ACIM Chapter 13. IV. The Function of Time, P 8, 9

ACIM Chapter 13. IV. The Function of Time, P 8, 9

IV. The Function of Time, P 8

 8 The ego, on the other hand, regards the function of time as one of extending itself in place of eternity, for like the Holy Spirit, the ego interprets the goal of time as its own. The continuity of past and future, under its direction, is the only purpose the ego perceives in time, and it closes over the present so that no gap in its own continuity can occur. Its continuity, then, would keep you in time, while the Holy Spirit would release you from it. It is His interpretation of the means of salvation that you must learn to accept, if you would share His goal of salvation for you.

I must accept the Holy Spirit’s interpretation of the use for time if I want salvation. Here is what I envision salvation to be. I will live this illusion in fearlessness, in love, and in peace. I will live in the present moment only and will be free of the tyranny of the ego. I will use that part of the mind rather than it using me. Then, when it is time, I will leave the illusion altogether and permanently. I will no longer be subject to death and rebirth only to die again. I will be in God and part of God and will not imagine it could be any other way.

So how do I get to that freedom?

How does salvation become my goal? Jesus gives us various processes we can use to undo the belief that the ego mind is me and is my only option. They seem to lead me to this: I am God’s Son, and He loves me. I am dreaming of something else, and I can dream a happy dream and stop dreaming altogether. I dream of suffering and death when I believe the ego interpretation of circumstances. I dream a happy dream when I believe the Holy Spirit’s interpretation of circumstances.

Two simple things that helped me make this mental leap are surrender and the uncompromising choice for peace. The more completely I surrender the self, the body, and the desire to control, the easier it is to do the rest. Time is no different. I surrender time to the Holy Spirit to use as He wishes, and I win. I ask the ego how to use time, and I lose.

The peace of God is everything I want.

These were just words at first, but then they became my salvation. I still choose to ignore this desire for peace at times, but I always return to it because it is true. I want the peace of God, and I want nothing else. But there are times when I start to think that I want more money or more time for myself, or I want my children not to suffer.

Sometimes, I think I could be happy if only circumstances were different. I started to think that I knew what was best for those I loved and that I could only be happy if these things happened. Then I remembered that the peace of God is everything I want. My mind narrowed to this one idea, and I let the rest go. I want the peace of God. I only thought I needed those other things to bring me peace. If, however, I surrender the desire for peace to God, I will receive peace. Easy choice, easy solution, whatever the ego argues to the contrary.

IV. The Function of Time, P 9

9 You, too, will interpret the function of time as you interpret yours. If you accept your function in the world of time as one of healing, you will emphasize only the aspect of time in which healing can occur. Healing cannot be accomplished in the past. It must be accomplished in the present to release the future. This interpretation ties the future to the present, and extends the present rather than the past. But if you interpret your function as destruction, you will lose sight of the present and hold on to the past to ensure a destructive future. And time will be as you interpret it, for of itself it is nothing.

I have been diligently working at letting go of the idea that I must defend myself. As I look at what happens when I feel vulnerable and go on the attack, I see that I am teaching myself that I am weak and that attack is my salvation. So, I want to stop doing this. I also want to stop because in attacking, I have made myself separate, and this is like walking in circles when I want to walk forward in a straight line.

 My workplace was an excellent classroom for that.

One day, I gave into the impulse to defend. It was very hard to back myself out of my anger. My mind said that my salvation was to justify the attack, and this was making me feel worse. I finally reached a point of surrender, and I accepted healing. I had hoped that it was fully healed, not to return.

Then, one day, I was talking to someone who had been my “venting buddy,” someone I went to when I wanted to bellyache about what was bothering me. Automatically, I started telling him what happened with this co-worker and what I said, and even as I was doing it, I could hear my sane self trying to get my attention.

 But it was kind of like a train wreck you can’t stop. You just look at it happening. It was weird. I am talking and, at the same time, thinking that I should stop talking. Then I felt bad about this. I was making the problem real in my mind again, and at the same time, I was teaching dissension and judgment. I was not being a teacher for God in that moment.

 The point I want to make is this.

The day I attacked and the day I vented were just ego moments occurring in the illusion of separation. I attacked. I vented. I then had a choice of what I wanted to do with this. I could undo these ideas in my mind by recognizing that I don’t like how I feel and asking for another way to see them. Or I could think about how bad I feel and worry that I never seem to get rid of the desire to defend. I could feel guilty, hopeless, and helpless against my own inclination toward blame and anger.

 The first choice, to simply use the story to undo the story, is the quick way to salvation. The other choice to wallow in the error is what Jesus is talking about here in this paragraph. When I do this, I am carrying the past right through the present to the future. I am keeping time in place and keeping the ego in place. As I did this, I was using time to ensure ego continuity.

 The Holy Spirit uses time to heal and thus undo the need for time.

This is done in the present moment, but my mind went straight from the past to the future, leaving no present moment in which healing could occur. It was an attack in the past, remembered and regretted and fretted over, and the battle continues as I dread having to face this in the future. I felt a powerful pull toward this option, and even the next morning, I felt sad about the day before. But I was also a little saner. The night before, I asked for help. I told the Holy Spirit I really want to stop doing this.

 So, the next morning, I used the Rules for Decision to help me change my mind about it. I chose the ego that week, but that was in the past, and the past doesn’t exist. I was thinking of those big street cleaners that, in the early morning hours, sweep away the detritus from the day before and leave everything clean. I have this big machine following me around, sweeping away past actions. Nothing follows me. Nothing is left behind. A moment after it occurs, it is gone.

 The present moment is the only moment that exists and is the only one I can forgive. It is the only moment that I am healed. I accepted healing and allowed my mind to be filled with the thoughts of God, and I knew that I was invulnerable and had nothing in this world worth defending. I knew that everyone was dreaming, and I would be respectful of their lessons. And so, I entered the next moment with a new mind, and nothing else was there. It had been swept away.

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