ACIM T-4. Introduction, P 1, 2. The Bible says that you should go with a brother twice as far as he asks. It certainly does not suggest that you set him back on his journey.
ACIM T-4. 1-3. Introduction
Introduction, P 1
1. The Bible says that you should go with a brother twice as far as he asks. It certainly does not suggest that you set him back on his journey. Devotion to a brother cannot set you back either. It can lead only to mutual progress. The result of genuine devotion is inspiration, a word which properly understood is the opposite of fatigue. To be fatigued is to be dis-spirited, but to be inspired is to be in the spirit. To be egocentric is to be dis-spirited, but to be Self-centered in the right sense is to be inspired or in spirit. The truly inspired are enlightened and cannot abide in darkness.
Accepting Our Unity
This is a very helpful paragraph. Like he does all through the Course, Jesus tells us how important it is to join with our brother. Our problem is separation. We think we are separate from each other and from God. The solution is to realize we are not. If I don’t accept our unity, I will remain in my belief in separation and suffer for the error.
We should be devoted to our brother. I looked up the meaning of devoted and this is what it said: having strong loyalty, affection, or dedication. Another dictionary talked about devotion as being strong love. So, I will be devoted to my brothers. I will love them and be loyal to them. I will not hoard my love and dedication. Not just the ones who love me or the ones I like. I will be devoted to all of them because I cannot return to God without them.
Jesus says we should not set our brother back on his journey. One night I was staying at a hotel in New Orleans, which was not in the best part of town. When I got there around 10:00, young men were loitering around the front of the hotel. When I walked into the lobby, a young woman was working the front desk. I had the urge to ask her if she was not worried about working in this area so late at night.
By Grace
By grace, I kept my thought to myself and instead asked the Holy Spirit to heal my mind. I thanked Him for helping me to refrain from spreading the ego disease of fear. That would have been setting her back on her journey. My knee-jerk reaction that these young men were up to no good was something else to be healed in my mind. For all I know, they were friends of the clerk, hanging out to protect her.
A friend was uncharacteristically ill-humored. I could have called her on it but didn’t. Once again, through grace, I held my tongue. I will not teach guilt to one I love, and I love all my brothers.
Not only would I have set her back on her path if I insinuated, she was guilty, I would have set myself back. When I think someone is guilty, I reinforce the belief in guilt in my own mind. And really, how unreasonable it is that I think everyone should be in a good mood so that I am not offended. That would make me a victim of anyone who spoke sharply to me. Jesus tells us that we cannot be a victim of the world.
Setting My Brother Back
I cannot set my brothers and sisters back on their journey unless they are uncertain in their own mind, but who among us is completely free of fear and guilt? Jesus refers to the ego mind as sick, and I refer to fear and guilt as the disease that causes this sickness. We are careful to cover our mouths when we sneeze so as not to spread germs. I am learning to close my mouth when I feel fear or guilt coming on so as not to spread that disease. And always, when I notice these beliefs in my mind, I ask for the Atonement and gratefully accept it.
When I forget and speak my fear or guilt, I am dis-spirited. Even if I don’t speak it aloud, a thought that has gone unhealed supports the ego thought system, and so it is spread throughout the Sonship. This, too, is dis-spiriting. On the other hand, if I am being vigilant and notice the thought in asking for healing, I am uplifted and inspired because my mind is Self-centered. I feel dispirited when I am egocentric in my thinking and uplifted when I am Self-centered because the former goes against my nature, and the latter is natural to me.
Introduction, P 2
2 You can speak from the spirit or from the ego, as you choose. If you speak from spirit you have chosen to “Be still and know that I am God.” These words are inspired because they reflect knowledge. If you speak from the ego you are disclaiming knowledge instead of affirming it, and are thus dis-spiriting yourself. Do not embark on useless journeys, because they are indeed in vain. The ego may desire them, but spirit cannot embark on them because it is forever unwilling to depart from its Foundation.
Yesterday I joined with others as I committed to allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal my innocence to me. I woke up with that commitment on my mind. I renewed it as I will all during the day. Renewing it is important because there is still the temptation within my mind to take useless journeys. I saw this right away as I was dressing. It seems I packed in a hurry and didn’t pay close attention to what I chose. I looked at the outfit chosen for today and wondered if the shirt and pants really looked good together. As I did so, I noticed that I felt slightly anxious about this.
Today I Want to See My Innocence
Maybe on another day, I would not have noticed the anxiety. I would have just shrugged my shoulders at the problem because, after all, what could I do about it? But today is different. Today I want to remove all blocks to see my innocence. I opened my mind to Holy Spirit and saw that concern about my fashion choices is actually guilt. I am guilty of making, or possibly making, a bad decision about this outfit. And of not living up to the expectations of myself and others. I have failed as a fashion maven. ~smile~
Wow! And my day has just started! There is a twinge of fear in my mind as the ego objects to the whole project. “This is too much trouble,” it says. “This doesn’t even matter. “What will happen when I look at the “big” stuff,” it asks. The ego warns that I will wear myself out doing this. It warns that I won’t feel innocent if I look at all this, and in fact, I will feel guiltier than ever. My response is that I am happy to be graced with the clarity to see the blocks to my awareness of Love’s presence, and I am deeply grateful to know that the illusion of guilt is easily undone with the Holy Spirit’s help.
Two Altars
I see in my mind two altars. One of the altars is a shabby affair that sits in the shadows. This is the ego’s altar. When I worship at this altar, I come away with more doubt and uncertainty than I brought to it. If I bring my concerns about my clothing choices to this altar, I will receive its “gifts” of guilt, fear, unworthiness, and anger. All day I will look through the filter of those beliefs and see attack everywhere I look. I will project my beliefs onto my innocent brothers, and in my mind, they will be transformed into enemies who are judging me. Thus, I could only look forward to an exhausting day of defense and attack.
I have another altar, though. This altar sits in the light and radiates love. It is a soft and steady light that never wavers. The ego tries to dissuade me from that altar. It warns that I am unworthy of the light and my guilt will be exposed if I approach it. But when I turn from the dark altar and instead place my fears and guilt in that brilliant light, they vanish. My burden is relieved, and I am left feeling light and happy. This is a gift I carry with me throughout the day, and that will be shared with my brothers.
Many Opportunities
There may be many opportunities this day to choose the path I want to journey, to choose the altar at which I will worship. I pray for the grace to see clearly the choice being offered to me. I pray for strength not to weaken my commitment. And I pray for help if I am uncertain and clarity if I am confused. I will do my part as I choose to take no more useless journeys, and I am willing to do it with ease and with joy. To that objective, Jesus reminds me that I am responsible for what I see but never guilty for it.
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