ACIM Lesson 300 Only an instant does this world endure.
Only an instant does this world endure.
1. This is a thought which can be used to say that death and sorrow are the certain lot of all who come here, for their joys are gone before they are possessed, or even grasped. ²Yet this is also the idea that lets no false perception keep us in its hold, nor represent more than a passing cloud upon a sky eternally serene. ³And it is this serenity we seek, unclouded, obvious and sure, today.
2. We seek Your holy world today. ²For we, Your loving Sons, have lost our way a while. ³But we have listened to Your Voice, and learned exactly what to do to be restored to Heaven and our true Identity. ⁴And we give thanks today the world endures but for an instant. ⁵We would go beyond that tiny instant to eternity.
Ancient Memories
What I understand from this lesson is that the thought of the world we made lasted for only an instant before the Holy Spirit corrected it. So, what are we experiencing now? It can only be the memory of it. ⁶You keep an ancient memory before your eyes. (ACIM, T-26.V.5:6) We are remembering the stories that represent the desire for specialness. The obvious result of this desire is fear and suffering and certain death. But to allow ourselves to awaken from this nightmarish dream, we must give up that special self.
We Are Safe In God
That is why Jesus is helping us to remember what it means to be our Self so that we will see why we want to awaken. All through the Course, we are being told that these bodies are not who we are. We are being told that we are spirit, that we are safe in God. The Course tells us that we are holy, eternal, and one with God. We are told of our strength and power. We are the holy home of God Himself.
In Comparison
In comparison, Jesus points out that we have lost our way and believe that we are helpless bodies. We are meant to suffer and die with only moments of happiness intermingled with a lifetime of hopelessness. In essence, our lives are ultimately meaningless. He wants us to compare these two pictures and encourages us to choose Life. Only we can decide when we want to return to our true nature. Now would be a good time.
We Know What to Do
Could having a separate self be worth what we have given up in order to try for specialness? I am not going to keep fighting for the right to be miserable, frightened, and lost. We have been given the Voice for God who will guide us Home. We know exactly what to do. Let us view these lives as simply stories of separation rather than some twisted reality. In this way, we can use them to show us the effects of our beliefs and we can make a better choice.
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