ACIM T. 3. VI. Judgment and the Authority Problem, P 10, 11. 10 Peace is a natural heritage of spirit. 11 There is no one who does not feel that he is imprisoned in some way.
ACIM T. 3. VI. Judgment and the Authority Problem, P 10, 11.
VI. Judgment and the Authority Problem, P 10
10 Peace is a natural heritage of spirit. Everyone is free to refuse to accept his inheritance, but he is not free to establish what his inheritance is. The problem everyone must decide is the fundamental question of authorship. All fear comes ultimately, and sometimes by way of very devious routes, from the denial of Authorship. The offense is never to God, but only to those who deny Him. To deny His Authorship is to deny yourself the reason for your peace, so that you see yourself only in segments. This strange perception is the authority problem.
This is good news, indeed! I understand from reading this paragraph that I am free to deny the truth of who I am. I can pretend that I am not the free and perfect Son of God. And I can do this all day long for as long as I can stand the pain. It is not a sin, and God is not offended. It changes nothing, and so no harm is done. Who I am is unassailable. I can deny my Self, but I cannot change my Self.
All fear and guilt are derived from the misunderstanding that I am free to change what God has done. He created me, but I think that because I am having an imaginary experience of being something else, I have authored myself. I think I have undone what God has done and that I have re-created my self. Now I am my own creator.
None of My Story Is True
It’s easy to see why I believe that. I am so immersed in this story of separation that I believe it is true. I think I am Myron and that I really am this fragile body living this uncertain existence, doomed to die, and who knows what happens after that if anything. And yet, I have an ancient memory that persists. It is the source of all the God stories that won’t die, and it is the source of the persistent hope for something better.
What keeps the complete truth from my mind is the fear that although I was once beloved of God, my sins have made me unworthy. Since I seemed to be this person, and this proves I succeeded in becoming my own creator, then my assault on God must be real as well. My guilt and fear of what I have done keep me trapped in my story, the prodigal son afraid to return home.
But none of that is true. I cannot create myself. I cannot undo what God has done. And I cannot offend God. God is not judgmental or vengeful. Those are projections from the separated mind. Those are ego beliefs that I have put on God. When I “re-created” myself, I also “re-created” God in my image, making Him the fallible being I see myself to be. Thank you, God, that neither thing can be true! God remains God, pure unadulterated Love, and I remain His sinless Son.
11 VI. Judgment and the Authority Problem, P 11
11 There is no one who does not feel that he is imprisoned in some way. If this is the result of his own free will he must regard his will as not free, or the circular reasoning in this position would be quite apparent. Free will must lead to freedom. Judgment always imprisons because it separates segments of reality by the unstable scales of desire. Wishes are not facts. To wish is to imply that willing is not sufficient. Yet no one in his right mind believes that what is wished is as real as what is willed. Instead of “Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven” say, “Will ye first the Kingdom of Heaven,” and you have said, “I know what I am and I accept my own inheritance.”
I was thinking about how this all comes together. How do I imprison myself through judging and wishing? Here is the thought that came to me. A while back, my sister-in-law had surgery, and there were complications. I worried, which is judgment. I judged the situation as bad, with the potential to be worse.
My judgment scares me, and I tend to project blame. Thoughts of blame came into my mind, such as the doctors should have seen the problem sooner, my sister-in-law should have acted sooner, and I should have done something differently. Through these thoughts, I imprisoned myself with my judgment. I was afraid, and guilt was driving my emotions. Thus, I was not at peace and was not helpful in this situation. I felt trapped in my ego mind.
Wishing and Judging
I wished she would get better. This wish implied that I was afraid she would not get better. Wish is such a tentative term. It holds no conviction. When I hear myself say I wish I could do better, I know I really mean, “I don’t believe I can do better.” Or, “I think I should do better, but I don’t believe I will, and if I do, it is pretty much by accident.” A wish imprisons me within the very thing I hope to escape. It holds me captive through its irresolution.
Which way lies my freedom? I gladly put away my judgment, for starters. I give it to the Holy Spirit, Who knows what to do with it. After all, I have no basis on which to judge. I don’t know what anything is for, what anything means. As I surrender my desire to judge, my mind clears, and I know this one thing; we are all innocent. No. I know two things. We are all innocent, and the Son of God is not victim to the world.
I give my wishes to the Holy Spirit and accept a miracle in their place. And I will for truth to assert itself in my mind. I give up the wish for healing, instead willing first the Kingdom of Heaven, knowing that there is only health within the Kingdom. This morning, I will that I have slipped the bonds of imprisonment as I turned from the ego mind and placed my faith in my Self. I know what I am, and I accept my own inheritance.
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