suffer, I cannot experience loss and I cannot die. I am not a body. I would recognize my reality today. I will worship no idols, nor raise my own self-concept to replace my Self. I am in the likeness of my Creator. Love created me like Itself.

You might find these specific forms helpful in applying the idea:

Let me not see an illusion of myself in this.
As I look on this, let me remember my Creator.
My Creator did not create this as I see it. (A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson 84, W-pI.84. See also ACIM Lesson 84 Insights.)

When we see ourselves as a body, we are joining with the ego’s grievance against God. We are identifying with an ego idol that stands in the way of our recognition of the Self God created like Himself. Because God is one, it is impossible that He could create something that is separate from Him. Were separation to be accomplished, it would mean the death of God and the elimination of Love.

That is why the ego’s world is loveless. It is time to disconnect from this mistaken identity. We are not the ego nor any of its idols of separation. When we affirm that Love created us like Itself we are returning our allegiance to the truth. We are returning to Love as our Identity.

As we accept our Identity as Love, the images of the world diminish in importance. Increasingly we see beyond them. Our judgments shift from attempts to make separation real to vision that sees beyond the forms to the eternal presence of Love.

As we let Love in, we express It in the world with kindness, helpfulness, willingness to offer Love’s blessing instead of the ego’s condemnation. We become God’s messengers of Love to help heal the loveless world. We are increasingly joyful as joining in Love becomes our primary dedication.

© 2020, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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How to Learn What Everything Is For

Any thought system that confuses God and the body must be insane.

The body is the ego’s home by its own election. It is the only identification with which the ego feels safe, since the body’s vulnerability is its own best argument that you cannot be of God.

…the one question that is never asked by those who pursue [problems] is, “What for?” This is the question that you must learn to ask in connection with everything. What is the purpose? Whatever it is, it will direct your efforts automatically. When you make a decision of purpose, then, you have made a decision about your future effort; a decision that will remain in effect unless you change your mind.

Only your allegiance to it gives the ego any power over you. …The ego is nothing more than a part of your belief about yourself. Your other [real] life has continued without interruption, and has been and always will be totally unaffected by your attempts to dissociate it. (A Course in Miracles, T-4.V.3:1;4:1-2;6:7-11; VI.1:2,6-7. See also ACIM Text Made Simple.)

The ego’s primary purpose is to deny Love’s oneness, i.e. deny God. Since this is an insane purpose, the ego needs to constantly defend itself. It uses the body’s vulnerability to “prove” that we are not eternal. Death is its ultimate proof. Only our allegiance to the ego makes the body and its inevitable end seem real.

But we can change our allegiance. The practice of asking the Holy Spirit of everything, “What is this for?” opens the door to the return of sanity to our mind. The world seems to present an endless stream of problems. Many seem out of our reach to resolve. Some we think we can solve on our own, especially the “little” ones. But the Course teaches that there is no difficulty in miracles; there is only one problem—believing in separation.

The more we are vigilant to what everything is for, the faster our mind will return to the peace and joy of its Home in Love. We need to not reserve some problems for us to solve on our own. This only prolongs our allegiance to the ego. It cannot resolve any problem because it is the source of all problems.

The Holy Spirit is our unbreakable link with the Love that dissolves all apparent problems. Let us join today in a dedication to following Love’s lead moment by moment.

© 2020, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Returning to the Safety of Love

…[defense] gives illu­sions full reality, and then attempts to handle them as real. It adds illusions to illusions, thus making correction doubly diffi­cult. And it is this you do when you attempt to plan the future, activate the past, or organize the present as you wish.

Defend the body and you have attacked your mind. …And you will impose upon the body all the pain that comes from the conception of the mind as limited and fragile, and apart from other minds and separate from its Source.

These are the thoughts in need of healing, and the body will respond with health when they have been corrected and re­placed with truth. This is the body’s only real defense.

A healed mind does not plan. It carries out the plans that it receives through listening to wisdom that is not its own. It waits until it has been taught what should be done, and then proceeds to do it. It does not depend upon itself for anything except its adequacy to fulfill the plans assigned to it. (A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson 135, W-pI.135.1:2-4;9:1,4;10:1-2;11:1-4. See also ACIM Lesson 135 Insights.)

It is tempting to believe that our past experiences have taught us what to do to protect ourselves from harm and provide for our needs. This is the arrogance of the ego. It ego teaches that the past has meaning. The past does not exist in truth. The Holy Spirit knows that reality lies only in the eternal present.

The problem with the ego’s plans is that they are based on misperceptions from the past, ignoring the Reality in the present. The best it can do to plan for the future is to make up stories built upon mistaken memories of the past. Such plans cannot possibly lead us to safety in the presence of Love’s oneness.

Yet we have a Guide Who recognizes our misperceptions but has vision that sees beyond our limited perception in the world. He can see the effects of our thoughts and actions on all the world. His sole motive is to return our awareness to the oneness of Love which is shared with all. This is why we need to be vigilant in our practice to follow the Holy Spirit’s plans for us, not our own. The ego’s plans only increase fear. The Holy Spirit’s plans return us to the safety of Love.

© 2020, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Christ’s Answer to Our Calls for Love

Now are we one with Him Who is our Source.

What time but now can truth be recognized? The present is the only time there is. And so today, this instant, now, we come to look upon what is forever there; not in our sight, but in the eyes of Christ. He looks past time, and sees eternity as represented there. He hears the sounds the senseless, busy world en­genders, yet He hears them faintly. For beyond them all He hears the song of Heaven, and the Voice for God more clear, more meaningful, more near.

…Christ gives you His sight and hears for you, and answers in your name the Call He hears!

Now is the balance righted, and the scale of judgment left to Him Who judges true. And in His judgment will a world unfold in perfect innocence before your eyes. Now will you see it with the eyes of Christ. Now is its transformation clear to you. (A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson 164, W-pI.164.1;3:1;5:3-5. See also ACIM Lesson 164 Insights.)

The world seems to need our constant judgment to decide what is true or false, safe or dangerous, innocent or guilty. We believe this is necessary to protect ourselves. Yet this practice protects only the ego and the substitute identity we have accepted as our own. Only this false identity is vulnerable and needs constant protection to maintain its seeming existence. This habit denies Love and makes peace and lasting happiness impossible.

It is time to start a new practice. We can practice pausing frequently to remind ourselves that this world we perceive is not our reality. Then ask the Holy Spirit to show us Christ’s vision Which sees only the eternal present where our true Self abides. As we give this vision first place in our mind, the ego’s false images fade into the background.

With Christ’s vision, the Light of Love dispels the ego’s dark shadows. As we accept Christ’s true judgment more fully, Love fills our heart and we experience the blessing of seeing Love as the truth in every brother. The perception of guilt is replaced by the vision of innocence. The thought of harm is replaced by the recognition that harm to our true Self is impossible. Love, peace and joy are our predominant experience. Let us join together in the practice of welcoming Christ’s vision.

© 2020, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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The Path to Love and Gratitude

We thank our Father for one thing alone; that we are separate from no living thing, and therefore one with Him. And we rejoice that no exceptions ever can be made which would reduce our wholeness, nor impair or change our function to complete the One Who is Himself completion. We give thanks for every living thing, for otherwise we offer thanks for nothing, and we fail to recognize the gifts of God to us.

Our gratitude will pave the way to Him, and shorten our learning time by more than you could ever dream of. Gratitude goes hand in hand with love, and where one is the other must be found. For gratitude is but an aspect of the Love which is the Source of all creation. God gives thanks to you, His Son, for be­ing what you are; His Own completion and the Source of love, along with Him. Your gratitude to Him is one with His to you. For love can walk no road except the way of gratitude, and thus we go who walk the way to God. (W-pI.195.6;10)

The path to Love and gratitude is through forgiveness. Every grievance denies Love, for it is a judgment against It. Love does not condemn. It sees only Itself everywhere and in everyone, for Love is one.

Today we practice bringing all our grievances, all our judgmental thoughts, to the Holy Spirit for His help.  He will help us recognize what is true and what is false, real and unreal. He will inspire us to see past the unreal and welcome Love. This practice will help us live in gratitude every day, for it heals our grievances and returns us to Love.

© 2020, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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God’s Plan for Our Return to Love

Changes are required in the minds of God’s teachers. This may or may not involve changes in the external situation. Remember that no one is where he is by accident, and chance plays no part in God’s plan. It is most unlikely that changes in attitudes would not be the first step in the newly made teacher of God’s training. There is, however, no set pattern, since training is always highly individualized. There are those who are called upon to change their life situation almost immediately, but these are generally special cases. By far the majority are given a slowly evolving training program, in which as many previous mistakes as possible are corrected. Relationships in particular must be properly perceived, and all dark cornerstones of unforgiveness removed. Otherwise the old thought system still has a basis for return.

As the teacher of God advances in his training, he learns one lesson with increasing thoroughness. He does not make his own decisions; he asks his Teacher for His answer, and it is this he follows as his guide for action. This becomes easier and easier, as the teacher of God learns to give up his own judgment. The giving up of judgment, the obvious prerequisite for hearing God’s Voice, is usually a fairly slow process, not because it is difficult, but because it is apt to be perceived as personally insulting. The world’s training is directed toward achieving a goal in direct opposition to that of our curriculum. The world trains for reliance on one’s judgment as the criterion for maturity and strength. Our curriculum trains for the relinquishment of judgment as the necessary condition of salvation. (A Course in Miracles, M-9)

Love makes no comparisons; It sees only Itself everywhere. The ego is constantly comparing to see differences as the basis for judgment. Like Love, the ego also sees only itself, but cleverly covers this reflection with forms that appear to be separate and different from itself.

Every situation and relationship reflects back to us what we believe about ourselves. If we believe we are the ego with a separate identity, our beliefs are reflected back to us. The ego uses this “reflection” to confirm separation and justify judgment. The Holy Spirit uses this reflection to show us our beliefs that need healing.

Each of us carries our own unique set of beliefs about what we are and our reality. Thus the Holy Spirit’s curriculum for healing is highly individualized to help us heal our mistaken beliefs and awaken to our true Identity as Love and nothing else.

As we are willing to open our minds to the Holy Spirit’s lessons, we experience increasing peace and happiness. Our recognition of Love in our brothers and ourselves increases. We are slower to judge and quicker to release our judgments. Our minds heal as we welcome the Holy Spirit to judge all things on our behalf. We increasingly accept the fact that we do not know what anything means without the Holy Spirit’s help.

© 2020, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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A Journey to Joy

God’s teachers are wholly gentle. They need the strength of gentleness, for it is in this that the function of salvation becomes easy.

Joy is the inevitable result of gentleness [non-judgment]. Gentleness means that fear is now impossible, and what could come to interfere with joy? The open hands of gentleness are always filled. The gentle have no pain. They cannot suffer. Why would they not be joyous? They are sure they are beloved and must be safe. Joy goes with gentleness as surely as grief attends attack. God’s teachers trust in Him. And they are sure His Teacher goes before them, making sure no harm can come to them. They hold His gifts and follow in His way, because God’s Voice directs them in all things. Joy is their song of thanks. And Christ looks down on them in thanks as well. His need of them is just as great as theirs of Him. How joyous it is to share the purpose of salvation! (A Course in Miracles, M-4.IV.2:1-2;V.1)

There is only one thing we need to do to be wholly joyous. But while we identify with the body, it seems to be the most difficult. We must give up all judgment, for Love does not condemn. The Love we are sees only Love. Judgment denies our true Identity and looks upon a world devoid of Love. It is a dream world that denies the reality of Love.

Judgment denies the Voice for Love. The very means to free us from the world of pain and fear is blocked from our awareness when we judge a brother as separate and different from ourselves.

Let’s join together by starting our day with expressing our willingness to let Love guide our thoughts and actions throughout the day. We support this dedication with frequent pauses, perhaps hourly, to step back from our perceptions and welcome peace into our minds. In peace we welcome the Holy Spirit’s vision to heal our judgmental misperceptions.

This practice opens our hearts and minds to the joy of Love. It allows the Holy Spirit to share His vision which shows the presence of Love in our brothers and overlooks the divisive images that seem to justify judgment. It is a practice that will return us to our joyous Home in the Heart of God.

© 2020, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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