Miracles News

October-December, 2015

How Practicing the Course Lessons Brings True Salvation

by Rev. Linda Wisniewski, O.M.C.

Rev. Linda Wisniewski One of the challenges that keeps coming up for me is what to do when I perceive there is something wrong with the body. Do I rush to the doctor or rush to the medicine cabinet for a pill to take care of the problem? Thank goodness God put the Holy Spirit in our minds to help us sort out what is real from what isn’t. I’m learning that the purpose of every challenge that presents itself to me is only an opportunity to show me where there is still a need to heal my thinking about what I think the problem is.

However, sometimes, when I am experiencing a lot of fear, I am not sure whether I am listening to Spirit or the ego that at times can sound so spiritual.

I had this experience when I experienced eye blurriness resulting from a long history of chronic eye inflammation. In the past, the first thing I would do is rush to the doctor for the steroids. But this time, I thought, “No! I can heal this with my mind.” And so I tried and tried but the blurriness continued and so did the fear and then the guilt. I thought, “If I go to the doctor, then I’m admitting I’m under the laws of the world instead of the laws of God. I’m not being a good Course student. If I don’t go to the doctor, what if I go blind.” Soon, I was in such a state of confusion that it grew into panic.

Of course what I am learning is that when a decision needs to be made, the ego thoughts always come in first to make me believe there is something to fear. The ego thought system also tries to convince me that what I see with the body’s eyes is real. Then the ego thought system will consistently have me make decisions that will make me believe I am guilty. The ego thought system put me in such a bind believing there was no way out.

Well, I am learning also that the reason I was in such a state of confusion was that I was trying to made a decision on my own from a place of fear and guilt I am learning that it’s the fearful and guilty thoughts that could literally kill me and not the disease. I am learning that when these fearful and guilty thoughts come up, I am listening to the wrong teacher, ego.

Finally after weeks of torturing myself with indecision, I went within and listened to the gentle and loving voice of Spirit. I rested in this stillness and became very peaceful. I then realized that it didn’t matter whether I went to the doctor or not; what Holy Spirit was teaching me was that I am not guilty; I am innocent no matter what decision I made. That was the lesson that Holy Spirit wanted me to learn. And, as I realized this, I did go to the doctor from a place of peace, not guilt and it was no big deal.

Then the ego thought system came rushing in again trying to take that peace away from me. As long as I am in peace, the ego believes it is losing control over my mind. So, then the ego brought out it’s biggest weapons to try to return me to fear and guilt. In the dream, my biggest fear was that I would get cancer and die. Cancer to me is the symbol of death and my punishment for believing I separated from my Creator. If I succumbed to cancer, the ego finally would convince me that God was absent and had forsaken me.

So guess what, I started feeling lumps all over my body and immediately panicked. “Oh, I have Cancer and this is my punishment for having sinned against God.”

But this time, when fear reared its ugly head, I didn’t panic and rush to seek a magical solution. Instead I rushed into stillness and asked the Holy Spirit to help me sort our what was real from what was unreal. I asked Holy Spirit to help me work with some lessons from the Course.

First I asked Holy Spirit to help me with Lesson 128: “The world I see holds nothing that I want.” What Holy Spirit was teaching me was that as I open to Love’s Presence, all will perfectly unfold from that. As I dis-identify from the forms of the world I see with the physical eyes, I am connecting more with Truth. Holy Spirit is helping me realize that a loving God doesn’t create sickness, pain or suffering. I am learning that God’s will for us is happiness. As I rest in the peace of God, I am beginning to experience more peace and Love. This experience shows me that Love is real and fear isn’t.

So then I asked Holy Spirit to work with me on Lesson 129: “Beyond this world is a world I want.” As I went into quiet, I asked Holy Spirit to reveal more of this Real World to me. And again, I experienced so much peace. And from this place of peace, fear couldn’t rear it’s ugly head.

The next lesson Holy Spirit worked with me was Lesson 130: “It is impossible to see two worlds.” In this lesson, the practice is to ask Holy Spirit: “Let me accept the strength God offers me and see no value in this world, that I may find my freedom and deliverance.” (8:6) As I worked with this in silence, I did actually begin to feel God’s strength. This felt so good. I started to spend more of my day in quiet than in the activities of the world. I realized for the first time, not intellectually, but in my heart, that God has not forsaken me or anyone else and is with me all the time. Even in the midst of chaos, I still felt His strength and comfort and more and more could remain in peace.

Then I came to one of my favorite lessons in the Course: Lesson 132: “I loose the world from all I thought it was.” The central message in this lesson is: Nothing in this world is real. What my body’s eyes show me is not real. This lesson could not be more clear: “There is no world. This is the central thought the Course attempts to teach.” (6:7-8) “The sick are healed as you let go of all thoughts of sickness and the dead arise when you let thoughts of life replace all thoughts you ever held of death.” (8:4)

This is why Jesus was able to heal the sick and raise Lazarus from the dead. He didn’t see with the body’s eyes. He didn’t see a body; He only saw wholeness, innocence and Love.

Then Holy Spirit worked with me on Lesson 131: “No one can fail who seeks to reach the truth.”

After working with this lesson, this is my prayer: Holy Spirit, this is my deepest desire. Let the Truth be revealed by You, dear Spirit and this Truth will set me and my brothers free. Help me, dear Spirit, know that if I choose wrongly, I am still innocent.

As my confidence grows as I experience the evidence of good outcomes from going to Holy Spirit for guidance, I choose more of Spirit’s guidance. Working with the Holy Spirit with these lessons is casting out fear and guilt and returning me to the experience of God’s Love and Care for me. These lessons are the journey towards freedom and salvation from the chains with which the ego tries to bind us to a world that is not even real. Thank you Holy Spirit.

Rev. Linda Wisniewski, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in Plymouth, Wisconsin. E-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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