Together, We Light the Way

Lesson 42

God is my strength. Vision is His gift.
1. The idea for today combines two very powerful thoughts, both of major importance. ²It also sets forth a cause and effect relationship that explains why you cannot fail in your efforts to achieve the goal of the course. ³You will see because it is the Will of God. ⁴It is His strength, not your own, that gives you power. ⁵And it is His gift, rather than your own, that offers vision to you.
2. God is indeed your strength, and what He gives is truly given. ²This means that you can receive it any time and anywhere, wherever you are, and in whatever circumstance you find yourself. ³Your passage through time and space is not at random. ⁴You cannot but be in the right place at the right time. ⁵Such is the strength of God. ⁶Such are His gifts. (ACIM, W-42)

I will achieve the goal of A Course in Miracles because God is my strength and vision is His gift. I lean into this lesson when I feel discouraged or fearful. For a long time it had felt like an uphill battle to let go of the desire to judge, the impulse to defend, the urgency that convinces me I need to attack. Then I remember: I am not depending on my strength. God is my strength. Failure is impossible. When I cannot imagine another way to see, when error feels more real than truth, I remember: vision is given to me. It is God’s gift.

I will awaken from the dream of separation because it is God’s Will that I do so, and it is His strength that upholds me and His Vision that guides me forward and shows me the way. Yesterday, we learned that within us is everything that is perfect. It is within me because it is God. God is within me, and I am within Him. How could success be in doubt? The idea of failure is insane.

At times, I have felt lost. How did I get to this place, this situation, I wondered. It seemed like I was in hell and couldn’t find an exit. But this couldn’t be true because life is not at random. My passage through time and space is not at random. I have discovered just how true this is. I am exactly where I need to be—at the next step in awakening. At times, I have felt distraught in certain situations and wondered if I was abandoned. Later, when I had transcended the problem, I was glad it had happened. I saw its value and loved that it had brought me to where I was.

Feeling lost had not happened in a good while because, as I practiced, my experience changed. It made a difference in my experience of my life. However, I hadn’t been happy with the direction our country has taken in the last few years, and I couldn’t see a happy outcome if it continued as it has. For a time, I felt fear and anger. I didn’t want to be here to see this. But I do believe that life is not at random, and so this must be the perfect place for me. So I asked: What am I to do now?

It had to be that I was to love rather than fear, and I became determined to be the love that was needed. There were many different ways I was shown to do this. The first and most essential was to allow my mind to be healed. I began to ask for another way to see things. I began to remember what should be obvious but had escaped me when I focused on fear. Separation is the problem, and joining is the answer.

I saw that I must join not only with those who agree with me, but with everyone. I saw that I was judging, and this would never bring peace, no matter how much I was convinced that I was right.
With each step forward toward love, fears hold on me lessened, and the errors became clear. I sometimes had to practice accepting a different way of seeing, even when it was given to me, but I did that. I began to have love for those I had previously seen as the enemy, and the imagined gap between us began to close Slowly, the urge to judge gave way to compassion… and then to love.

These last few days have been especially helpful because the lessons came at the perfect time to help me clean up any remaining blocks to love’s awareness. I had wrestled with myself as to whether it was time to start contemplating the Text again. I didn’t seem to have time for that, but the strong urge to do so decided it for me. By this time, I had learned not to ignore these nudges in a particular direction. So when I got to the Circle of Atonement, I was ready to read that my only calling here is to devote myself with active willingness to the denial of guilt in all its forms. And I was ready to heed it.

Along with another idea from Jesus, letting the Holy Spirit decide for me in all things, this very clear and uncompromising statement that I needed to let go of the belief in guilt once and for all, has given me an answer to all problems. Without guilt separating me from my brothers and sisters, and with clear and present guidance that I want in every circumstance, I am no longer fighting what is. I am here to be light in a dark time. This is no accident. I am here, and I am grateful that this is so.

I gladly practice this lesson today. I want to never forget my purpose and my function while I am here. I am here to succeed. God is my strength. Vision is His gift. The world is distracting, and so I need this practice. I need this to keep me mindful of my goal and to remind me that it matters. It matters very much. It is everything.
Video: https://youtu.be/KejOcy4bDGQ

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