Miracles Principle #10—“The use of miracles as spectacles to induce belief is a misunderstanding of their purpose.” When our gifts or abilities are used to demonstrate our superiority—that we are wiser, holier, or better—we are serving the ego’s purpose, not Spirit’s.
Lesson 61—“I am the light of the world.” In traditional Christian teaching, Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus is saying here that we are his equals. At first this idea can seem arrogant, even blasphemous. What, however, could be more arrogant, when God has made you the light of the world, than to say, “Sorry, Boss, you are mistaken. I’m a poor miserable sinner”? We are here to be conduits of God’s light. That is our only function in the physical world. In giving more light and love, we receive more light and love and become increasingly closer to our true nature as a child of God.
Lesson 62—“Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world.” As the light of the world, our function is not to convert people, to straighten them out, or to be their knight in shining armor. Forgiveness is the means CIM sets forth as the way out of “hell” because the “hell” we live in was made by our judgments and attacks. Though we think of attack more in terms of the “big” things, such as betrayal or obvious intent to harm, any thought that demeans or belittles or views others as “less than” is attack. Allowing Spirit to replace these thoughts with thoughts of love and forgiveness simultaneously brings light into the minds of those around us and into our own minds. Forgiveness calls upon the Christ within us, while attack calls upon and reinforces our ego.
Lesson 63—“The light of the world brings peace to every mind through my forgiveness.” Have you ever been the recipient of real forgiveness? There is nothing quite so liberating, nothing that eases the mind as much as being truly forgiven. We have the power to bring that kind of peace to every mind. That is our function. We can allow Spirit to do this through us. What greater purpose could we hope to serve?
Lesson 64—“Let me not forget my function.” What causes me to forget my function? The entire world. The ego made the world and the body to obscure my divine reality. The ego depends upon my identifying with my bodily form and vigilantly protecting it from perceived attacks. At the same time that I’m moved by Spirit to forgive, I find myself resisting tooth and nail, trying to justify withholding forgiveness. This resistance can be a horrendously difficult habit to break and requires diligence in surrendering to Spirit.
Lesson 65—“My only function is the one God gave me.” To say, “My job is to love and be loved” is a major paradigm shift. This lesson advances us past the simple recognition that love is our function; it adds the idea that this is our only function. In the beginning, we have no idea how many competitive goals we’ve set up for ourselves. Is CIM asking us to relinquish our roles as parents, spouses, employers and employees? Of course not. But it is asking that we recognize these as temporary roles in a temporary world rather than as our ultimate function. It may help to think of “function” as meaning “nature.” My divine nature is love; therefore, my true function is love. My divine nature is joy; therefore, my function is joy.
Lesson 66—“My happiness and my function are one.” Our happiness and our God-given function are not only connected, they are one and the same. If we think about all the ways we’ve tried to find happiness following our egos—as instructed in this lesson—we must admit, if we are perfectly honest, none of them have worked. There is a God-sized hole in every heart that can only be filled by accepting our function. If God gives us only happiness, and God gives us our function, what is the logical conclusion? My function must be happiness. My reason for being must be happiness. Fulfilling my function is what makes me happy.
Lesson 67—“Love created me like Itself.” CIM spends a significant amount of space in telling us what we are, how we were created like God, Who created us, and how that reality is “unchanged and unchangeable.” Lesson 229 virtually duplicates today’s thought: “Love, Which created me, is what I am.” Review V has us repeat, “God is but Love, and therefore so am I” every day for ten days. The same message is echoed in Lessons 94, 110, 132, 139, 162, 201-220, 260 and throughout the Text. Love is what I am. That’s why I’m the light of the world. Notice that the lesson does not expect us to “get” this idea all at once. If we were expected to get it right away, we wouldn’t be asked to repeat it eighty times. All we are looking for is to “realize fully, if only for a moment, that it is the truth.”
Assignment: Lessons 68-74; Text Chapter Six, “The Lessons of Love,” pp.91-96.
Practical Application: “Happy Hour”—Set aside an hour a day this week to do something that makes you happy. If you feel this is impossible, set aside a half hour a day. (Get up a half hour earlier if you have to!)
No comments:
Post a Comment