ACIM Lesson 278
If I am bound, my Father is not free. 1. If I accept that I am prisoner within a body, in a world in which all things that seem to live appear to die, then is my Father prisoner with me.
If I am bound, my Father is not free.
1. If I accept that I am prisoner within a body, in a world in which all things that seem to live appear to die, then is my Father prisoner with me. ²And this do I believe, when I maintain the laws the world obeys must I obey; the frailties and the sins which I perceive are real, and cannot be escaped. ³If I am bound in any way, I do not know my Father nor my Self. ⁴And I am lost to all reality. ⁵For truth is free, and what is bound is not a part of truth.
2. Father, I ask for nothing but the truth. ²I have had many foolish thoughts about myself and my creation, and have brought a dream of fear into my mind. ³Today, I would not dream. ⁴I choose the way to You instead of madness and instead of fear. ⁵For truth is safe, and only love is sure.
Forgiveness Just Makes Sense
If I am bound then so is my Father because we are one. If I am bound so is everyone else because we are one. It is the same turned around, if my brother is bound so am I. This is the reason I have no desire for anyone to be guilty. If they are bound to their guilt, I am bound to mine. I sincerely desire for everyone to be free of the world and the laws of the world. Understanding this, it is easy to forgive and there is no temptation to keep someone guilty.
The Story of the Body Is Purposeful
The rules of the world must be obeyed by the bodies within the world. But we are above this battleground if we accept our Self as who we are. Within the world, I do what is necessary to maintain the body but I know that this is not real. This is being in the world but not of it. If I have to take this body to the doctor, I do so in gratitude for my brother’s help. At the same time, I forgive the idea that I am bound in any way to this body.
I am also grateful for all the experiences of the body story because everything I experience here helps me see what needs forgiveness. This kind of detachment from the story helps me remember what it is for. It is not perfect detachment yet, but it is enough so to take me to the next rung of the ladder. I ask for the truth and I do my part by making room for it. I forgive all thoughts that don’t lead to truth. I ask to awaken from the dream and I do my part as I use the dream for that purpose.
Serving God’s Plan of Awakening
I am sharing a Pathways of Light course with a friend and in it we are directed to this quote from the Course.
2. The world you see must be denied, for sight of it is costing you a different kind of vision. ²_You cannot see both worlds,_ for each of them involves a different kind of seeing, and depends on what you cherish. ³The sight of one is possible because you have denied the other. ⁴Both are not true, yet either one will seem as real to you as the amount to which you hold it dear. (https://acim.org/acim/en/s/171#2:1-4 | T-13.VII.2:1-4)
Course 919: Serving God’s Plan of Awakening, also reminds us that we awaken to the truth as we build the habit of asking ourselves the following questions.
Right now, which plan am I serving?
Which thought system am I reinforcing right now?
Am I serving God’s plan for awakening or the ego’s illusions?
Asking ourselves what plan we are serving can jar us loose from the temptation to make this world of separate bodies real.
To help with this practice I watched my mind for the answer to these questions and then shared the answer with my friend. Here is one way I choose God’s Plan over the ego thought system. Making choices like this is how I escape the prison of my beliefs.
Monitoring Body Thoughts
I monitor my thoughts about my body because it is easy to think that the body is subject to the laws of the world. If I am worried about how I look or if I am worried about a physical problem, I change my mind. Instead, I choose thoughts that support God’s plan of awakening. I remind myself that I am under no laws but God’s. I remind myself there is but one power, the power of God. Sickness has no power, and the body has no power. It is only my beliefs that govern the world. I can govern it with true beliefs as easily as the false beliefs of the ego.
If you would like to read more about Chapter 13 Section VII Paragraph 2 or would like to watch that video, click here.
If you would like to access Pathways of Light Insights on this lesson click here.
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