ACIM Atonement and Miracles 3 The forgiven are the means of the Atonement. 4 I am the only one who can perform miracles indiscriminately, because I am the Atonement.
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III. Atonement and Miracles 3
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3 The forgiven are the means of the Atonement. Being filled with spirit, they forgive in return. Those who are released must join in releasing their brothers, for this is the plan of the Atonement. Miracles are the way in which minds that serve the Holy Spirit unite with me for the salvation or release of all of God’s creations.
There are a number of ways to join Jesus in his plan of Atonement, but the first thing, the necessary thing to do, is to forgive. I forgive myself and forgive all others and all circumstances. Though really, I am always really simply forgiving, and the form doesn’t actually matter. For instance, I seem to be forgiving my friend for something she said, but I am actually forgiving the belief I could be attacked, that we could be separate from each other, that we could be separate from God. However it is that I happen to see it at the time forgiveness is my function.
How to Be Helpful
I don’t have to be completely healed to be helpful to the Atonement. If this were true, then it would be slow going, indeed. Even if my mind is only momentarily clear, at that moment, I can perform the miracle and lift my brother up along with myself. An example would be something like this. I see someone’s post on Facebook, and it is an angry rant. They are in pain. I feel the urge to do something.
At this moment, I have a choice. I can listen to the ego voice and try to talk them out of their stance or give my opinion about the subject. Or rant right back like that’s going to help. Even if I am using spiritual words, if I am motivated by the desire to be right, I am not helpful. I have done this, and not only does it not help the other person, but it doesn’t help me. I feel like I have just proven I am separate from the other person, and that takes me deeper into the illusion.
My second choice is to ask Holy Spirit what to do to be helpful. I might be given something to say, but not necessarily so. Sometimes the urge to help is the Holy Spirit asking me to forgive and let go. I can do this without saying a word or anyone even being aware that I am doing it. I can ask the Holy Spirit to heal within me that which caused this conflicted thinking in my friend. In other words, it doesn’t matter where in the mind error seems to be seen; it is in our shared mind. And so, if we are aware of it anywhere, we can heal it.
Another Way to Be Helpful
When I see someone in pain of any kind, I can remember that they are mistaken in their thinking. They have forgotten who they are if they think they can suffer. Even though they believe they are in pain, it can’t be real and is not their truth. Though if they believe in the pain, it will be true for them, and that is why it feels so real. But I can help. I can remember the truth for them while they are temporarily unable to do so. These are ways I serve the Holy Spirit. In doing so, I join with Jesus in releasing us all, and I did it without even opening my mouth.
Sometimes my guidance is to share what I am being given, as I do with this writing. I do so not because anyone needs a teacher other than their Inner Teacher. But because, at times, all of us become so confused and conflicted that we are unable to hear our own teacher. And sometimes simply because words are inspiring regardless of where they come from.
But whether I am writing or speaking, when I am allowing the Holy Spirit to use me, I am always the first student. That’s the beauty of teaching. I am always teaching what I most need to learn. Just as I am always my first student when I teach, when I forgive, I am always forgiving myself first. If I am in an attitude of being led, the Holy Spirit will use me, and this allows my actions to be part of the Atonement.
III Atonement and Miracles, 4
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4 I am the only one who can perform miracles indiscriminately, because I am the Atonement. You have a role in the Atonement which I will dictate to you. Ask me which miracles you should perform. This spares you needless effort, because you will be acting under direct communication. The impersonal nature of the miracle is an essential ingredient, because it enables me to direct its application, and under my guidance miracles lead to the highly personal experience of revelation. A guide does not control but he does direct, leaving it up to you to follow. “Lead us not into temptation” means “Recognize your errors and choose to abandon them by following my guidance.”
There was a time when I resisted the idea of surrender. I wanted to be in charge. I wanted to make decisions that governed my life. And I even wanted to make decisions about how I would do my part in the Atonement. The ego mind thinks the right to decide how to navigate this illusion is a great gift. What I have learned is that taking a role I am unable to fulfill is not a gift; it is suffering.
I Don’t know Where I am Needed
How could I even begin to know where the miracle can most effectively be applied to lead each of us home? I cannot, but Jesus can. The script is written. The story is already told. Jesus knows the whole story. So he knows where a miracle would shorten the need for time and how that miracle would link with another. While I think I am here in this story, I see only this little bit I call my life, and that only partly. How would I know what is needed? That is Jesus’ job.
When I think I need to make these decisions on my own, I am not hurting the plan, but I am keeping my ego alive in my mind. So, what I do is begin my day by asking Jesus what miracles he would have me perform today. This puts me in the proper frame of mind and opens me to guidance. Accepting the Atonement for myself is my only function, and the miracle will always be some form of forgiveness and the extension of love. “What do you want me to forgive today, Jesus? How can I experience and express love? I am ready to stop wasting my time trying to control this life and allow you to use this life to end time and bring us Home.”
Regina Dawn Aker’s first talk was Forgiveness Made Easy. To hear it, CLICK HERE.