ACIM Lesson 324 I merely follow, for I would not lead.
Father, You are the One Who gave the plan for my salvation to me. ³I cannot lose the way. ⁴I can but choose to wander off a while, and then return.
I merely follow, for I would not lead.
1. Father, You are the One Who gave the plan for my salvation to me. ²You have set the way I am to go, the role to take, and every step in my appointed path. ³I cannot lose the way. ⁴I can but choose to wander off a while, and then return. ⁵Your loving Voice will always call me back, and guide my feet aright. ⁶My brothers all can follow in the way I lead them. ⁷Yet I merely follow in the way to You, as You direct me and would have me go.
2. So let us follow One Who knows the way. ²We need not tarry, and we cannot stray except an instant from His loving Hand. ³We walk together, for we follow Him. ⁴And it is He Who makes the ending sure, and guarantees a safe returning home.
I Am in the Right Place
I, who am lost, cannot lead. That is so obvious I can hardly believe we need a lesson to teach us this. And yet, I have left the path many times seeking a shortcut or a path more to my liking. Sometimes I have just been attracted to some shiny thing, or some bit of drama. The saving grace has been that I always return to the path given me as my way out of the wilderness of my insane thinking. A Course in Miracles is my path and I know this because it is the one I am on.
³Your passage through time and space is not at random. ⁴You cannot but be in the right place at the right time. ⁵Such is the strength of God. (ACIM, W-42.2:3-5)
Once it Is Known it Can’t Be Unknown
Once I set my foot on this path, I could not stray from it long though at times I wished I could go back to ignorance. Of course, I could not. Once something is known, it cannot be unknown. These days, the thought of living any other way is no longer attractive to me. In fact, I live in awe that this is the lifetime in which I moved into the phase of awakening. I can hardly believe this is happening and sometimes I cry in joy and in wonder.
We Will Be Told Our Role and Those Who Should Be with Us Will Find Us.
A Course in Miracles is not a solitary path. We do not walk it alone, nor do we walk it without help.
Yet the teacher of God is sure of but one thing; they do not change at random. ⁴Seeing this and understanding that it is true, he rests content. ⁵He will be told all that his role should be, this day and every day. ⁶And those who share that role with him will find him, so they can learn the lessons for the day together. (ACIM, M-16.1:3-6)
Sometimes the one who finds me for the lesson of the day is studying a course with me. We share our work with each other, each learning from the other’s lessons, receiving as we give. Others show up to trigger me and I am equally grateful to them. I pay close attention when this happens so that I can benefit from the day’s lesson.
Let no Gap Stand Between Us
Here is an example from just two days ago. My brother and I were discussing doctors. My doctor has retired and I was asking him about his doctor. He told me he liked him and gave an example of why. His doctor had told him that he didn’t need the booster vaccine and should wait. I pointed out that he subsequently got Covid and maybe that wasn’t the best advice. He said that the vaccine was preventative but only made the case milder. I disagreed and we went on to talk about other things.
After we hung up, I kept thinking about that conversation and so asked the Holy Spirit what it is I am to learn from it. I began to realize that it was a typical ego desire to be right at the expense of making someone else wrong. It was just another separation device. I also realized that the reason I felt the need to argue my point was that I wanted to be right so that I could feel safer. I was making the vaccine my savior.
I texted my brother and told him that I don’t really know which of us is right. I said that I decided to believe the vaccine protected me because it makes me feel safer to do so. He texted back that he understands. I didn’t have to tell him this. It was not a heated argument and he was not angry. But I didn’t want this gap between us to stand.
It All Matters, Even the “Little” Stuff
Even if I am right, that matters little in the scheme of things. What matters every time is that we move toward each other rather than further away. It is our purpose here to undo the separation, not make it worse. And who knows, maybe this idea that we simply decide what to believe will help him next time he is at odds with someone.
This incident didn’t seem terribly important. But each time we catch ourselves wandering from the path and trying to lead ourselves out of confusion it matters. It matters because it strengthens our determination to follow our Guide and return Home by the quickest route. And it matters because we influence others and help them along as well and if they want to, they can follow us as we follow Him.
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