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Gentle Healing Journal Lesson 105 2-27-19

LESSON 105
God’s peace and joy are mine.

“God’s peace and joy are yours. Today we will accept them, knowing they belong to us. And we will try to understand these gifts increase as we receive them. They are not like to the gifts the world can give, in which the giver loses as he gives the gift; the taker is the richer by his loss. Such are not gifts, but bargains made with guilt. The truly given gift entails no loss. It is impossible that one can gain because another loses. This implies a limit and an insufficiency.”

“Accept God’s peace and joy, and you will learn a different way of looking at a gift. God’s gifts will never lessen when they are given away. They but increase thereby.”

Jesus says that we misunderstand giving, that we think that in giving we lose, at best we make a bargain in which we stand to gain in the future from what we gave. He calls these bargains made with guilt. I can see that. If I tell someone I love them very much, perhaps I do so in the secret hope that they will love me back.

And if they fail to do so, where is the fairness in that? Look how guilty they are. Or maybe I gave that expression of love because I felt I owed them and the guilt of an unpaid debt drove that impulse. These are not gifts. The loss can be felt more acutely if it is something material that is exchanged, money or some item of worth. Now we can even see with our eyes that the value left us and went to that other one. Just the very fact of his acceptance makes him guilty of taking and thus causing the other to lose.

Like everything here, it seems, when looked at too closely, these bargains made of guilt are sickening. No wonder we are afraid of giving. There seems no way to win and winning is important to those that see themselves as separate. Thank goodness there is another way of giving and one that increases rather than depleting. If we will accept this new view of giving, we will be able to receive.

“As Heaven’s peace and joy intensify when you accept them as God’s gift to you, so does the joy of your Creator grow when you accept His joy and peace as yours. True giving is creation. It extends the limitless to the unlimited, eternity to timelessness, and love unto itself. It adds to all that is complete already, not in simple terms of adding more, for that implies that it was less before. It adds by letting what cannot contain itself fulfill its aim of giving everything it has away, securing it forever for itself.”

What an amazing thought! When we accept the gift of peace and joy, the joy of our Creator increases. That alone is motivation enough for me to want this. Now add to this that true giving is creation. When we truly accept and give, we are returning our minds to the unlimited, to timelessness and to love as it actually exists.

Then he tells us something that is probably not understandable in any real way. He says that “It adds to all that is complete already, not in simple terms of adding more, for that implies that it was less before. It adds by letting what cannot contain itself fulfill its aim of giving everything it has away, securing it forever for itself.”

I used to be confused about how in giving we also receive. It was easy to see that this was true about things that matter, like love. But I couldn’t see that this law applies to the world but I have learned to see that differently, too. I remembered that everything is simply an idea that we projected outward and see it as if it was form. Yes, I give you a dollar and that dollar is gone, but the idea of a dollar has increased because I gave it away. Maybe that dollar will continue to return to me, or maybe what the dollar represents for me will continue to return.

“Think of your “enemies” a little while, and tell each one, as he occurs to you:

My brother, peace and joy I offer you,
That I may have God’s peace and joy as mine.

Thus you prepare yourself to recognize God’s gifts to you, and let your mind be free of all that would prevent success today. Now are you ready to accept the gift of peace and joy that God has given you. Now you can say, “God’s peace and joy are mine,” for you have given what you would receive.”

Interestingly enough, the first person who came to mind was someone I love. Its bizarre that we can make enemies out of anyone, even those we hold dearest. I think that practicing all the happiness lessons is good preparation for this one. In doing that practice I have very naturally released a lot of ideas that might have been in my mind otherwise.

Regina’s Tips

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” ~ Luke 6:38

Divine law does not discern for you. It does not look at what you are giving and decide that you would rather receive something else. It returns to you exactly what you give.

Today’s workbook lesson is pointing out that because of divine law, you cannot withhold happiness from others and know happiness.

In actuality, you cannot withhold happiness from others. They will receive what they give. However, as an example, if spitefulness is in your mind, you will feel wounded or attacked by what others say or do.

Remember: What I think, I see. What I see, I experience. What I experience, I think.

My Thoughts
The idea that what I give I receive is similar to the idea that my attention enlivens what it is focused on. In this case also, I am going to experience more of what I believe in and focus on. I am thankful today that my heart is full and that I long to give this love to everyone. And if I see the tendency to withhold or to give what I don’t want to receive, I quickly choose again.

© 2019, Pathways of Light. https://dev.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Gentle Healing Journal Lesson 104 2-25-19

LESSON 104
I seek but what belongs to me in truth.

“Today’s idea continues with the thought that joy and peace are not but idle dreams. They are your right, because of what you are. They come to you from God, Who cannot fail to give you what He wills. Yet must there be a place made ready to receive His gifts. They are not welcomed gladly by a mind that has instead received the gifts it made where His belong, as substitutes for them.”

“Today we would remove all meaningless and self-made gifts which we have placed upon the holy altar where God’s gifts belong.”

“I seek but what belongs to me in truth.
God’s gifts of joy and peace are all I want”.

God’s gifts will bring us joy and peace because His gifts remind us of who we are and that we are one with Him. How could we be anything but joyful to remember that we are God the Son. All that we need to do to receive these gifts is to desire them more than anything else, to desire them instead of anything else.

What are the gifts we have given ourselves, the gifts that we chose over those our Creator gave us in our creation? We gave ourselves a separate self. This is a self very different than what we are. What came from this separate self were beliefs that do not exist because there is no separation in reality.

We seemed to have gained the right to choose outside the will of God and with this gift we gave ourselves came the right to be wrong, to experience strong emotions like rage, the right to experience sickness then health then sickness, back and forth until finally at the end, we suffer and die.

These are the “gifts” we gave ourselves. They do not, nor could they ever exist, but we, the Son’s of God can have that experience because we want to. For that very same reason, we can change our minds and awaken to reality. This is what we are practicing today with this lesson. We are choosing reality over illusions.

We are reminding ourselves that it is still possible to accept God’s gifts because they belong to us and because that is what we want. We must have thought that being “on our own” would be freedom, but it only imprisoned the mind that knew true freedom. Today, as we lay aside our conflicts, we release our mind and return to true freedom.

What a relief that will be! And if we need to stretch out the instant of freedom so it seems to take time, that is okay. Nothing can keep us from God because there is nothing but God. I choose to do this as quickly as it is possible because I want to be free again, free to be what I am and free of even the memory of the dream of separation.

Regina’s Tips
We prepare the place for happiness when we let go of wanting what isn’t present.

Happiness isn’t really a choice. Unhappiness is a choice. If we stop choosing to be unhappy by wanting something that isn’t present, we will find more gifts here now than we can count, and happiness is one of them.

This life as this person is a temporary experience, like a novel or a movie. What’s happening in your scene now? Enjoy it! Love the temporary. Also take time to notice, you aren’t the temporary. The more you see that you aren’t the temporary, the more you relax, and the temporary can be loved just as it is now

My Thoughts
I have continued my practice of accepting this experience exactly as it is happening and choosing to be happy while I do so. I woke up this morning in some bit of pain. I got my flu and pneumonia shot yesterday and this morning both arms hurt. I decided to be happy anyway. Why should pain stop me from being happy. I can be miserable while I am in pain, or I can be happy while I am in pain. It’s my choice.

What I have noticed is that when I decide to be happy, I am not accepting the ego gifts of depression, rage, fear or guilt. In my decision to be happy, I am making room for the gifts of God, the gifts I prefer. This is working out very well. Regina also said that while I notice my experiences are only temporary, also notice that I am not temporary. This body having separation experiences isn’t me. I’m the one learning to love the temporary as well as the permanent. I am learning that I am in the world but not of it.

© 2019, Pathways of Light. https://dev.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Gentle Healing Journal Lesson 103 2-21-19

LESSON 103
God, being Love, is also happiness.

“Happiness is an attribute of love. It cannot be apart from it. Nor can it be experienced where love is not.”

When we fear love, which we will do if we allow the idea of sin to enter our minds, we will fear God. We must remember that God, Love, and happiness are a package deal. The small effort I put into choosing happiness last night has already been helpful. My freezer quit working and I had a few minutes of panic as I checked out the prices on new refrigerators.

Then I thought about it and realized that I could be happy or panicked and either way, my freezer would still not be working. May as well be happy. I texted my family and told them what happened and my daughter gave me the phone number of a repairman. Before I went to bed, I raised the temperature of the refrigerator thinking that it felt like it wasn’t as cold as it should be. This morning, everything was working. Strange, but cool. Ha ha. Unintentional joke.

In every instant when I was tempted to be anything but happy, I did the same thing. I reminded myself of the foolishness of giving up my happiness just because something unexpected happened, or I had a memory of something that used to bother me. I chose to be happy instead. I know that decision is very powerful, but it was good to see that power at work. I am motivated to continue this practice, highly motivated.

This morning, I got dressed and looked in the mirror. Yep, still pretty chubby. No overnight miracle. ~smile~ I tried out my new attitude and said to myself that I love my body. I was surprised to realize that I meant it. I am still going to watch my diet and walk and expect to lose weight, but that doesn’t stop me from loving my body right now. Every little chubby bit of me seems to be quite happy this morning.

I fell asleep listening to The Untethered Soul last night and it played in my dreams. I woke up once thinking that this was just too hard, though I don’t remember what that was. I thought about turning the darn thing off but decided to keep listening. I dreamed of success. I guess I will have to listen while awake to figure out what I was struggling to do in my dream. Whatever work I did in my sleep seemed to have given me a boost.

Regina’s Tip
“Sin” is that which should not be. It is impossible to be happy with something if we judge that it should not be. This judgment, which is the fundamental judgment and the root of all judgments, is what we need to learn to let go of. There isn’t one circumstance that we can withhold from our love, our happiness, our forgiveness, because if there is any circumstance that we withhold from love, we have deemed that to be separate from love. Metaphysically, we withhold healing from anything that we withhold love from. We also withhold healing from ourselves in the same instant.

The decision not to love something, not to be happy with something, not to forgive something, is the cause of all suffering everywhere in the world.

My Thoughts
As Regina goes on to point out, Love is the only healing power. I have known this and even taught it myself. Right now, though, combining the Lessons with these tips, I see it much more clearly. I see how important it is that I stop rejecting and start loving. I see how it keeps me separate from remembering my place in God.

© 2019, Pathways of Light. https://dev.pathwaysoflight.org
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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Gentle Healing Journal Lesson 102 2-20-19

LESSON 102
I share God’s Will for happiness for me.

“You do not want to suffer.”

I understand that God does not want me to suffer and I do not want to suffer. Our wills are aligned, and in this, I am dedicated to knowing that this is my will and I have no will opposite it. I don’t need to be further convinced. What is helpful, I think, is the meditative experience and the consistent reminder. I have accepted pain and suffering for so very long that it seems natural. I need to become aware of when I am doing this and I need my decision to become the only decision I make in this regard.

Regina’s Tip
If you want the world to be a happier more secure place, offer it a happier more secure person. Give what you want to see by being what you want to see.

In Chapter 15 of “The Untethered Soul,” Michael Singer wrote:
“[Unconditional happiness] leads you to absolute transcendence because any part of your being that would add a condition to your commitment to happiness has to go. … You have to transcend the personal, and as you do, you will naturally awaken to the higher aspects of your being.”

What is it that you think unhappiness will get you?
Will people start acting the way you want them to act?
Will people give you attention that you want?
Will God grant your wishes like a genie?
Will your thoughts quit coming?
Will you quit making mistakes?
Will your health get better?
Will someone love you?

My Thoughts
Reading today’s tips helps me to see more value in Langford’s Loving All Method in which I choose to love everything just as it is. This is to emotionally love. I might also change things if that is appropriate, but while it is happening I have a choice about how I feel about it. I can choose to love it and that would be closer to acting from my Self, and makes more sense than arguing against something that cannot at this moment be changed. If it is happening, it is too late to change it.

I have one thing that triggers unhappiness in me consistently and that is weight gain. Maybe I think being unhappy will spur me on to do a better job controlling my weight. Or maybe I am afraid that if I am not unhappy about it, I will just keep gaining weight. I think I will try an experiment. I am going to weigh myself and then I am going to spend the week being happy with the idea of weight. I already know that being unhappy does not help me control my weight. I am going to test whether or not being happy makes things worse.

The only other thing in my life that brings consistent unhappiness is when I think about my son being endangered. I know that my happiness would not make this worse and that it would actually make it better. I know that being unhappy about this makes no sense at all. I still find it difficult to tear myself away from that story, but I keep making the effort and it is much easier to come back from the story than it used to be.

As I think about this, I realize that I think my suffering for my son is proof that I love him and am a good mom. It is the way my mom expressed love for us and it has become a limiting mental habit for me, a way of thinking that I have released, but not completely. It’s on its way out, though, and quickly is my preference.

© 2019, Pathways of Light. https://dev.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

Gentle Healing Journal Lesson 101 2-19-19

LESSON 101
God’s Will for me is perfect happiness.

In this lesson, Jesus explains to us that the reason we do not accept salvation is because we believe in sin and the sinful deserve punishment. Believing thus, salvation sounds like pain and suffering to us. It is because of this belief we must have lessons that remind us of the truth, that God loves us and wants only happiness for us. It teaches us that sin is not real. Since sin is not real, the Atonement is not going to call for punishment. It is safe to accept the Atonement.

One would wonder why on earth we would not be excited to accept God’s Will for us.  I can say that, yes, I want to be happy and if it is God’s Will I be happy, I must be happy. So why is it that I don’t always feel happy? How is it that I am resisting happiness? I think that it is mostly that I choose something that doesn’t make me happy and that if I stopped doing that, happiness would be what was there for me to choose instead.

My daughter got her first live Christmas tree and she didn’t have any ornaments for it. I offered her mine. I have been collecting all my life and they are not beautiful, but they are meaningful. My son described my ornaments as my family scrapbook because most of them were made or painted by my kids over the years. Some were painted by my mom one day when she dropped in and we were painting ornaments. So, it was kind of a big deal for me to give them away, even though it was to my daughter.

I put off all my work and my free time at the end of a busy day so that I could go out to the shed and move everything out of the way so we could get to the boxes. She brought my little granddaughter which meant I did all the work while Eleanor made a mess of my just cleaned house. None of that was a problem and I did it gladly. Then when I brought everything in, my daughter was disappointed that there were not as many as she remembered, and one she had done herself when she was in school was not there.

After she left, I spent some time feeling sorry for myself and blaming her for being an ingrate and insensitive to my feelings. So that was what I chose instead of happiness. It is just that easy to say no to God and choose misery instead of joy. After a while, I decided that I didn’t want to be unhappy anymore and I asked Jesus what it was really about. What he helped me to see was that I had been in denial about other things and that it was those feelings I was dealing with. I asked for another way to see both circumstances and I decided I really wanted to wake up to a state of consistent happiness.

The thing I had to give up in order to have happiness was sin. I had to give up the idea that my daughter or anyone else sinned, that sin even exists. Then I could give up the idea that I sinned in my attack. And even though I never said out loud what I was thinking, it was still an attack. I continued thinking along those lines reinforcing the truth in my mind. Attack thoughts come from the belief in sin and to have perfect happiness I have to accept that there is no sin. If I do that, there will be no unhappy consequences. There, done!

Regina’s Tips
Today’s workbook lesson says that “suffering is causeless. Joy is just, and pain is but the sign you have misunderstood yourself.” MISUNDERSTOOD YOURSELF.

My Thoughts
One of the ways that Regina suggests learning to know who you are is to abide as your Self. This is from Ramana Maharshi and it means to abide as life-intelligence-awareness instead of as a body-mind. She suggests practicing the Loving All Method from The Most Rapid and Direct Means to Eternal Bliss. This method can be summed up by saying we are to love everything exactly the way it is. It also says that if you can’t do this by using the word love, you can substitute the “emotionally allow” for love.

I think I see the value in this method, but I still feel some resistance to this. I will love my resistance while being open to the idea of releasing the resistance.

© 2019, Pathways of Light. https://dev.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.

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Posted by Rev. Myron Jones.

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