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ACIM Lesson 52 2025

My commentary of Review Lesson 52

1. (6) I am upset because I see what is not there.
What grabbed my attention in this lesson is that I think I am upset by something happening, but that can’t be true because nothing is happening. I am entranced by an illusion, and because I believe in the illusion, from my perspective, it is true. But nothing can change the fact that it is an illusion, regardless. I am literally upset by nothing because I believe it is something.

On my flight from Louisiana to Sedona, I had to change terminals in Dallas. This is a huge airport, and my airline app wasn’t working. So not only did I not know how to get to the right terminal, but I didn’t know which terminal it was. It took a while to find an employee I could ask. Then I had to stand in line. So far, so good. I was not upset even though I was aware that time was passing.

Then the employee got to me, and he was helpful and patient, but said he didn’t think there was any way I would make it. So, I set off on a brisk walk where I had to watch carefully for where to turn and which escalator to take. It really was a long way off, and I realized that he might be right. I probably wasn’t going to make it. For a moment, I felt anxious. But, really, why get upset because the story of Myron went temporarily dramatic?

I decided just to do my best to get there and then see what would happen next. I arrived at the right terminal three minutes before boarding. I’m glad I didn’t give my peace away over this. Most of my life, I have responded to the story as if it were actually real, and that was to my detriment. I lived an anxious life, always hoping things would be alright, but expecting them to go wrong. All I can say about that is I learned what I didn’t want, and then, through contrast, Jesus taught me what I could have. I am grateful.

2. (7) I see only the past.
I have flown a number of times, and most of those flights were very stressful. I started out being afraid the airplane would crash, and eventually got over that. Then there was how to pack for a trip, would the suitcase be too heavy, and would I get to the airport on time and without forgetting something important? After the towers went down and security became increasingly difficult to navigate, more stress was added.

But in 2019, everything changed. I had a flight to Portland, Oregon, and absolutely everything that could go wrong, did so. It was like I was starring in an I Love Lucy show. I won’t detail it here, but I do want to share that everyone around me was stressed and anxious. They were complaining and fretting about connecting flights. I was enjoying the whole thing.

There was a part of my mind that was confused about my happiness in light of what was happening, but even that confusion just made me smile. As it turns out, this was a significant shift that never entirely waned. I discovered that anxiety about my circumstances must have simply been a choice, even though it didn’t feel like it was a choice when it was happening. All that old confusion and anxiety was dropped, and each moment was seen anew. The past was no longer determining the present. I had entered a new phase of my life that some call Fundamental Wellbeing. Again, just grateful.

3. (8) My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.

If I look back at the past to determine how to feel about the present, I am not giving the present the opportunity to surprise me. A year after my beloved sister-in-law died, my brother remarried. When I met my new sister in law, my mind was busy comparing his new wife with his former wife. I had no opportunity to know the woman who was before me because my mind was filled with the past, a past that didn’t exist even while it happened, and certainly didn’t in the present.

As I looked at Janet, I saw only my thoughts about her. This is always true when we see anyone or anything. We are only looking at our own thoughts. I’m sitting at a desk typing on my laptop. I’m lucky to have it; otherwise, I would not be able to do this work and post it on the internet. But my primary thought is that this tiny screen is inconvenient. I am imagining how it is with my iMac with its large screen, so much for gratitude for the laptop.

Instead of enjoying what is happening right now, my mind is remembering the past. When that happens, I lose the joy of the present moment. Comparing one to the other prevents me from truly experiencing what is before me. Why do I do that? Jesus says it is more than because I want to whine that the present isn’t what I want it to be. He says it is because when my mind is preoccupied with the past, I am doing it so that the present doesn’t dawn on my mind. I am using time against God. I am holding onto nothing and leaving myself bereft of the Beloved. This is insanity.

4. (9) I see nothing as it is now.

I must choose. I can see or not see. If I choose to see only the past, I cannot see at all because the past does not exist. If I want to see, I must let the past go. I cannot see nothing and see everything at the same time. What is in the past? Only this entire illusion. Jesus tells us that we put an ancient memory before our eyes. And we call that seeing. We pretend the past is the present, but we are only looking at the past.

I want vision. I want to see what is real and what is right now. So, I keep letting go of the beliefs that keep me enthralled to the past. What do I believe that is not true? I will have to give up the need to be right, the justification for grievances, choices, and the belief I am separate and special. I will have to give up believing I am Myron, a participant in a dream. I will, in return, know what I am, know my wholeness, my perfection, my Creator, and my creations. I decide in each moment what I want. I see nothing as it is now, but I want to.

5. (10) My thoughts do not mean anything.

I have no private thoughts. Yet here I am thinking that I am thinking while nothing is actually happening. The chatter in my mind is nothing. If I were thinking that chatter, it would be meaningless, but I am not actually thinking it. Again, nothing is happening. Here is a passage I always return to.

⁶Your starting point is truth, and you must return to your Beginning. ⁷Much has been seen since then, but nothing has really happened. (ACIM, T-3.VII.5:6-7)

In the beginning, there was only God, and we are part of Him. That has not changed just because we dream of something else. In the beginning, there were only the thoughts of God, and we shared them. This is still true. We will remember who we are and where we are. That is inevitable. Let us remember sooner rather than later. Jesus has given us the map and the directions to take us Home. Let us make use of them today, now.

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