ACIM Chapter 9. III. The Correction of Error P 1-3

ACIM Chapter 9. III. The Correction of Error P 1-3

III. The Correction of Error

1 The alertness of the ego to the errors of other egos is not the kind of vigilance the Holy Spirit would have you maintain. Egos are critical in terms of the kind of “sense” they stand for. They understand this kind of sense, because it is sensible to them. To the Holy Spirit it makes no sense at all.

The Holy Spirit has encouraged me to be vigilant for the thoughts in my mind and to ask for correction when they are not in alignment with the thoughts I think with God. I ask Him to help me to use words that are in alignment with Truth. I agree to step back and let Him lead the way. And I do this to the best of my ability. What I am not asked to do is to be vigilant for my brother’s thoughts and words.

Under no circumstance is it my job to keep an eye on anyone else and to judge the sense of what they say. It is not my job to correct them or set them straight. It doesn’t matter how “gently” I correct. Nor does it matter how many of the right-sounding words I use. It doesn’t matter how right it feels to me to do this. If I am watching someone else, judging the correctness of their words, whether I say anything to them or not, this is my error, and it is my mind that needs correction.

When I used to do this, it was most obvious on social media.

There were just so many opportunities. I would read through the postings, looking for the ones that were “right” and the ones that just didn’t quite hit the mark. Sometimes, I would even tell them what was wrong with their posting. Of course, I would use my spiritual ego to do this so that it sounded spiritual. I told myself that I was helping. None of that was true. I was just using the ego to decide what made sense to it.

Now, I always try to respond only to a direct question. If it is appropriate, I might add my own experience. But I am vigilant for my motive because my spiritual ego is alive and well. I can indulge it, or I can disregard it—my choice. In all my groups, the guidelines are to share from our experience and never correct another. I always try to live this. When I fail to do so, I forgive myself and try again.

III. The Correction of Error, P 2

2 To the ego it is kind and right and good to point out errors and “correct” them. This makes perfect sense to the ego, which is unaware of what errors are and what correction is. Errors are of the ego, and correction of errors lies in the relinquishment of the ego. When you correct a brother, you are telling him that he is wrong. He may be making no sense at the time, and it is certain that, if he is speaking from the ego, he will not be making sense. But your task is still to tell him he is right. You do not tell him this verbally, if he is speaking foolishly. He needs correction at another level, because his error is at another level. He is still right, because he is a Son of God. His ego is always wrong, no matter what it says or does.

Here is the way I use this information. If my brother is speaking from his ego, he is always mistaken, just as I am when I speak from the ego. But what I know is that no matter which part of the mind we are identifying with, both my brother and myself are the Son of God. We are perfect and wholly innocent. We may be confused about what we are, but that does not change what we are. I know that what someone says or does in no way defines what they are.

The only time I offer correction is when asked to play that part.

If the person I am speaking with asks me a direct question, I will allow teaching to come through me. But even then, I am not in doubt about what my brother is, nor am I in doubt about what I am. I am the messenger, the teacher for God; I am just allowing information to be relayed through me to the best of my ability. The correction is not on the level of reality but on the level of ego.

I think that when Jesus says that it is my task to tell my brother he is right, what he means is that it is my task to recognize the truth of him. In doing so, I recognize the truth of me, too, since there is only one mind shared by all of us. What is true of my brother is true of me. If I believe something that is not true of my brother, I will believe it is the same for me. It is not true if it is from the ego, but what I believe will inform my thoughts, words, and actions and convince me that the untruth is true.

III. The Correction of Error, P 3

3 If you point out the errors of your brother’s ego you must be seeing through yours, because the Holy Spirit does not perceive his errors. This must be true, since there is no communication between the ego and the Holy Spirit. The ego makes no sense, and the Holy Spirit does not attempt to understand anything that arises from it. Since He does not understand it, He does not judge it, knowing that nothing the ego makes means anything.

I long to reach the point where I see as the Holy Spirit sees. I want to learn to disregard errors of every kind as if they did not exist. And surely, that is the truth. Errors are not truth, and so they are meaningless. Why do I pay attention to them as if they were reality? Only what God created is reality, and he did not create errors. Really, when I give my attention to errors, mine or someone else’s, I am giving my attention to nothing. It would not matter at all except that as I focus on the error, I suffer. I cannot enter into God’s presence if I attack His Son. Being unaware of God’s presence is the very definition of suffering.

Today, I am asking for help.

I am asking the Holy Spirit to bring to my attention those moments when I am staring mesmerized at the error. Help me to “snap out of it,” Holy Spirit. I know this is always about healing my own mind. If I see an error, it can only be that I am seeing through the error in my mind. I am seeing the error in another because I believe in error, I think it is real, and I think it matters. That is the error in my mind. So, no matter where I see error, my only function is to accept the Atonement for myself. That part, at least, is clear and easy for me to understand.

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