ACIM I. The Message of the Crucifixion, P 10, 11. We are still equal as learners, although we do not need to have equal experiences.
ACIM Chapter 6. I. The Message of the Crucifixion, P 10. 11
I. The Message of the Crucifixion, P 10
10 We are still equal as learners, although we do not need to have equal experiences. The Holy Spirit is glad when you can learn from mine, and be reawakened by them. That is their only purpose, and that is the only way in which I can be perceived as the way, the truth and the life. When you hear only one Voice you are never called on to sacrifice. On the contrary, by being able to hear the Holy Spirit in others you can learn from their experiences, and can gain from them without experiencing them directly yourself. That is because the Holy Spirit is one, and anyone who listens is inevitably led to demonstrate His way for all.
All of us, Jesus included, are equal as learners. That is very encouraging because it sometimes feels like we are not all equal as learners. I am often just dumbfounded that Jesus found our way out. How did he do that? I sometimes have trouble remembering the truth about myself and my brothers. And yet, he says that we are equal as learners, so I know I can do this, too.
Jesus also says we do not all need the same experience. His contribution included crucifixion; we can learn from his experience so we do not have to be crucified. His crucifixion teaches me that everyone is innocent regardless of his or her actions, and it teaches me that there is nothing to fear. We are invulnerable. No matter what happens to the body, we remain unaffected. No matter what direction the story takes, we, who we truly are, are unaffected.
Learning From the Experiences of Others
I am, of course, the perfectly free and unlimited Son of God, so I can act like I am being crucified regularly if I want to. But I am learning not to do that. I am learning to accept the Atonement instead. I think I am guilty, and I suffer. This is how I crucify myself. Then I realize what I have done and offer the guilt to the Holy Spirit in exchange for the miracle. This is how I get down off the cross. Why would I want to emulate the lesson when I can simply accept the healing instead?
I can learn from everyone’s experience if I choose to. Watching a TV show or going to the movies, I automatically look for the lesson. And I do this when I read novels as well. I do this when I listen to my brother’s story. I am healed with my brother when we study together. When I attend a workshop, I am healed in many ways, as all those people at the workshop share their healing. As they shifted, so did I.
Living From Our Healed Mind
We will awaken not because we each individually heal all mistaken thoughts in our mind, but because in healing the thoughts that come up for that purpose, we heal the entire Sonship. It is also very helpful when we share these healings in words because, as inadequate as they are, words are how we communicate with each other while here.
As we live from our healed mind, we teach what we have learned simply by being. I can learn from the book, and I can talk a good talk. But if I do not live what I learn and make it mine so I never live from anything else, I will not teach salvation. Jesus lived salvation. That is why he made such an impact on the world and why he is still awakening us. I want to join with Jesus by believing what he believes. I want to join Jesus in awakening the Sonship by teaching what I believe with Jesus.
11 I. The Message of the Crucifixion, P 11
11 You are not persecuted, nor was I. You are not asked to repeat my experiences because the Holy Spirit, Whom we share, makes this unnecessary. To use my experiences constructively, however, you must still follow my example in how to perceive them. My brothers and yours are constantly engaged in justifying the unjustifiable. My one lesson, which I must teach as I learned it, is that no perception that is out of accord with the judgment of the Holy Spirit can be justified. I undertook to show this was true in an extreme case, merely because it would serve as a good teaching aid to those whose temptation to give in to anger and assault would not be so extreme. I will with God that none of His Sons should suffer.
Guilt Is Never Justified
I am so grateful to my brother, Jesus, for his example, as well as for his reassurance now that we are not expected to emulate his example, only to learn from it. It is not God’s Will that we suffer. I am unlikely to experience any situation more extreme than crucifixion, and even if I did, I still know how to see it because Jesus showed me.
His lesson is this: I am never justified in judging anybody as guilty. That is, I am to never, under any circumstances, no matter how extreme they appear to be, to perceive out of accord with the Holy Spirit’s judgment. And He judges that the Sons of God are innocent.
I had to take my car to the dealership for repairs one day. I had asked the mechanic at work to check it over first so that I would not be clueless when I got there. And more importantly, that the mechanics at the dealership would know I was not clueless. I always felt at the mercy of the mechanics because I didn’t know if they were trying to take advantage of my ignorance. I had, more than once, suspected that they were doing so. This made me feel like I was being persecuted.
Doing It Differently
That time, I was doing it differently. I did check with our mechanic at work, but I also offered my mistaken thoughts to the Holy Spirit and asked for a miracle in exchange. I left my car with the dealership and the information I received from our mechanic, which saved the dealership mechanics some time as it guided them to the right area. And I didn’t feel concerned about what happened or what it would cost. This was a different experience for me.
Since that time, I have learned this lesson well. I don’t act foolishly by assuming everyone is honest. In their true nature, they are honest, but when operating from the ego, they often are not. Fear causes us to do things that are hurtful to others. But the difference now is that I don’t judge them for it. I simply know that the ego is not who they are. If someone cheats me, I learn from the experience. And if I feel angry, the same fear the person who cheated me feels, I forgive it in us both.
To watch a helpful video by Keith Kavanagh, CLICK HERE.