Together, We Light the Way

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Study of Manual for Teachers 5-15-12

Day 134
2 We have repeatedly said that one who has perfectly accepted the Atonement for himself can heal the world. Indeed, he has already done so. Temptation may recur to others, but never to this One. He has become the risen Son of God. He has overcome death because he has accepted life. He has recognized himself as God created him, and in so doing he has recognized all living things as part of him. There is now no limit on his power, because it is the Power of God. So has his name become the Name of God, for he no longer sees himself as separate from Him.

As I read this paragraph my love and appreciation for Jesus is greater than ever. He perfectly accepted the Atonement and healed the world. That he did this means that I cannot fail in my part because it is done. It seems that I need do nothing but accept my healing. All of the words and practices in the Course are not to change me in any way, but to help me awaken to the realization that there is nothing to change. This has been done. The world is healed.

In accepting the Atonement he has recognized himself as part of God and part of us all. In this recognition of his unity to All That Is, the power of God became available to him. When I choose to accept my part in the Atonement, this same power will be available to me, and until then I can call on his certainty. In calling on the name of Jesus Christ, I am calling on the name of God because there is no separation between them.

There is no separation between me and God either, but I do not accept that as true right now and so my denial of the power of God keeps me from fully accessing it. It’s kind of like having an endlessly replenished bank account that I refuse to believe could be mine. It doesn’t do me any good until I accept it and start writing checks on it.

I’m especially grateful to Jesus this morning because my brother, John, is going for his procedure. He has been in severe pain for about three weeks and has lost nearly 30 pounds. I hear the ego voice in my head saying that there are no simple and harmless outcomes to this test today, that his symptoms prove he is seriously sick and that I can only hope for a lesser of evils. I hear the ego, and acknowledge the temptation to believe it. I ask the Holy Spirit to heal my mind and to use this situation to bring me closer to full acceptance of the Atonement.

Once I have asked for healing, I trust that it is done and so do not dwell on the ego thoughts. They are not true and so there is no reason to give them my attention. God is love, not pain and we are all in God so we cannot be in pain. There was a time when I would be afraid of my inability to hold only that thought in my mind, and would feel guilty that I could not. But not so much anymore.

I see those fearful thoughts, but I am not overwhelmed by them because I know that I have only one job; my job is to give my awareness to false beliefs that make themselves known through fearful thoughts, and to give my willingness to see them healed. I am doing this and so I am doing all I can do and all I need do.

I accept responsibility for not just my little corner of the illusion, but for everything. I am responsible for every illness, because every illness is the same illness. It is the effect of the belief in separation. This belief is the cause of all forms of pain and suffering. Owning responsibility is the first step in healing myself and healing the world. But there is a tremendous difference between responsibility and guilt. I held off on owning responsibility for so long because I did not at first understand this difference.

When I was still confused, every time I found a dark thought in my mind I felt guilty for having it and so I stopped looking. It felt like looking for the dark thoughts was the cause of my suffering. But I felt that Inner calling to heal, as have we all who are reading this, and so I kept returning to that which I was told would bring me this healing.

Eventually, I realized that looking with the Holy Spirit and accepting His healing was actually the way I experienced relief. I accepted that I was not guilty for my thoughts, and in fact, it was the belief I was guilty that caused the pain and suffering I felt. My most heart-felt and healing mantra has been that I am innocent. You are innocent. No matter what the appearance there is only innocence.

Recognizing that I could be responsible without being guilty was the understanding that I needed to redouble my efforts. I became fully willing to do the work I needed to do to bring me closer to realizing that I need do nothing. This undoing is still occurring for me, but it is a happier un-job than before.

Instead of feeling guilty and fearful when I see the wrong-minded thoughts, I feel grateful for the awareness because I have experienced the joy of letting them go. I don’t even feel discouraged that I sometimes find the same belief many times before I have fully allowed healing.

It seems there is nothing to judge and that I am always innocent even when it appears I am not. In fact, the Holy Spirit is helping me learn to disregard appearances because they are not truth. As I refuse to give false appearances my belief they are disappearing from my life. Truly, I am responsible for everything in my life, and innocent of all wrong, and my healing mind is giving me a glimpse of a healed world.

© 2012, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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