ACIM Revelation, Time and Miracles. 3 Awe should be reserved for revelation, to which it is perfectly and correctly applicable. 4 “No man cometh unto the Father but by me” does not mean that I am in any way separate or different from you except in time, and time does not really exist.
Revelation, Time and Miracles, P 3, 4
3 II. Revelation, Time and Miracles, P 3, 4
Paragraph 3
3 Awe should be reserved for revelation, to which it is perfectly and correctly applicable. It is not appropriate for miracles because a state of awe is worshipful, implying that one of a lesser order stands before his Creator. You are a perfect creation, and should experience awe only in the presence of the Creator of perfection. The miracle is therefore a sign of love among equals. Equals should not be in awe of one another because awe implies inequality. It is therefore an inappropriate reaction to me. An elder brother is entitled to respect for his greater experience, and obedience for his greater wisdom. He is also entitled to love because he is a brother, and to devotion if he is devoted. It is only my devotion that entitles me to yours. There is nothing about me that you cannot attain. I have nothing that does not come from God. The difference between us now is that I have nothing else. This leaves me in a state which is only potential in you.
There are a couple of things in this paragraph that jump out at me. Jesus explains that only our Creator deserves our awe. I used to be pretty awe struck by many of the teachers. They seemed to know so much more than me and to be so much closer to awakening. I could barely imagine being where they were. And people who could channel Jesus, or take down whole books of information they didn’t know before it came to them, seemed pretty awesome to me. I thought they were special, and I was awed. And certainly, I thought Jesus was the most awesome of all.
Where Awe Is Appropriate
Now I see that we are all just brothers and sisters, part of the same whole. Some of us are a bit further along than others, but we are all headed in the same direction, and we will all get there (and evidently already have). When that happens (we each become aware of it), the apparent differences will disappear. I will see no difference between any of us, only more of the same. I will feel only love for my Divine Siblings.
Our Creator is awesome, and it is appropriate to feel awe in His presence. I don’t think I will have any problem working up some awe in that case. I wonder what God is like. Shoot, I don’t even know what I am like. I am still too identified with form to imagine formlessness in any real way, especially as it applies to me. I still have too much that is not love to imagine Love as my identity. But I am getting much closer as I consistently forgive all that is not love.
To think of God and to know that He is pure Love and nothing else, well, that really is awesome. To truly appreciate God, though, I have to let go completely of the idea that there is something in God that is not love. Something that is resentful of my wanderings, something that believes punishment is an appropriate response to error, and so I have reason to expect punishment from God. I cannot truly love that of which I am afraid. To think of God as pure Love, awe means wonder to me. To think of Him as punishing, awe means fear to me.
Love and Appreciation
As for Jesus, the appropriate response is not awe but love and appreciation. I imagine standing before Jesus, and I feel those things, and also gratitude that is so intense it makes me cry even as I think of it now. I’m pretty awestruck that he was able to awaken without A Course in Miracles, but that’s not the same kind of awe that is reserved for God. I am doing my level best to be obedient because I want what he has. I am absolutely devoted. If he were standing in front of me, I would hug him. A long time. And with a lot of fervor. Grateful. Really grateful.
The last two sentences say it all.
I have nothing that does not come from God. The difference between us now is that I have nothing else. This leaves me in a state which is only potential in you.
Jesus and I are the same; we are both a part of God and a part of each other. The difference between us . . . the temporary difference, is that I still have some beliefs in my mind that block my awareness of our wholeness and my purity. What this means is that my true nature is mostly not real to me, but is something I believe in because Jesus tells me that it is real.
I do the work because I trust Jesus. As I do the work, my mind becomes more and more clear, and there is less to block my true self. Soon I will join Jesus in the sweet clarity of my mind and absolutely know my true identity. What was potential will be actuality.
II. Revelation, Time and Miracles, P 4
4 “No man cometh unto the Father but by me” does not mean that I am in any way separate or different from you except in time, and time does not really exist. The statement is more meaningful in terms of a vertical rather than a horizontal axis. You stand below me and I stand below God. In the process of “rising up,” I am higher because without me the distance between God and man would be too great for you to encompass. I bridge the distance as an elder brother to you on the one hand, and as a Son of God on the other. My devotion to my brothers has placed me in charge of the Sonship, which I render complete because I share it. This may appear to contradict the statement “I and my Father are one,” but there are two parts to the statement in recognition that the Father is greater.
This paragraph was very helpful to me in understanding the role Jesus plays in the Atonement. I have this picture in my mind. There is a mountain, and Jesus is climbing it. He is reaching up and holding God’s hand with one of his. And he is reaching down and taking my hand in his and helping me up. It is a lovely symbol for me. If I were an artist, I would paint it and put it on my wall. Well, in my mind, I have done so.
We Are the Same
Jesus wants us to know that we are the same. There is no difference between us except in time, and as he says, time doesn’t really exist, so there is no difference between us. But Jesus woke up first. He realized who he is and what is going on, and he chose to be the way and the light to help us up that mountain. He is a present help when I falter or become confused. And he is there with me when I work miracles, reassuring and encouraging me. He is my comfort when I become discouraged.
The ego mind cannot understand this. It makes no sense that Jesus is with us in a very literal way. The ego only understands separation, so it cannot understand how Jesus can be all things to all people and all at the same time. But this is what Jesus wants us to know. We are all one. There is only one mind, and we are that. The idea that we are separate is just an idea in our mind that we are remembering. Nothing is happening.
Because we are confused and believe something is happening, Jesus is helping us to awaken from the dream of separation. We are so deeply absorbed in this dream that we seem to be far away from our reality and need his help to get back to God. It seems that we cannot simply stop dreaming but must back out slowly, undoing what we have done one step at a time, and Jesus is dedicated to helping us do just that. He is not absent from anyone at any time. He cannot be.
I and My Father
As Jesus awoke from the dream, he realized that “I and my Father are one.” It makes me cry to think of this. It is our goal, our purpose. All other goals fade into insignificance when I think of this. I can say the words, “I and my Father are one,” but to mean them, for them to be true to me… well, that is something else. And yet, it must be true because it is true of Jesus, and Jesus and I are one. I and my Father are one. This is an excellent mantra, a frequent reminder of the truth, and a reminder of my one goal.
I and my Father are one, and the Father is greater. This is another statement that the ego cannot understand. I accept that it is true that we can be one and yet not be equal. Later in the Course, we are told that we are like God in every way, but we did not create God. He created us. Creation goes in only one direction. This is something my little ego mind can grasp, and so this is good enough for me right now. Perhaps when I fully awaken, I will have a better understanding. Or perhaps I will appreciate the mystery and love that.
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