How can lack of value be perceived unless the perceiver is in a position where he must see things in a different light? He is not yet at a point at which he can make the shift entirely internally. And so the plan will sometimes call for changes in what seem to be external circumstances. These changes are always helpful. When the teacher of God has learned that much, he goes on to the second stage [in the development of trust].
Next, the teacher of God must go through “a period of sorting out.” This is always somewhat difficult because, having learned that the changes in his life are always helpful, he must now decide all things on the basis of whether they increase the helpfulness or hamper it. He will find that many, if not most of the things he valued before will merely hinder his ability to transfer what he has learned to new situations as they arise. Because he has valued what is really valueless, he will not generalize the lesson for fear of loss and sacrifice. It takes great learning to understand that all things, events, encounters and circumstances are helpful. It is only to the extent to which they are helpful that any degree of reality should be accorded them in this world of illusion. The word “value” can apply to nothing else. (A Course in Miracles, M-4.I.A.3:4-4:7)
We experience a dream world of separation because we believe it offers us what we want. We have aligned ourselves with the ego’s values centered on the wish for specialness. This specialness requires that we have an individual identity we call our own. We protect this identity by the value we give it. We seek for what we believe would add value to our identity and we defend against what we think would harm or take away value. This wish for specialness leads to the world of conflict, loss, fear and guilt we experience. It is held together by mistaken beliefs about what is valuable.
This dream is constructed entirely of illusions. Illusions have no value of their own, for they are empty forms. It is only our beliefs that seem to give these illusions value. But if we give value to an empty form, we are valuing the valueless. We get nothing of value in return. To experience what is truly valuable, we must learn to recognize the difference between illusions and the reality of God’s gift of all His Love. This gift offers us perfect peace, indescribable joy and Love beyond anything we experience in the dream.
To teach us the essential skill of distinguishing illusion from reality, God gave us His Teacher. This Teacher has a highly individualized lesson plan to guide us to recognize what is valueless so we can freely let it go. He brings the Light of Love to our mind, which shines away the illusions to reveal the eternal Love that surrounds us in every brother and in our Self. This process of learning to recognize and let go of the valueless sets us free to accept the invaluable gift of God’s Love. It is a process that leads us Home to Heaven, where we belong and have always been in truth.
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