CIM Lessons 271-277 and Miracles Principle #40

Miracles Principle #40: “The miracle acknowledges everyone as your brother and mine. It is a way of perceiving the universal mark of God.” The error the miracle corrects is the error of believing we are separate. Whether we’re separated by our bodies or by the “sins” we believe other people do, all the miracle does is reflect the fact that we are one, and that’s what Jesus always remind us of—that we are one with him. The “universal mark of God” is our sharing in the light of Christ.

Lesson 271—“Christ’s is the vision I will use today.” The Workbook lessons constantly remind us that we are continually choosing what we want to see and see it. What we choose is what we want to be the truth for ourselves. If I see victims, it’s because there’s part of me that wants to feel victimized. If I see aggressors, it’s because part of me wants to lash out. The point of this lesson isn’t to point out our negative choices, but rather to point out that there is a choice. If I listen to my ego, I will see sin, guilt, fear, and death. If I listen to Spirit, I will see only love or a cry for love. As my perception merges more and more with Christ’s vision, I will approach the point where perception will entirely disappear. The changed perception will then show me what CIM calls the real world. The disappearance of perception refers to the end of the world and our awakening to Heaven. If I want to see myself as love, let me today see love in my brothers and sisters—all of them.

What is the Christ? Christ is the original creation of God, before we “remade” him and painted another image over God’s masterpiece. We are all aspects of that one Son. Christ is the part of the mind that never lost its knowledge of connection with God. It is this part of our minds we’re trying to become aware of. This is what we’re learning to see in one another, so that we can remember the Christ in ourselves. Not only are we united with one another in this Christ Self, we’re united with God as well. Without God this Self would not exist. He sustains It. It cannot be apart from Him any more than a limb can sustain itself if severed from the tree.

Lesson 272—“How can illusions satisfy God’s Son?” This lesson is telling us to accept no substitutes. We want the real thing. The irony is that most of the time we allow ourselves to be satisfied with illusions—illusions of love (special love relationships), of security (financial security), of meaning (fame, worldly rewards, etc.). We need to ask: “Can illusions bring me happiness?” Though we may find temporary pleasure and satisfaction in some of our illusions, ultimately all will bitterly disappoint us. Today, will I pursue yet another illusion, or will I use my time wisely and choose the peace of God?

Lesson 273—“The stillness of the peace of God is mine.” CIM makes room for all of us. Though we’ve already done 272 lessons, a day of undisturbed tranquility may not yet be attainable. There is no sense of putdown in this. The lesson simply says it isn’t possible for you yet. But even the “yet” has meaning in that it indicates it will be possible for us eventually. Jesus has confidence in all of us. Not just those doing the lessons every day, but all of us. The lesson suggests that even though we may not yet be capable of spending a day in perfect peace, we can still be “content and even more than satisfied.” To lose what peace we have because we aren’t perfectly at peace is, of course, counterproductive. We can be at peace about not being at peace. That is where we all must begin. When disturbances occur, we dismiss them. We are firm but gentle and calm, telling our minds, “Peace, be still,” and asking Spirit, “Help me see this in a different way.”

Lesson 274—“Today belongs to Love. Let me not fear.” Fear is what happens when we shut ourselves off from the awareness of Love. It’s only the illusory absence of Love because Love is never absent. Like the physical sun, Love is always shining. We sometimes say, “The sun isn’t out today.” But, of course, the sun is always out, but there is interference—clouds or something in between, which is blocking our awareness of the sun. We then experience darkness, which is no more than the absence of Light. When the interference is removed, light is there, just as it always was. Likewise, when we remove the interference to our awareness of Love, Love is there and fear is gone. Any form of fear is a call for love. It is a symptom of our deep sense of loss. Fear takes many forms—illness, financial catastrophe, jealousy, addiction—but the cause is always the same: the erroneous belief that we are separate from God. When I bring fear symptoms to Spirit, He can reinterpret them so that I can understand that all forms of fear are nothing but an unconscious call for Love and therefore nothing to feel guilty about. The path of the Course lies here, in learning to let go of our fears and to respond to one another with love instead.  

Lesson 275—“God’s healing voice protects all things today.” I can join with Jesus in hearing the Voice of God now. That’s something I can do in the privacy of my home. If the problem is a belief in separation, that problem can’t be solved alone and apart. Being alone and apart is the problem! Any healing, any enlightenment will be something that is shared. If I practice in my quiet time, when I move out into the world, I can extend what I’ve found in Christ’s presence to everyone I meet. I can bring reassurance and safety from my companionship with the Christ to the world, and as I give it, it is given to me. I recognize I don’t know the answers. I can’t figure everything out. But Spirit can and does. I can leave the running of the universe in God’s hands.

Lesson 276—“The Word of God is given me to speak.” The phrase “the word of God” in CIM is defined as “My Son is pure and holy as Myself.” In another place in CIM, it’s said to be, “I am as God created me.” This Word created us: as in the Bible, God spoke, and it was so. I cannot make my Self other than what God created me. Hearing God’s Word is accepting His Authorship, accepting that we are created in His Love and can be no other than what He created us to be. What I want to communicate to my brothers and sisters is that they all share this innocence with me. My criticism and judgments communicate guilt. My forgiveness communicates their innocence.

Lesson 277—“Let me not bind Your Son with laws I made.” When CIM uses the term “Son” in this context, with me addressing God concerning His Son, the term usually refers to the whole Sonship, which includes all my brothers and sisters as well as myself. When I place a limit on someone in my mind, if that person is already accepting such a limit in his own mind, I am reinforcing it and placing that limit upon myself. We can see this manifested quite vividly in children. If significant adults “see” the child as limited, the child will often manifest limits. Each person we encounter is equally unlimited and free, the perfect Son of God as God created him. The Son of God has not been changed by anything that has happened to his body, which is changeable. A feather cannot scratch a diamond. Our brothers are not bound by anything except their beliefs. What if, today, I looked upon everyone from this frame of reference? What miracles might occur? What chains might drop away? That is our function as teachers of God.

Assignment: Miracle Principle #41 and Lessons 278-284. Read as directed by Spirit.

Practical Application: Select one limitation that you perceive is yours. (“I can’t talk in front of a group.” “I’m not creative.” “I couldn’t run around the block much less a 3K.”) Then prove to yourself, with the assistance of Spirit, that it isn’t true.