ACIM 4 VII. Creation and Communication, P 7, 8. God has kept your Kingdom for you, but He cannot share His joy with you until you know it with your whole mind.
ACIM Chapter 4, VII. Creation and Communication, P 7, 8
VII. Creation and Communication, P 7
7 God has kept your Kingdom for you, but He cannot share His joy with you until you know it with your whole mind. Revelation is not enough, because it is only communication from God. God does not need revelation returned to Him, which would clearly be impossible, but He does want it brought to others. This cannot be done with the actual revelation; its content cannot be expressed, because it is intensely personal to the mind that receives it. It can, however, be returned by that mind to other minds, through the attitudes the knowledge from the revelation brings.
At first, I was a little uncertain about revelations. I think I confused them with miracles because when they first began appearing in my mind and life, they seemed extraordinary. But having experienced revelation, I see it cannot be mistaken for anything else. One time when I gave a workshop, I was so completely in the flow of God’s Love that I was uplifted and inspired. I was joyful in a way that I do not experience normally.
This was miraculous because it was like being without ego for a while and because it did not come from my mind but through my mind. But as wonderful as it was, it was not revelation. I have had a sudden knowing, not an understanding through the mind, but a knowing that appeared in the mind from outside the mind. That was miraculous, but it was not revelation.
Revelation
I have experienced revelation, and I wish I could tell you about it, but though I have put words to the experience, they are so inadequate as to be meaningless. So, I cannot share this experience with you, but what I can and do share is the conviction that came from it. I know that I am not this body and this story. I know that God is real, and we are meant to experience God. This conviction informs my words, and my actions and so are helpful to others.
I am in that interesting and frustrating place of knowing that I am not even really here where I appear to be, and yet, I feel like I am here and act like I am here. I forget for long moments at a time that this is an illusion and sometimes get so involved in the story that I suffer. And yet, no matter how confused I become or how emotionally involved I become, I know this is not right. I know I am not what I am temporarily believing. Well, the good that comes from this, and there is always a good use for ego when we give it to Holy Spirit, is that I can speak about ego clearly and can speak about spirit as well.
My Identity Is Safe
In the meantime, God keeps my Kingdom safe for me. He keeps my identity safe from my illusions. He keeps my creations safe while my mind wanders. But what He cannot do is share His joy with me while my mind is split. My split mind has shut down much of our channel of communication. I have tasted joy, not the anemic happiness experienced through the illusion, but real joy directly from God, and I want more. I am highly motivated to continue to undo the ego. It is time to open that channel fully. What I felt was incomplete because the channel was not completely open. And though I cannot imagine more love than I felt then, I want it anyway.
Do you think that you cannot experience revelation? That you are not ready? That you are not worthy? God does not make any of His children special. If it is for any one of them, it is for all of them. In fact, God wants to reveal Himself to you. He is just waiting for you to open to His love. He wants to experience His love through you, and He wants you to take this love to all His children. So, it is not God Who is holding back from you, but you who, in your fear, are blocking God.
I Understand
I understand this. When I think I want this experience again and ask for it, I feel a reluctance to receive. I know; it’s crazy, right? I want it and yet I hesitate, and that hesitation is the split in the mind. The part of my mind that is attached to the story instinctively knows that too much God and I won’t come back. Ego really, really, doesn’t want to go there. That is why I must undo the ego. I am not guilty for this reluctance. God simply waits patiently for me to change my mind, as He knows I will.
VII. Creation and Communication, P 8
8 God is praised whenever any mind learns to be wholly helpful. This is impossible without being wholly harmless, because the two beliefs must coexist. The truly helpful are invulnerable, because they are not protecting their egos and so nothing can hurt them. Their helpfulness is their praise of God, and He will return their praise of Him because they are like Him, and they can rejoice together. God goes out to them and through them, and there is great joy throughout the Kingdom. Every mind that is changed adds to this joy with its individual willingness to share in it. The truly helpful are God’s miracle workers, whom I direct until we are all united in the joy of the Kingdom. I will direct you to wherever you can be truly helpful, and to whoever can follow my guidance through you.
Wholly Helpful
To be wholly helpful and wholly harmless, what a worthy goal that is! I am often helpful and usually harmless, but I desire always to be helpful and harmless. This cannot be done by changing my behavior and words. I become wholly helpful and harmless by noticing when I am not that and accepting the Atonement, thus allowing my mind to be healed. A healed mind could be nothing but helpful and harmless.
I imagine what it is like to live from a healed mind. I would never say anything hurtful to someone else. Nor would I feel guilt or fear. I would never suffer in any way. I would be happy, regardless of what was going on around me. No matter what story the person imagines for himself, I would see only Christ. I would never be confused by appearances. I can imagine this because sometimes I live it now, so I can easily envision living it all the time.
Then Jesus says, “Their helpfulness is their praise of God, and He will return their praise of Him because they are like Him, and they can rejoice together.” This is where my imagination fails me. I cannot begin to conceive what that must feel like. I am starting to get a picture, though, of how it must be when we are experiencing life without ego.
Helpfulness As Praise of God
I love my brothers unconditionally, seeing nothing but Christ wherever I look. I express that love in whatever way is helpful, allowing spirit to live through this body, giving all to all. Because the ego is not involved, there is no fear, doubt, or uncertainty. I feel only love flowing through me and to everyone and everything. And because this is like God, He returns love to me. Love flows unobstructed from me to my brother to God, and then it flows back from God to us. Endless joy. Imagine!
This is possible. In fact, this is inevitable. Each time I notice a judgmental or angry or hateful thought in my mind, and I realize that I am no longer interested in this, no longer believe in this, I bring that time of blissful communication with God a bit closer. I sometimes feel discouraged because as I read the news, I see so much unkindness.
And when I talk to people, I hear prejudice and fear, guilt and anger, and many of these people have no idea that it should or even could be different. But then I am reminded that they are not my job. It is only my part to see where in my mind I hold the same beliefs and to ask for healing.
And Then Other Days…
Then some days my mind seems to be an endless stream of wrong-minded thinking, and I wonder how it will ever all be undone. When I feel discouraged about this, I remember what Jesus said in the Course. “My part in the Atonement is the canceling out of all errors that you could not otherwise correct.” I do my part, do my best, and know that all else will be done for me.
Teaching as I learn is an essential part of the process. As I give, I receive; as I teach, I learn. It is joining in this holy purpose, teacher and student, that much is undone. Sometimes I teach, and sometimes I become the student of my student. It doesn’t matter which way it goes. And I don’t have to look for either students or teachers because those I need to be with will simply show up at the perfect time. I don’t need to be concerned that I have something to offer because, as Jesus tells us: I will direct you to wherever you can be truly helpful, and to whoever can follow my guidance through you.
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