Together, We Light the Way

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ACIM Lesson 43 2025

My contemplation of Lesson 43
God is my Source. I cannot see apart from Him.

In this lesson, Jesus uses the word ‘see’ to mean perception. What is my interpretation of what the eyes and other senses report to me? What meaning do I give it? To truly understand anything, I must see it through God. I will be misled when I try to understand with the ego.
God is the realm of knowledge and so knows nothing of perception. He gave us the Holy Spirit as our Mediator between perception and knowledge. Thank you, God, for that. Otherwise, we would be forever cut off from knowledge. This is why I developed this communication link with the Holy Spirit and continue to refine it.

Sometimes, I feel like I am not sure if I am following the Holy Spirit’s guidance or the ego’s guidance. But if I examine the guidance closely, I will generally be able to work that out. The Holy Spirit will always answer for all. He will always guide me toward oneness, love, peace, kindness, sharing, and joining. The ego will not do that. It is always interested in some form of separation, such as anger, hatred, or selfishness. It is the ultimate me, me, me.

I have learned, with the Holy Spirit’s help, to be vigilant for separation thinking. I don’t vote for what is best for me. I vote for what is in everyone’s best interest. I don’t erect barriers between me and others, create boundaries that prevent joining, or settle for the ego’s need for specialness of any kind. When that kind of thinking seeps into my mind, I ask the Holy Spirit for guidance as to what to do.

If fear is driving my responses, I can be sure that I have turned to the ego for meaning. Fear and guilt are always hallmarks of ego thinking. Fear drives our worst behaviors in this world. People will allow pain and suffering to be inflicted on others when they are convinced they have something to fear from them. This is so even when the proof is flimsy or invented.

To the ego, defenses are the way we keep ourselves separate and thus safe. Jesus, on the other hand, points out that our safety lies in our defenselessness, which allows joining. As we come to accept that we are all part of the Oneness that is God, it will no longer make sense to hurt each other. But as long as we keep living miserable lives built on attack and defend, we will continue to suffer. It is fear driving this behavior. That is just another way of saying that the ego is driving our life.

Sometimes, when I have to decide how to respond to someone or some situation, I am guided to say yes and sometimes to say no. The point is, I cannot know what is in everyone’s best interest. But in our minds is the Holy Spirit who does know. Why would I not choose that Advisor rather than the ego that is the embodiment of separation, knowing that separation is the cause of all suffering in the world? It is actually the cause of the world as we experience it. I am happy to practice this lesson and grateful for it. I want my perception to be brought as close to the truth as possible.

© 2025, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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