ACIM Chapter 12. II. The Way to Remember God, P 5, 6

ACIM Chapter 12. II. The Way to Remember God, P 5, 6

II. The Way to Remember God, P 5

5 Let us not save nightmares, for they are not fitting offerings for Christ, and so they are not fit gifts for you. Take off the covers and look at what you are afraid of. Only the anticipation will frighten you, for the reality of nothingness cannot be frightening. Let us not delay this, for your dream of hatred will not leave you without help, and Help is here. Learn to be quiet in the midst of turmoil, for quietness is the end of strife and this is the journey to peace. Look straight at every image that rises to delay you, for the goal is inevitable because it is eternal. The goal of love is but your right, and it belongs to you despite your dreams.

The ego mind is all about saving nightmares. Here is an example.

One morning, about eight years ago, I was doing Lesson 12, which tells us we are upset because we see a meaningless world. Here is what I wrote in my journal about how I used to be upset about the messiness of my life. I would listen to the ego mind tell me I needed to stop being messy so that I would feel better. I needed to be more organized and get things done on time. Well, that had been my goal for most of my life, and there I sat in my messy office. Very nearly sixty-seven years has not been enough time to fix this problem.

I have stopped hiding under the covers when it comes to this problem. Instead, I have chosen to look right at it and see that my messy life is not what upsets me. It is my thoughts about what that means that upset me. I had been giving it the meaning that I was not okay, that I was unworthy and vulnerable. With the Holy Spirit’s help, I have let go of this meaning, and I have found peace in my life.

Now, I look at my messy desk and laugh. Then, instead of being anxious that something important, something urgent, is hiding under those piles of paper, I just ask the Holy Spirit what it is I should do now. What I have discovered is that if there is something to be done in the world, I will be told what it is. The thought of doing a particular thing will just appear in my mind. I am learning to trust my life to His care.

The Holy Spirit is the Help given to us by God.

Before we dreamed of separation, we didn’t need Help, but now that we do, we are given that Help. I am learning to turn to Him in every situation. When I become anxious about anything, I get still for a moment, and in that stillness, I am inviting Help. As peace settles over me, I look at the perceived problem with my Helper and allow the solution to be given to me. Often, the only thing that I need to do is realize that my thoughts are upsetting me and allow the Holy Spirit to correct those thoughts.

I’m going to be 75 later this month, and I am still looking at a messy desk. I’m not upset about it. It is something I will have to handle, and I will do so when I have time. Then it will get messy again. Cie la vie. But that is just one form fear takes. What about the truly upsetting situations over which I have no control? The world is not getting safer for these bodies, and it doesn’t seem that people are becoming more loving. It feels like we are going to annihilate ourselves if we keep going like this, and thinking about it, I feel helpless.

This is not a messy desk, Jesus.

This is potential suffering at a higher level. Please help me see this in a helpful way.

Jesus: Let me remind you, dearest Sister, that you are not helpless. To think that you are helpless is to tell yourself that you are not God’s holy and precious child. This is how you are scaring yourself. The fearful become self-centered and vicious. They are like the ones trying to escape a burning building, knocking their fellow brothers down and stepping on them to escape the flames. It is this mindset that scares you as much as anything. Joining in awakening is the answer, and fear drives you apart and more deeply into the ego.

Thank you for talking to me about this. You came here with a mission, and you are fulfilling that mission; thus, nothing has changed. Even in this moment of doubt and anxiety, you are looking at your mind and asking for my help. Trust that you are receiving the help you need. Trust that you are deeply loved and appreciated. Remember that the form of the upset, while seemingly very different, is inconsequential. This upset is undone as easily and in the same way as the messy desk problem.

Keep turning to me when you feel uncertain and when you need guidance. You are not going to fail. Don’t compare your part to someone else’s part. Don’t judge your progress. You can’t see the whole picture, but I can. Trust my guidance. But listen closely to it and follow it. That is enough to carry you to the completion of your mission. Let me be in charge of the rest. God’s Will will be done.

Thank you, Brother. I love you.

II. The Way to Remember God, P 6

6 You still want what God wills, and no nightmare can defeat a child of God in his purpose. For your purpose was given you by God, and you must accomplish it because it is His Will. Awake and remember your purpose, for it is your will to do so. What has been accomplished for you must be yours. Do not let your hatred stand in the way of love, for nothing can withstand the Love of Christ for His Father, or His Father’s Love for Him.

I want what God wills. There is still some confusion left in my mind and so I forget that and return to wishing with the ego until I notice what I have done, and then I remember my purpose. It is to wake up from this dream story and know my oneness with God again. I want to remember the love that I am and the love that is my Father. I want to remember what it is like to love God without any fear or uncertainty.

Because this is my will and my heart’s desire, I must have it. Nothing can stand in the way of God’s Will, and I share that Will. I must have this because it has already been accomplished for me. I am happy to be vigilant for the hateful ego stories that block my awareness of my true self. And any story that blocks the awareness of love’s presence is hateful, even if it is disguised as pleasant or even wonderful. All illusions are hateful because they keep me from knowing the love of God.

It helps me stay on course as I remember that this is true.

The illusion is still an illusion when it seems to be a happy illusion, and illusions keep me from all that is real. I love my children, but this love is a pale thing next to the love of God. I am happier and more peaceful in my story than I ever have been, but it is nothing compared to the peace of God and the joy that is mine right now.

Here is what the ego offers me. These are the temptations that entice me to stay in the dream.

• The illusion of a separate personal self
• The illusion of love
• The illusion of winning
• The illusion of success
• The illusion of happiness
• The illusion of emotions
• The illusion of choices
• The illusion of decisions
• The illusion of meaning and purpose
• The illusion that maybe the next story will be better, more interesting, happier, more exciting
• The illusion of victimhood
• The illusion of lack and loss
• The illusion of being unfairly treated
• The illusion of fear and guilt
• The illusion of pain, suffering and death

Here is what God offers me.

• Everything. All of Himself
• Uninterrupted peace and joy
• Immortality

Today, I asked my Helper to remind me of what I want. When the ego offers me its “gifts,” I will choose God instead. If I fail to do that, I will notice my error and choose again. This seems to be working for me. I feel the shift in understanding and awareness. I feel something I don’t know how to describe, and I want it all the time.

ACIM Study Groups facilitated by Pathways of Light Ministers