ACIM 5. IV. Teaching and Healing, P 4. I heard one Voice because I understood that I could not atone for myself alone.
ACIM Chapter 5. IV. Teaching and Healing, P 4
IV. Teaching and Healing, P 4
I heard one Voice because I understood that I could not atone for myself alone. Listening to one Voice implies the decision to share It in order to hear It yourself. The Mind that was in me is still irresistibly drawn to every mind created by God, because God’s Wholeness is the Wholeness of His Son. You cannot be hurt, and do not want to show your brother anything except your wholeness. Show him that he cannot hurt you and hold nothing against him, or you hold it against yourself. This is the meaning of “turning the other cheek.”
I am listening to the Voice for God when I know that I am not this body-personality but spirit. I share the one Voice when I act like I am spirit. And I can listen to only this Voice if I want to. I can learn to hear only Spirit because Jesus did. He learned that he could not atone for himself alone and so came to know Wholeness. I can make the same decision. Or I can listen to my ego sometimes and Spirit sometimes. This is what I have done, what we all have done, and it keeps us bound to the illusion. But, I am learning to choose Wholeness.
Choosing Daily
I am learning by becoming aware of the opportunities to make this choice daily. When someone says or does something that seems like an attack, I have a choice. I can go with the ego belief that I can be attacked and plan my defense. And I can act on that thought and actively defend myself. I can hold his actions against him and let him know in little ways how aggrieved I am. This is listening to the ego voice and is equally destructive to both me and the other person because I can’t hurt another and not hurt myself.
If I listen to Spirit instead of ego, I may be aware that the other person may think they are acting against me, but I know they are simply acting out of fear. It has nothing to do with me. I don’t feel the need to defend myself, so I don’t teach defense, and I don’t teach vulnerability. I hear a call for love, and so answer the call. Thus, I am teaching love instead. I show him I am whole, and he cannot hurt me. This teaches him that the same is true for him. This is the meaning of turning the other cheek.
I’ve Done Both
I have done both of these things. I have seen attack and returned attack and so taken us both deeper into the illusion. At other times I have sat in perfect peace and allowed the other person’s fear-based attack to flow over me without effect. I didn’t endure it or suffer silently; I simply didn’t feel it as an attack. So, I know that it is possible to hear the Voice for God rather than ego. Now I practice listening to only that Voice. I do this by paying attention to my thoughts and asking for healing when they indicate a desire to listen to my ego.
Sometimes it takes a little while to understand and accept this help from Spirit. I remember a grievance I had against someone when I was still working. I would notice the discomfort of holding the grievance I would ask for healing. But then I would pick up the grievance again. I don’t like to suffer anymore, so I finally asked for help with more openness. I asked what it was that Spirit wanted me to know about this.
The thought that came into my mind was that this person was threatening my income source and that I was very afraid of losing money. I hadn’t realized this was the source of my anger with him. I thought it was his actions, but it was really about my fear. So, my prayer is that I receive the atonement in this situation. I want my mind to be healed of the belief that my happiness and well-being are based on my paycheck.
Seeking Freedom
I wanted to be free of the belief in loss and lack and the belief someone else is responsible for how I feel. In doing so, I would stop attacking my brother out of fear for myself. I imagined the two of us approaching God while bickering and vying for position. It’s ridiculous. We can enter the Kingdom hand in hand or not at all. There is no fear and no defense in God, so we must let that go if we want to know ourselves as part of God. The lesson I read today is, “The peace of God is all I want.” I had to choose between protecting my income and the peace of God. I could not then, nor can I now, cherish any illusion and have the peace of God. As I released my fear, I found I did not need to defend myself against my brother.
We Are Not Alone
Something else I want to share is that we don’t do any of this alone. Our brother, Jesus, brought us A Course in Miracles to help us wake up as he did. But he didn’t just start this process and walk away from it. He stays with us to continue to help. I make him a part of my life by talking to him and asking for his help, but also by sharing whatever is going on. It took me a while to form that habit, but I am glad I did. I will share some passages from A Course in Miracles that encouraged me to do this. Maybe, like me, you had not noticed these before or recognized their value. Maybe, like me, you might want to reconsider.
Thank You, Brother
A little while and you will see me, for I am not hidden because you are hiding. ²I will awaken you as surely as I awakened myself, for I awoke for you. ³In my resurrection is your release. ⁴Our mission is to escape from crucifixion, not from redemption. ⁵Trust in my help, for I did not walk alone, and I will walk with you as our Father walked with me. ⁶Do you not know that I walked with Him in peace? ⁷And does not that mean that peace goes with us on the journey? (ACIM, T-12.II.7:1-7)
⁷When I said “I am with you always,” I meant it literally. ⁸I am not absent to anyone in any situation. (ACIM, T-7.III.1:7-8)
³If it helps you, think of me holding your hand and leading you. ⁴And I assure you this will be no idle fantasy. (ACIM, W-70.9:3-4)
¹¹I cannot choose for you, but I can help you make your own right choice. (ACIM, T-3.IV.7:11)
³If you want to be like me I will help you, knowing that we are alike. ⁴If you want to be different, I will wait until you change your mind. (ACIM, T-8.IV.6:3-4)
But Jesus is for you the bearer of Christ’s single message of the Love of God. ⁵You need no other. ⁶It is possible to read his words and benefit from them without accepting him into your life. ⁷Yet he would help you yet a little more if you will share your pains and joys with him, and leave them both to find the peace of God. (ACIM, C-5.6:4-7
Perhaps you have seen others that express his love and his willingness to help. If so, please share them with me. And if you would like to explore this list further, use this link to find this written on my website. www.forgivenessisthewayhome.org
There is a helpful way of communicating directly with Jesus. CLICK HERE to discover more and access a free course from Pathways of Light to help you learn how.