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July-September,  2023

Finding Happiness

by Rev. Joyce Peebles, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

“God’s Will for you is perfect happiness because there is no sin, and suffering is causeless.” (W-pI.101.6:1) What a statement. Don’t we live in a world of suffering? Doesn’t everyone have problems? Actually, ACIM says the answer is no. My inner Teacher tells me this book is correct.

I conclude I have needlessly decided to suffer. Who wrote the script of my life? I did along with the so-called problems. The Holy Spirit tells me that I made up the ideas of fear and guilt. Only I can decide to get rid of them. Jesus says, “I know fear is not real, but you do not.”

ACIM is about getting rid of the barriers to Love. The belief in guilt, fear, the desire for anger and grievances are my barriers, not just to love but happiness. These barriers have served the purpose of keeping me unaware of Reality. When I made the decision to think of myself as something other than the perfect, whole oneness of God, I took on the persona of a limited, needy self — a self that is lacking in love, security, and took on specialness needs. I was convinced that having my specialness needs met was my path to happiness.

I found myself dealing with the same issues year after year. Playing with this limited self, I felt righteous in being upset, and unconsciously creating suffering for myself. I believed my happiness would be achieved if the people or situations were different. The Holy Spirit corrected me, saying these people and situations are my classroom that I want and need. Jesus says what the body’s eyes see is an illusion. He also said not to deny what the body’s eyes see. It’s a clear indication of how my mind thinks and what needs to be healed. Until I was willing to see the false beliefs about my true Self, I was stuck.

What constitutes happiness? For most of us, it comes down to being certain we are loved, safe, content with what we Are, and thereby feeling nothing is lacking. All my “suffering” came from the belief I did not already have these things. The fact was, I have always had them, but was unaware.

There are three concepts in ACIM that have helped me achieve happiness. They are forgiveness, prayer, and accepting atonement. Forgiveness means looking with the Holy Spirit at my illusions, which are literally projections from my mind, hallucinations I made. Then recognizing they never were true although I wanted them to be, despite all the sadness they brought. They were the sorry substitutes for the Love and peace of God. I came to this realization by practicing this: “The overlooking of the battleground is now your purpose. Be lifted up, and from a higher place look down upon it. From there will your perspective be quite different.” (T-23.IV.4:7,5:1-2)

This requires recognizing the limited ego self I made up is nothing, and it is not a sacrifice to withhold belief in it. Giving up my specialness needs came about as I’ve recognized the cost of keeping them. Which did I want — peace, love and happiness or pain and suffering? It’s really that simple. Either I satisfy the fictitious ego body, or I give up the idea entirely.

Secondly, accepting the atonement concept helped. It is the one absolute responsibility we all have. (T-2.V.5:1) It is the willingness to see all bodies as divine oneness, innocent and complete, lacking nothing because the separation idea never happened. This, of course, is not possible through the body’s eyes, only the Holy Spirit helps us to see this. Both forgiveness and the atonement concept entail deciding against judgment of ourselves and others. Keep in mind, “The body’s eyes will continue to see differences. But the mind that has let itself be healed will no longer acknowledge them… the healed mind will put them all in one category; they are unreal.” (M-8.6:1-4)

Third, prayer. Only the ego thinks prayer is asking for something it lacks. Jesus gives us a much different view of what prayer is. “Praying for others, if rightly understood, becomes a means for lifting your projections of guilt from your brother, and enabling you to recognize it is not he who is hurting you.” (S-1.III.1:4) In the third chapter of the Text, we are told the only meaningful prayer is for forgiveness of ourselves. At first, because of the guilt we project onto others, it appears we are forgiving “them.” In reality there is no “them” out there. It is all taking place in my mind. I came to understand the thought of guilt had to be only in one place, my Mind. This is why we forgive only ourselves, for believing in a false idea that could never be!

There never was anybody to blame for my decision to create these false ideas about my real Self. I am reminded again to put away my child’s toys of anger, guilt, fear, conflict, and expectations of how others should act. Some, no, most of them, used to have a lot of glitter to attract me, but it has worn off. I look at them lovingly at times, other times in horror. I only played with them because I thought they would give me something I wanted. I was wrong. A little child does not give up a toy he perceives as having value. Mine have grown pretty ugly, the glitter is wearing off, like the velveteen rabbit, threadbare. Gently I hear a voice calling me back from my fantasies. See Lesson 20: “I am determined to see.”

It’s a matter of motivation. I am now more disillusioned with pain and suffering. Attempting to satisfy my specialness needs did not get me what I wanted. I am more willing to let go of the belief I am the character in this story. I understand I literally lose nothing and gain everything as I allow healing to occur.

© 2023, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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