Miracles News

July-September, 2019

Heaven Is the Decision I Must Make

by Rev. Maria Kingsley, O.M.C.

Heaven, what is Heaven to me? To me, Heaven is Life itself, and so I want to be sure to know how to choose Life. I have recognized at times that Life is the Oneness with Spirit that brings me joy, freedom, peace of mind and all Guidance in the many different situations I find myself in. But I need to choose to be connected more often, more certainly; I want to remember where all things come from. And so I decide that Heaven is my Life. And yet, I don’t always remember to choose or decide. How do I stay connected and feel the clarity of Life with me at all times?

In Lesson 138 we are clearly told that we need to make a decision, and it must be for Heaven. This lesson describes how we will come to make the right decision, and what the path to Heaven is while we are in bodies.

I can say, with my small mind, that I make a decision and it is for Heaven. However, it is not just a simple thought that I can follow and stick with easily because the ego will have no part of it. I first need to gain control of my desires and know what I truly value, and I have not put any discipline into learning how to do this. The ego is much better at following its ways, and we are familiar and comfortable with this. How can we choose to follow our divine Guidance when the ego is so quick to mislead us, so insidious in its ways to deceive us, so vicious in attacking our true thoughts, and so pervasive in our mind and feelings while hiding its own goals and objectives? It takes effort on my part to take control away from that ‘thought of separation’ and again trust the Oneness of Heaven. 

First, we need to unlearn all that we thought we needed to know, all that we think keeps us safe, brings us the attention and love we thought we needed from our parents and the world around us. We have already decided what that is, and we trust our decisions we made with our small mind, usually as children, and on our own. We first have to realize that we did not get what we wanted. And then choose to make the right decision.

How can we make decisions we are still unclear about, don’t know really where it will lead, and then to stick to them?

Lesson 138, 1:3 says: “If Heaven exits, there must be hell as well, for contradiction is the way we make what we perceive, and what we think is real.”

And so we have to remember that we are in hell, but there seem to be two choices: Heaven or hell; love and fear are two different worlds which cannot join, and so we have two choices. However, how do we know that we choose the right one when it is sometimes not clear at all whether we are in hell or Heaven — because some part of our lives can feel like heaven temporarily, yet we have just been deceived?

Lesson 138, 2:1-8 continues: Creation knows no opposite. But here is opposition part of being ‘real.’ It is this strange perception of the truth that makes the choice of Heaven seem to be the same as the relinquishment of hell. It is not really thus. Yet what is true in God’s creation cannot enter here until it is reflected in some form the world can understand. Truth cannot come where it could only be perceived with fear. For this would be the error (that) truth can be brought to illusions. Opposition makes the truth unwelcome, and it cannot come.”

When we are faced with the decision to choose Heaven, we often think that we have to give up our lives, to sacrifice something we hold dear, to be afraid of the unknown that may be the real hell. We’ve accepted the idea that we have some kind of control over our lives; that we have learned well and we can rely on our learning from the past and so we feel at least familiar with the choices we have made so far.

What we seem to not fully realize is that Heaven has only the best and happiest of experiences in mind for us. It will guide us, protect us, tell us what to do, where to go, what to say and to whom, and be with us closer than our own breath. And yet, we need to learn that we want to follow guidance and trust the Holy Spirit. And that means we decide, we make the choice for Life, for Heaven.

“Choosing depends on learning. And the truth cannot be learned, but only recognized. In recognition its acceptance lies, and as it is accepted it is known. …Ours are teaching goals, to be attained through learning how to reach them, what they are, and what they offer you. Decisions are the outcome of your learning, for they rest on what you have accepted as the truth of what you are, and what your needs must be.” (W-pI.138.5.1-3, 5-6)

This tells me that I need to pay attention to my experiences, to be curious what will happen whether I decide for love or fear, or even whether I have decided to follow fear or love. The goal of Heaven is achieved by learning what the results are, what I truly want, what my needs must be. And who is asking these questions? When I can see that my Identity is not with my personality, my body, this physical life, then I can find ways to help me be more confident in choosing for Life, for my true Self.

The first 50 lessons of the Workbook are so helpful to recognize the truth. Among the many lessons, we learn and find out that we cannot rely on our old learning, on our small self, or on the ego, who just wants to keep us in the dark. We truly don’t know what anything means. Our thoughts are meaningless and preoccupied with the past and we are never upset for the reason we think are just a few of these lessons’ teachings.

At some point we begin to see that we are frequently choosing the wrong path. We begin to see that our fears, maybe anger, maybe embarrassment or anxiety have not taken us to where we want to go, and we are experiencing more and more problems in our lives. And so we begin to consider our choices. Time is on our side here, because that is what time is for. We walk slowly; we take baby steps and try to discern as best as we can, asking for guidance, listening and making some progress.

“Heaven is chosen consciously. The choice cannot be made until alternatives are accurately seen and understood. All that is veiled in shadows must be raised to understanding, to be judged again, this time with Heaven’s help. And all mistakes in judgment that the mind had made before are open to correction, as the truth dismisses them as causeless. Now are they without effects.” (W-pI.138.9:1-5)

This is what our journey through this earthly experience is. Life has been veiled and hidden, creating shadows in our mind. We are on an exploration of the truth. We must ask for Help in clearing our mind, in overcoming our fears of what we may find. All judgments we have of ourselves and others must be questioned and corrected. These are the anchors that hold us down, the hidden pulls that make us vacillate and fluctuate in our desires and allow old habits to trip us up.

“There is nothing so frustrating to a learner as a curriculum he cannot learn. His sense of adequacy suffers, and he must become depressed. Being faced with an impossible learning situation is the most depressing thing in the world. In fact, it is ultimately why the world itself is depressing. The Holy Spirit’s curriculum is never depressing, because it is a curriculum of joy. Whenever the reaction to learning is depression, it is because the true goal of the curriculum has been lost sight of.” (T-8.VII.8)

It is Joy that I want. I have learned that Joy is like pure currency: it gives me energy, it uplifts my mood, it clears my head, and I hear Guidance much better.

And so the Lesson ends with this:

“Heaven is the decision I must make. I make it now, and will not change my mind, because it is the only thing I want.” (W-pI.138.12:5-6)

And should I slide into doubting, Jesus suggests these lines:

I must have decided wrongly because I am not at peace.

I made the decision myself, but I can also decide otherwise.

I will to decide otherwise, because I want to be at peace.

I do not feel guilty, because the Holy Spirit will undo all the consequences of my wrong decision if I will let Him.

I choose to let Him, by allowing Him to decide for God for me.” (T-5.VII.6:7-11)

And so I choose Life; I choose Heaven for it will bring me what I truly want.

Rev. Maria Kingsley is a Pathways of Light minister living in Tucson, Arizona. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  P.O. Box 35122 520-780-0170

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