A Course in Miracles Workbook Daily Lesson 333, Year 2022

ACIM Daily Lesson 333 Forgiveness ends the dream of conflict here. 1. Conflict must be resolved.

Lesson 333

Forgiveness ends the dream of conflict here.

1. Conflict must be resolved. ²It cannot be evaded, set aside, denied, disguised, seen somewhere else, called by another name, or hidden by deceit of any kind, if it would be escaped. ³It must be seen exactly as it is, where it is thought to be, in the reality which has been given it, and with the purpose that the mind accorded it. ⁴For only then are its defenses lifted, and the truth can shine upon it as it disappears.

2. Father, forgiveness is the light You chose to shine away all conflict and all doubt, and light the way for our return to You. ²No light but this can end our evil dream. ³No light but this can save the world. ⁴For this alone will never fail in anything, being Your gift to Your beloved Son.

Conflict is so common in the world of separation that it is likely to be overlooked.

And yet, it is essential that we not overlook it. Here is an example of a common conflict. I was thinking about something someone said about me that was upsetting. I felt resentment, and so I let myself think about it. The resentment alerted me to a conflict in my mind. I knew that if I pushed it aside and ignored it, the conflict would still be there. It would be there even if I didn’t acknowledge it, and as Jesus says, all conflict must be resolved.

That is, I didn’t govern my thoughts but let them flow without constraint. I know how I “should” think, and the temptation is to skip over the reality of it straight to the healed thoughts. But that doesn’t help; It is not forgiveness, and it doesn’t heal anything. I must look at the conflict exactly where it is and how I’ve made it real. It doesn’t matter that it was not very important, nor that the other person doesn’t know he is part of my conflict. It is only my mind that needs resolution, and it is needed for even the slightest conflict.

I thought about what was said, and I let myself feel it fully, noting the emotions that were felt. I asked the Holy Spirit to help me see what it was that was triggered, what belief that was lying just below the surface. What I saw was the image I have of myself and my defense of that image. I didn’t think I was still doing that, so this was a golden opportunity to heal this once and for all.

As I began to feel gratitude, there was more light in my mind.

As a result, I could see this situation differently. The resentment began to feel silly, and I felt freer. In fact, I began to smile and then laugh at the whole idea of defending my image. This is the miracle of a changed mind, and I cannot make it happen. I can only desire it and do the simple things that help me accept it. So let’s look at the process again. I looked at the conflict without flinching and let myself feel it and think about it. I decided I didn’t want it, and so forgave it. As my defenses were lifted, I let the light shine on it, and it disappeared.

The thing that can hijack the whole healing process is the reluctance we can feel to look honestly at what is in our minds. A Course in Miracles students learn early on that their thoughts are powerful and wrong-minded thoughts are the cause of their problems. As a result, we can become afraid of our thoughts and try not to dwell on them. We can do that spiritual bypass thing where we go from the problem straight to the solution without doing the forgiveness work.

What we need to realize is this.

First, we cannot control the thoughts that come into our minds. Secondly, we don’t need to or want to do that. These thoughts and the feelings that go with them lead us to the beliefs that need healing. We don’t need to be afraid of thoughts. The most helpful thing we can do with our thoughts is to look at them with the Holy Spirit and let the light shine on them. Once we see them for what they are, we will no longer want the wrong-minded thoughts, and they will not affect us anymore. There! Problem solved.

I’m not sure when I finally accepted that I couldn’t have a conflicted mind and still wake up.

But it did, at last, do so. I finally understood that all conflict had to be resolved. For a while, it would take some time to do this with certain people or situations, but no matter how long it took, I would forgive it and let it disappear. The time it took to make this decision took less and less time.

Yesterday, I noticed that I felt some tension in my body. I stopped immediately and searched my mind for the thought responsible for this feeling. I usually have an appointment on Thursdays, and I saw that I wanted to cancel it but didn’t feel like I had a good reason for doing so. So, I was conflicted about what to do and how to do it.

So, here I am, standing in my pantry, and I have completely forgotten what I was after when I came into it. But whatever my intention when I got here, now I am after my peace. As I waited for clarity, thoughts arose that helped. First, I remembered that I don’t know if I am going to make that appointment or not. It isn’t time to make that decision.

Second, the ego mind doesn’t know what it is for, so how could it decide? Sure, it knows the apparent reason, but not the underlying purpose, the real purpose. I am not using the ignorant mind to decide on this. And finally, if I am canceling this appointment, then I will just do so. No justification is needed. That need is an old habit formed when I thought how people felt about me determined my worth. What just happened in my pantry with this conflicted thought is forgiveness.

Regina’s Tips

Our special theme says, “The ego is ‘proof’ that strength is weak and love is fearful, life is really death, what opposes God alone is true.”

In other words, the ego is “proof” that we are limited humans existing in a body in a world and destined to die.

What that means to me is that the ego is the source of doubt.

Fortunately, although we sometimes experience doubt, doubt isn’t all that is in our minds. There is also willingness; there may even be a longing to search for truth, possibly a longing so strong that it feels like a calling you can’t ignore.

My Thoughts

We all experience doubt. This is such a long dream, and it feels so real, and we can feel very alone in this since most people are not yet ready to awaken. To make it even harder, as long as we identify with the split mind, we will feel like we are fighting ourselves. Hang in there, though, because that false identity is slowly falling away, and one day it will be a vague memory.

You can achieve freedom from doubt faster if you are consistent in your forgiveness work. There is a Voice in your mind that is constantly guiding you, and it is up to you to choose to listen to that Voice rather than the ego voice. Choose the Voice for God consistently, and awakening will come sooner. It is up to you. I decided not to let myself down.

Regina

Forgiveness, as we have seen, is abiding as our unaffected Self. It’s often called being the observer or remaining in Presence.

Our lesson begins by saying, “Conflict must be resolved. It cannot be evaded, set aside, denied, disguised, seen somewhere else, called by another name, or hidden by deceit of any kind….”

What is the difference between abiding as the unaffected Self and falling for habits like evasion, setting aside, denying etcetera?

How can we abide as the unaffected Self when we feel affected by something or someone?

My Thoughts

I have often thought that one of the most important lines in the Course says, “You but do this to yourself.” He is saying this here, just in a different way. Conflict is causing us to suffer, and we are doing it to ourselves. We can go on pretending that the world is doing it to us, but to do so is to suffer. Resolving conflict is the only way to peace, and forgiveness is the only resolution to conflict. However, it shows up.

Regina is defining forgiveness as abiding as our unaffected Self. This is actually quite perfect. When there is conflict, and I forgive it, this is what I am actually saying. “I forgive the idea that I can be affected by this person or situation.”

Past Entries

I notice that I never have the temptation to deny or hide conflict. I am hyper-aware of conflict and so very sensitive to it. However, I am not always sure what to do with it. Should I resolve it with words or actions? If so, what words and what actions? Here is what Jesus says about this.

“It must be seen exactly as it is, where it is thought to be, in the reality which has been given it, and with the purpose that the mind accorded it. For only then are its defenses lifted, and the truth can shine upon it as it disappears.”

I have been conflicted about something lately and have had trouble emerging from the confusion of the ego mind to see the truth of it more clearly. So I am asking Jesus to help me use his lesson to gain the clarity he is talking about here and to become free of this. So here goes.

Someone I know and care about has been drinking way too much.

He has a family history of alcoholism, and since I came from a background of the same thing, I know the signs. I hear his justifications and denial, and that is a sign I recognize as well. The conflict is two-fold. First, I see that I want this person to change so that I feel better about the situation.

When I am with him, when he drinks, too many unresolved issues come up for me. I notice I am moving away from him, sitting across the room. I notice the smell coming off of him is causing me anxiety. He is different when he drinks too much, his humor has an edge to it, and I see he is experiencing rage that is usually kept in check when he is sober. I am even more uncomfortable and want to be further away from him.

Clearly, I have some issues that need to come to light and be looked at and resolved once and for all. I need these old stories to be forgiven. I wonder if I could help in some way, but I cannot even begin to address the possibility of that action as long as my mind remains unhealed. At this point, it is too much about me for me to be of help to him.

Here is what Jesus said I should do about my conflict.

“Father, forgiveness is the light You chose to shine away all conflict and all doubt, and light the way for our return to You. No light but this can end our evil dream.”

So I am sitting with these feelings and letting them come up along with the stories from the past that I use to support them and keep them alive. I remember that forgiveness is another word for undoing. I am letting the anger and resentment from my past experiences come to the light in my mind, and I am allowing that light of forgiveness to wash over them.

While I thought this had been done before, obviously, I had been deceiving myself, burying the feelings and calling it a day. But conflict denied is still conflict, and in denial, it is protected from healing. It remains unseen but is just as damaging.

I notice while I sit with my memories, the ego mind cannot see a way around them. It cannot see how to forgive the unforgiveable. But the light of forgiveness doesn’t need the ego’s understanding or help, so I trust that my desire to be free of conflict will facilitate the healing. The Holy Spirit will do the rest.

Sickness is another opportunity to resolve conflict.

Sickness and physical suffering are very interesting once you begin to use the circumstances for the healing of the mind. I don’t accept sickness as inevitable. In fact, sickness is the effect of wrong-minded thinking, and so, realizing that is true, I look within for the cause, and I look within for the solution. Sickness and pain are my way home as is everything else in my life.

So, when I feel sick or in pain, I immediately ask that my mind be healed. Once that is done, I accept what is happening without feeling sorry for myself or fighting the idea that it is happening. My resistance is conflict and is the way to suffering. I can be sick and resist the sickness and feel really bad. Or I can be sick and realize, without guilt, that I did it to myself and that I am now making a different choice. Then go about my life with as much enthusiasm and energy as possible under the circumstances. What I have discovered is that being sick or in pain and suffering from sickness and pain is not the same thing.

I completely accept that all conflict must be resolved.

I think of it like this; the very idea of conflict must be resolved. There is never a circumstance where conflict is justified. If I notice I am in conflict with someone else or that my mind is conflicted, I know that I must resolve this before I can be at peace. That is just a fact, and so I may as well let it go.

Sometimes, in spite of the truth of that statement, I have to work at letting go, and if that is so, then I just do it. Sometimes I might have to convince myself that I want to resolve the conflict right now. That seems crazy even to me while I am doing it, but I must be honest about it.

There are still times when I listen to the ego mind tell me that there is some value in keeping the conflict, that maybe I need this other person to be wrong, or maybe I think I need this sickness. The good thing is that I know this can’t be right, so I always come around. I only stay in conflict for as long as I can stand the painful consequences.

Contemplation 2025

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