CIM Lessons 334-340 and Miracles Principle #49

Miracles Principle # 49: “The miracle makes no distinction among degrees of misperception. It is a device for perception correction, effective quite apart from either the degree or the direction of the error. This is its true indiscriminateness.” This is a restatement of Miracles Principle #1: “There is no order of difficulty in miracles.” The miracle corrects all errors, regardless of what they look like, because errors are all the same. When we believe one thing is more difficult than another, we are falling into the ego’s trap. We are making the body real and making it the focus of attention. The body has only one purpose—to convey God’s Love.

Lesson 334—“Today I claim the gifts forgiveness gives.” This lesson is about not wasting anymore time chasing after the “treasures” the ego dangles before us. There is a verse in Ecclesiastes that says all our seeking is like trying to hold on to the wind. The illusions of the ego can never satisfy the Son of God. Only that which is eternal can satisfy me. “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” (Jim Elliot) Let me remember that what I truly want is the peace and abundance of God in my heart. Every encounter today offers me a chance at that peace and abundance.

Lesson 335—“I choose to see my brother’s sinlessness.” This continues yesterday’s lesson about decision and choice. What we see results from choices we’ve made about what we believe. The misperception happens like this: I see guilt in myself. I want to get rid of it, so I project it onto a brother. I think this will ease my own feelings of guilt, but rather, it magnifies them. Correction happens in reverse: I realize I’m not at peace and therefore I must have decided wrongly. I decide to see my brother as innocent. When I’ve truly made that choice, I’ll see myself as innocent, too. Seeing one another as guiltless restores the memory of God to us.

Lesson 336—“Forgiveness lets me know minds are joined.” CIM speaks of the idea that minds are joined as something that is experienced in a holy relationship. In a holy relationship, the members of that relationship regularly practice forgiveness with one another. The result is that the relationship becomes “a reflection of the union of the Creator and His Son.” (T-22.VI.14:1-5) The idea that forgiveness is related to the experience of Oneness is not intuitively obvious. Our perception tells us we are separate in myriad ways. Forgiveness opens the way to an experience that takes us beyond perception and shows us the underlying unity that perception cannot see. In the experience of union with another person, we begin to remember our union with God.

Lesson 337—“My sinlessness protects me from all harm.” This lesson is about accepting the Atonement. There are only two steps to the full knowledge of complete happiness and invulnerability:

1.     Realize I need do nothing of myself. (God does it all through us.)

2.     Accept what God has already done. (God made All That Is, including me, perfect.)

All the turmoil we experience comes from thinking we lack something and therefore we have to do something to get it. We feel unhappy and set out to seek some “thing” or someone to make us happy. Unhappiness, however, is not a condition of lack. It’s a condition of denial. We block out the awareness of Love’s presence and abundance. We think the solution is to do something when, actually, it’s to stop doing, to end the activity that is obscuring our happiness. That is one of the values of meditation. When we stop the mental activity, happiness can shine through.

Lesson 338—“I am affected only by my thoughts.” This is a key Course concept, repeated over and over again: “I am responsible for what I see. I choose the feelings I experience, and I decide upon the goal I would achieve.” (T-21.II.2:3-4) Nothing beyond yourself can make you fearful or loving, because nothing is beyond you.” (T-10.In.1:1) CIM says accepting this is foundational to our release from suffering.

The realization that there is nothing outside me threatening me in any way at first may induce guilt—because if no one else is doing this to me, I must be doing it to myself, and that seems a horrendous admission to make. In actuality, however, the realization that I am affected only by my own thoughts brings my release from fear and suffering.

Even though I know the truth of this lesson, I will still have frightening thoughts. That is not anything to be concerned about. When such thoughts surface I can learn to shrug and tell myself, “So, I still have an ego. What else is new?” Today let me be willing to recognize my fear thoughts rather than denying I have them, so that with the help of Spirit, I can allow them to be exchanged for happy thoughts of Truth.

Lesson 339—“I will receive whatever I request.” This can be an upsetting idea because it means whatever I have received, I’ve requested on some level. Why would anyone “request” misery and pain? Nobody wants pain, but nevertheless, we do request it. The lesson explains that I’m confused about what I want. I can secretly believe that freedom is threatening. I can secretly believe that love is threatening. Perhaps you’ve had the thought: This is too good to last. We really do think too much joy is threatening. And we value our suspicions. We cherish our defenses. We’re afraid of simply opening up to joy. So, quite unconsciously most of the time, we request separation and unhappiness.

But we can change our minds. We can begin, consciously, to choose the joy of God instead of pain. When pain arises, we can accept the fact that we are choosing it and choose again. We can say, “Oops! I’m doing it to myself again.” Stop a moment and adopt this mindset. Accept responsibility for your pain and choose again.

Lesson 440—“I can be free of suffering today.” Workbook lessons 221-365 are meant to be used as brief introductions to the holy instants of direct experience of the Truth. The “words of inspiration” refer to the prayers in each lesson. The idea is that we read the lesson and think about it a minute or two. Then, we repeat the prayer that invites God to join us. Then we wait quietly until we’re aware of God’s presence. Perhaps my holy instant won’t last more than an instant or two. But even if I forget or “lose” the experience, the memory will remain and sustain me, transforming my day. There is no need for anxiety because God has promised we cannot lose our way back to Him—because we never left Him.

Assignment: Lessons 341-347 and Miracles Principle #50. This is the last miracles principle. Please review all fifty principles this week and try to be sure you understand their meaning. If not, please bring your questions for discussion in class.

Practical Application: Meditate on some pain, disappointment or seeming lack in your life. Consider accepting responsibility for choosing this situation. Then consider choosing God’s peace instead. What would that “look” like? What would you be saying and/or doing differently?