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To Be Content

by Rev. Mary Gerard Lenihan, O.M.C.

“You will be happy when_______,” instructs the ego. Jesus responds, “Until you experience contentment within, with who you are as a creation of God, you will never be happy — no matter what.” Doing housework, dirty laundry in my hands, dinner cooking on the stove, rushing into the kitchen, thoughts of Christmas in my mind, truth manifested within literally stopping me in my tracks. The word, “contentment” moved me to silence and an inner contentment washed me from the inside. Here and now I am content.

My intellect has heard these words before, but this was not a heady moment; not an idea, a concept, a theory or even a thought. In this moment, Christ revealed himself to me by seeing me truly; then I saw me truly. I saw that my doing in the world without this God-given inner contentment was perpetuating meaninglessness.

Contentment is found in the teaching of Christ that nothing can alter who I am as God created me — I cannot be lessened or enhanced. I recognize my wholeness in Christ’s forgiveness; I am content in my wholeness. Accept this truth and the peace of God shall be given me.

This experience arose in the midst of following Jesus’ guiding me to allow myself to open to my experience of God. Embrace how God is revealing God to me. Stop trying to fit my experience into a form, spiritual or otherwise. My struggling comes in resisting how God is revealing God to me. Jesus is teaching me that how God reveals God to us is our path to God, thus it is vital to embrace.

Following Jesus’ teaching, I stepped back and spent two full days being open to God revealing God to me in the midst of my everyday activities, embracing the experience in the moment, not planning ahead of time how it was to look. The clarity was undeniable. I could no longer deny my experience of Jesus reconciling me to Christ; bringing me and all of us who are willing out of being at cross-purposes and free in our resurrected purpose — to Love. This is not a new message, yet I will tell you this; I experience it as a clean and clear Reality each moment I embrace Jesus’ offer of forgiveness in Christ. I am saved from self whom I must forgive so I may truly live.

Jesus became Christ in the world, and now we are called to be the body of Christ in the world. He came forth on a mission, I am here to represent Him Who sent me. (ACIM T-2.V.18:3)

I am in charge of the process of Atonement, which I undertook to begin. …My part in the Atonement is the canceling out of all errors that you could not otherwise correct. …I am the Atonement. (T-1.III.1:1,4 and 4:1)

Jesus rests the weary minds of those who come to him; hearts are full in his presence, bodies become temples of forgiveness. From dark self to Light Self we are moved; this is forgiveness, this is healing.

I was shown a Great Thing while meditating at sunrise on November 17, 2011. Keeping a one-pointed focus on God, I asked Holy Spirit and Jesus to remove all obstacles to my acceptance of forgiveness and healing. I hear in my mind, “You are forgiven through Jesus’ cross and resurrection.” I have never made the connection between Jesus’ cross and resurrection and me being forgiven. Yet, as I heard these words in my mind I saw their truth. In that moment I accepted that I am forgiven. The burden of self-effort was lifted off of me. Quiet Joy flowed through me. I felt relieved of a heavy weight that was crushing me; released from the cage I had made and put myself in — free.

I have many times personally experienced Jesus “carrying my sins,” my experience of separation from God, with him as he relinquished his self and merged into Christ upon his last breath. As he said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” to which the Mentor Within added, “for they know not who they are,” Jesus offered forgiveness to me, to everyone. In the moment I accepted, I literally went blank; everything in my mind and heart disappeared. I rested in the emptying. Old brought to the New, darkness to the Light, unhealed to the Healed, past to the Present and fear to Love. Holy Spirit poured into me.

Jesus demonstrated the relinquishment of the self that each of us must surely go through to experience transcendent Love. Yet, Jesus did something for me that I cannot do for myself — this is my experience. The crucifixion and resurrection were the act of forgiveness — a demonstration of the transforming power of forgiveness. In my willingness to let go of who and what I think I am, I am set free in Who I am in God. Jesus offers forgiveness in Christ to everyone. The two prisoners who are crucified alongside Jesus are symbolic of our willingness to accept forgiveness and join Christ in paradise and our unwillingness. I am that willing prisoner, no longer wanting to remain imprisoned in denying the gift of forgiveness. Acceptance brings the freedom of contentment with who I am as God created me. Sometimes I am the unwilling prisoner and am left hanging at the mercy of fear. I can choose again. 

I know inside of me that Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection reconciled me to Christ. In This I am content. The other night I was unable to sleep and I slipped into a revelatory vision. I was literally at the crucifixion standing in the crowd. My veiled head was in alignment with Jesus’ feet. I was present because of a personal encounter I had experienced with Jesus as he walked the earth. At the feet of Jesus I experience the stark contrast between my false identity and true Identity. In the false I believe myself to be my past, the lone maker of my destiny and the lone savior of my lone self; in truth I am seeing the Mary Jesus sees in me — the Mary in Christ. The choice has been made “in spite of me,” as I have been chosen as we all have been chosen. I accept the truth of Who I am in God. I choose to follow Jesus into this truth in me, this truth in you. Receiving what has been written in me, now I am content.

Holy Spirit: “Now you have healed eyes to see what forgiveness does for you and what now you will do for others.” The Atonement can only be accepted within you by releasing the inner light. (T-2.III.1:1) I allow Holy Spirit to release the inner light.

Rest until you experience your Self in Christ. Whoever you are in the world, you are in Christ. There is no separation. Jesus reconciled us on the cross as he reconciled himself to God. He came to God naked in fear to be clothed in Love; willing to be forgiven and forgive. He carried with him the minds of all who are willing to be carried into the fire and poured into the water of the Holy Spirit. Three days of purification, three days of resting in God. The fire of the cross, the healing water of the Spirit bringing forth the resurrection all in the three days of the Trinity, Who is God, Christ and Holy Spirit. These three days reside in all of us as the Trinity to be unearthed and resurrected. Love created us like Love, the Mind of Christ being ours to enter and the heart of the Holy Spirit walking with us now on earth. Jesus re-minds me, “This is holy ground. You have been reconciled. Now, go forth and reconcile all hearts and minds to Christ as I have done in you.”

My practice now is laying down judgment (unforgiveness) at the feet of Jesus, accepting healing forgiveness, with faith and gratitude that all is healed.

The forgiven are the means of the Atonement. Being filled with spirit, they forgive in return. (T-1.III.3:1-2) I am so grateful to be content.

Rev. Mary Gerard Lenihan, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in St. Louis, MO. She is author of the books Visions of Illumination, The Mentor Within and the inspiring new CD Album WNYHOO Now! Web site: http://www.pauseforinspiration.org

© 2012, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice and website address are included.

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In the Safest of Hands

Rev. Barbara Caldwell, O.M.C.

I have an “important” meeting tomorrow. I still have about 200 pages of material to read before then. Income tax stuff for the US and Canada is due. I have bills to pay and business paperwork to be completed. My body is fat and tired. My skin is sandpaper dry. My lips are chapped. My house is unlivable after a broken water line caused tens of thousands of dollars of damage. My husband and I are sleeping in a wellsite trailer but showering and eating at my sister’s house which is nearby. Spring in northern Canada is messy, muddy and cool. I could go on and on. (You know how ego can make up sad stories).

Early this morning I went to my regular Wednesday morning get together with friends. Though I haven’t even seen a card in over six months, a friend brought a selection of cards (Holy Spirit is at work preparing me for what’s to come). I pulled a Sonia Choquette card that told me I am depleted (I am); to get help (I need help). Don’t go to someone who is also depleted and don’t try to do it by myself.

Okay. Okay. I know a good counselor who is 80 miles away. I don’t know if he is good at ‘spiritual’ counseling but I trust him and he’s the one who helped me realize I love my husband. I will call him. My son called. His energy is also depleted. I am more committed than ever to call the counselor.

I pick up the mail on my way to our home office situated in my daughter’s house.  Miracles News is in the mail. (Hello Holy Spirit!) Of course I won’t be able to read it for a couple of days but I am glad it is here.

I call my daughter to tell her I am on my way to the office. She tells me she doesn’t want to do any paperwork today as she is deeply involved in a project. (Well isn’t this interesting, Holy Spirit? Now I can read some of the articles.) I decide to go back to my sister’s house and read my meeting package. But first I will have lunch and read a bit of the Miracles News. (Holy Spirit is really at it now. I am reading the articles in Miracles News when I should be reading my meeting package but am feeling that all is okay.)

I ate my lunch as mindfully as I could, considering I am reading ‘Tomas Awakened — The Story’ by Nouk Sanchez at the same time. Every sentence speaks to me. One that stood out was: “…if (I) want peace, (I) must give up the idea of conflict entirely and for all time. (T-7.VI.8.9)

Nouk wrote that ‘Any thought, any emotion, any manifestation (any “important” things to do), they’re all just appearances and I choose to look past appearances to the face of Christ.” Okay! Here is the piece de resistance: “She (Nouk) is now offering one-on-one phone mentoring sessions.” Isn’t that nice? “… if you want peace, you must give up the idea of conflict entirely and for all time.”

Well I couldn’t call her. I didn’t have the courage. “…If you want peace, you must give up the idea of conflict entirely and for all time.” Okay this isn’t funny. My stomach is getting upset. I am feeling extremely nervous. “…If you want peace, you must give up the idea of conflict entirely and for all time.” BIG LONG PAUSE.

I went onto Nouk’s website and emailed her with a request for a mentoring appointment. Nouk emailed me back and we made an appointment for Saturday April 23, 2011.

About 8:00 p.m. on April 19 I received an hysterical call from my daughter who is on vacation in the States with her husband.  He was on a motorcycle and has been hit by a car. We do not know if he will live through the night. “There is no order of difficulty miracles.” (T-1.I.1) I am about to find out how true that is.

“We are going minute by minute.” “Do you want to donate his organs?” We wake up the littlest grandsons: “Boys, your dad is very sick. Poppa and I are leaving right now to be with your Mom and Dad.” One, and only one, big, silent tear from the ten year old falls on the sheet. My heart breaks. I don’t know what to do.

Dear Barb, Clint is in the Safest of Hands. To best help him, we must remember there in only One Power. That is God’s Love. We call in this Power and as hard as it is, we must try to keep our focus on the truth of Love and not on the lie of fear. I join you and your loved ones in this…

With Love,  Nouk.

Perhaps you can see how Holy Spirit leads me to the exact person whose words would carry me through the next six months. “Mom, what’s taking you so long to get here?”

”You have reached the end of an ancient journey, not realizing yet that it is over.  You are still worn and tired, and the desert’s dust still seems to cloud your eyes and keep you sightless. Yet He Whom you welcomed has come to you, and would welcome you. He has waited long to give you this. Receive it now of Him, for He would have you know Him. Only a little wall of dust still stands between you and your brother. Blow on it lightly and with happy laughter, and it will fall away. And walk into the garden Love has prepared for both of you.” (T-18.VII.13)

I did my very, very best to give every fearful thought to God. At the level of form there have been almost daily miracles since April 19. 

Though there is still a long way to go, my two oldest grandsons have their step-father back, my two youngest grandsons have their father back, my daughter has her husband and we have our son-in-law — in a way that no one could have ever imagined or believed.

Rev. Barbara Caldwell, O.M.C. is a Pathways of Light minister living in Las Vegas, Nevada.

© 2012, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice and website address are included.

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An Alarm to Awaken

Rev. Magdalena Smrdelj, O.M.C.

Yesterday, I received a frantic call from my daughter, who is attending a university out of town. She had slept through her alarm, and missed her exam. She arrived 20 minutes before the end of the allotted time and the classroom was already empty. (Anybody ever have a dream like this?)

She had already been excused for a previous mid-term, with those marks added to this exam, because a friend of hers had committed suicide the day before. She was going through all the panic and worry and fear of having a failed course on her transcript, and how could she be so stupid as to sleep through the alarm, and there was no hope because the professor emphasized that there would be no re-writes and so on.

In the heat of the moment, her father and I helped her focus on how to communicate with the professor, while maintaining a non-judgmental stance. Both of us knew very well how many ‘stupid’ things we’ve done over the course of our lives! We encouraged her to send an e-mail, and leave a phone message, and leave a note under the door of the professor’s office every time she attempted to reach her, to show she wasn’t just communicating from bed in her pyjamas, but was present and willing to write the exam at any moment. And of course we helped her to show herself a little more compassion and forgiveness.

However, I was surprised to see how affected I was by this incident. I felt very protective of my daughter, and concerned that this happened to her after the suicide of her friend just a few weeks ago. I worried how this would affect her transcript and her Christmas holiday, and I longed to be able to ‘do’ more for her. I realized of course that the best I could do was to go to Spirit and see the innocence, perfection, joy and oneness of all God’s seemingly separate sons, including my suffering daughter, the professor, and the special star of the show, the over-protective mother who wasn’t even directly involved but still chose to enroll in the drama!

Today, as I thought more on it, and contemplated how such a small insignificant instant in the context of all time could have so much impact on us in the moment and be projected into a dismal future burdened with a failure on the university record and so forth, all because of one instant of sleeping through an alarm, I started to laugh out loud at the absurdity of it, and the deeper significance of this instant as a metaphor hit me.

Every time I choose to stay asleep in the dream that is this world, filled with ego’s cruel antics and raucous shrieks, I am sleeping through the alarm. Every time I fail to hear Holy Spirit’s gentle, calm, and soothing voice reassuring me all is very, very well, and coaxing me to awaken, I am sleeping through the alarm.

How many alarms have I slept through? (Yikes!) How about the one right now, in this moment, calling me to awaken to peace and love?

Will I sleep through it too?

Rev. Magdalena Smrdelj, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in Toronto, Ontario Canada.

© 2012, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice and website address are included.

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The One About Money

Rev. Stephan Mead, O.M.C.

I shuttered with fear when I noticed an envelope the mailman just dropped off, had “IRS-NOTICE OF LEVY” prominently stamped on it. Although the exact words going through my mind are not printable in this magazine, you can be assured they were not words of acceptance and gratitude. “How can this be happening to me?” And, “This cannot happen to me!” Are two thoughts I can share. Remember, I still hadn’t even opened the letter yet! My mind (ego) went straight to the worst case scenario: ”Life is so unfair and now I’m going to die!” (Footnote: it used to be my ego would take me down that path in stages, but since studying The Course, it just slams me there.)

In ACIM Lesson 76 we are told, “You really think that you would starve unless you have stacks of green paper and piles of metal discs.” Yes! Jesus is right again! That is exactly what I thought, “Forget salvation, forget ‘correct’ thinking, forget ‘oneness,’ forget everything except the thought that nobody should take my money!”

Remembering I still haven’t opened the envelope, and realizing I have gone insane in my thinking, I consciously tried to quiet my mind. When that didn’t work, I figured I might as well go over and over and over in my mind why this shouldn’t be happening to me. Curiously, everything I have been studying in The Course and saying that I believed was not available to me.

Very quickly my ego pointed out that once again I have failed and I was also an idiot for even thinking that I could read spiritual books and end up with a happier life. Perhaps thinking it helpful, my ego also reminded me of other debts I have and how they are not going to get paid as planned.

I opened the envelope and had to laugh — not only were my funds all taken, somehow they took even more! My new balance was -$100. Immediately I tried to go even deeper into depression, but found I couldn’t. I was still laughing at my balance. Have you ever tried to be depressed and laugh at the same time? I couldn’t pull it off.

I called Nancy, (she is my mighty companion,) and told her the story. Nancy suggested we look at the first 10 Workbook Lessons in The Course and use my thoughts about money and debt as subject matter.

I asked the Holy Spirit for willingness to look at my life differently. I needed help because I was really attached to my thoughts, and help was granted. As I am writing about this experience, I’m still broke but found out my company was just awarded the biggest construction contract I have ever bid on. You know what? It is true, I don’t know the reason(s) for anything!

These past couple of months have been anything but peaceful to me. Now, looking back, I have so much to be appreciative for. An ex-wife, (thank you Nancy!) some good friends and even a couple of my brothers have really pitched in to help me out. What I needed to look at with the Holy Spirit, was the thought, “This should not happen to me” when it was happening to me.

Healing from my thoughts that cause me to suffer is my only goal now. I can see there is still a long way to travel, because it wasn’t until I was awarded this current contract that I found any relief at all — so here I am still, believing that happiness can come from a dollar sign. (sigh)

Rev. Stephan Mead, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in Seattle, Washington.

© 2012, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice and website address are included.

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