ACIM Chapter 10. IV. The End of Sickness, P 7, 8

ACIM Chapter 10. IV. The End of Sickness, P 7, 8

IV. The End of Sickness P 7

⁷ The miracle is the act of a Son of God who has laid aside all false gods, and calls on his brothers to do likewise. It is an act of faith, because it is the recognition that his brother can do it. It is a call to the Holy Spirit in his mind, a call that is strengthened by joining. Because the miracle worker has heard God’s Voice, he strengthens It in a sick brother by weakening his belief in sickness, which he does not share. The power of one mind can shine into another, because all the lamps of God were lit by the same spark. It is everywhere and it is eternal.

As I read this, I am, of course, reminded of the miracles Jesus performed as a man. He healed many without any distinction between the seriousness of the illnesses. He healed the cripple and the mentally ill. Jesus healed those who were in front of him and those he did not actually see. He raised the dead, calmed the seas, and walked on water. He died and rose from the dead. If Jesus joined us in this world to be the model we would use to follow him out of the world, then these things we, too, can do, these things, and more, according to our brother.

Jesus accomplished these miracles because he believed only the truth.

He laid aside all false gods, all ego beliefs. Jesus joined with the Holy Spirit in his mind. He joined with the minds of his brothers and sisters in whom he had perfect faith, because he knew them for who they were. What Jesus did, we can do. We can look past the ego belief in separation, weakness, sickness, suffering, and death. We can see these for the lies they are and know that these things cannot be God’s Will, so they cannot be.

And we can know our brother for the Son of God he is and not be deceived by his words or actions in this dream world. We can know that what God creates is eternal and eternally exactly as it is created. Knowing this truth and only this truth about our brothers we do not share in their confusion. We know that sickness is only an illusion and cannot stand up under scrutiny. Because we do not believe in the sickness, we weaken our brother’s belief in the sickness.

Can I heal another?

Apparently, l can. I can heal him with my unwavering faith in God and my brother. I can do this if the light in my mind is sufficiently strong. Jesus says that the power of one mind can shine into another. It is possible that my mind can be powerful in its faith, but it is not always so. I still see levels and degrees of sickness. I still believe that I can heal certain things and not others. My faith in some of my brothers is strong, and in others is weak because I still see them as separate.

When my faith wavers, I call on others to join me in my prayer. Our joining with each other strengthens the light in all our minds. This light helps us to overcome our fear and see past the guilt that blocks the awareness of love’s presence. I trust this joining in purpose, and I trust the light in my brothers. We are not meant to suffer and be sick, to be in pain, nor even to die.

Here is something from my journal that I wrote a few years ago.

This morning as I write this, I am also thinking about doing a stress test today. It is part of the “chest pains” episode from a couple of weeks ago. I am dreading the whole thing. I don’t want to find out there is something wrong with my heart. When I think that I can choose healing, I notice I feel afraid of that, too. It is like I would rather just give in to the sickness than face the possibility that I will not be healed.

What if I am not worthy? What if my faith is not strong enough? Or what if God does not love me? Worse yet, what if the truth is not true? That seems so much worse than clogged arteries. Having clogged arteries or even dying of a heart attack is better than discovering that I really am just a body, rejected by my creator and destined to live a pointless life and then die.

Much has been healed in my mind since then.

There is not so much doubt in fear now. When I read this in my older journal, I saw that the ego gets very dramatic. But I knew then, and I know now that I need to look at my thoughts. It is looking at them that makes it possible for me to release them to the Holy Spirit. Perhaps you would like to join me in remembering that the ego cannot be the truth of us. I will join with the Holy Spirit in our minds, and you can strengthen my faith by joining with me in this. Thank you.

IV. The End of Sickness P 8

⁸ In many only the spark remains, for the Great Rays are obscured. Yet God has kept the spark alive so that the Rays can never be completely forgotten. If you but see the little spark you will learn of the greater light, for the Rays are there unseen. Perceiving the spark will heal, but knowing the light will create. Yet in the returning the little light must be acknowledged first, for the separation was a descent from magnitude to littleness. But the spark is still as pure as the Great Light, because it is the remaining call of creation. Put all your faith in it, and God Himself will answer you.

When they pick up A Course in Miracles, most people are aware of a small spark. As we study and practice, the small spark begins to grow into a brighter light. Eventually, the light becomes a Great Light, and then we move from healing to creating. Right now, while it is nice to know my ultimate goal, my concern is keeping my eye on the spark. I want to see that spark brighten.

Jesus says the way we do this is to start with what we have and work from there. He says the separation was a descent from magnitude to littleness, so we start at littleness and work our way back to magnitude. I do this daily as I notice my thoughts and ask for healing when I see that I am descending into littleness again. I direct my mind to focus on what is true about me and what is true about my brother rather than giving my attention to error.

Yesterday, I let my mind stray to the ego.

And when I did, the ego mind, the belief in separation, took over for a while. This is the problem with giving my attention to the ego. It is easy to become entangled with it, and then it is hard to find my way out again. Thank God for that spark of light, the beacon guiding me back to reality. Then, when others add their light to mine, there is more light, and everything becomes clear once again. The mind is healed, and healing is our goal at this time.

The most encouraging thing is to realize that the spark, small though it might be, is just as pure as the Great Light. And that as I put my faith in that spark, God Himself answers me. Oh, my goodness! This is motivation to keep my eye on the goal and not let my attention stray to the illusion. What in this story is as important as this?

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