A Course in Miracles Principle 35 Miracles are expressions of love, but they may not always have observable effects. Principle 36 Miracles are examples of right thinking, aligning your perceptions with truth as God created it. Principle 37 A miracle is a correction introduced into false thinking by me.
Principles of Miracles 35, 36, 37
Principles of Miracles 35, 36, 37
35 Miracles are expressions of love, but they may not always have observable effects.
This principle is very clear. Not every miracle is going to show up in the story of your life as something you can see. It does not mean the miracle failed or that you failed. The way this principle has affected me is that I stopped looking for proof and rested in my faith. I accept that every expression of love is a miracle and has results whether I can see them or not.
If I, or someone I know, were very sick, perhaps dying, and I remembered the truth, this would be a miracle. I knew they could not be sick because sickness is not of God. I remembered they could not die because there is no death. This is an expression of love and, thus, a miracle. What if the body in question remained sick or died? Would this mean the miracle did not occur?
Not All Miracles Are Observable
Jesus tells us that sometimes we may not be able to observe the miracle, so it does not mean anything that the body remains sick or dies. I can imagine that the illness was put into place and must play itself out. I can imagine that illness or death is a freely chosen classroom to help learn a particular lesson or heal a particular belief in the mind.
Though I may not ever know why it happened as it did, I know that when I forgive when I extend love, a miracle occurs, whether I can perceive it as such or not. The body and all other forms of the world are illusions that may or may not change as a result of the miracle. The miracle is a healed mind, and that always occurs. Changing the world is an effect but not my goal. I am here to undo the ego, and every miracle goes toward that accomplishment.
Don’t Look for Proof in the Illusion
Someone I love went through a very difficult period in their life, and it was hard to be around her. And though I would become frustrated with her behavior and words, and though they stung sometimes, I kept forgiving. I forgave my own reactions and her behaviors. I just kept loving her. For years nothing seemed to change, but then it did. Even if the story never changed, and that happens sometimes, the miracle did. We can’t look at the illusion for proof of a mind healed.
I had a Course friend who suffered from depression. One day she gave in to the dark thoughts and took her own life. I could think that the miracle failed to save my friend, but that would be wrong. She gave up on this story, but she cannot die. She cannot take her life because life is of God and is thus eternal. I cannot know what she learned from this lifetime, but I don’t doubt that the many people who loved her without fail helped her learn it.
No Hierarchy
Expressions of love are sometimes words or behavior and sometimes simply thoughts. Every circumstance is an opportunity for a miracle. No situation stands outside this. If someone is angry with me and speaks harshly, I have the opportunity to respond in kind or to recognize their words as a call for love and ask Holy Spirit how best to respond with love.
There is no hierarchy where one action is worse than another when it comes to forgiveness. If someone murdered my child, I would have the same opportunity as I would have if someone spoke harshly to me. I can see their action as despicable and unforgivable, or I can see it as a call for love and respond with love. In each case, the miracle is the same. It only appears to be bigger or harder in the second case because I believe it is because I place more value on some illusions than on others.
Principles of Miracles 37
36 Miracles are examples of right thinking, aligning your perceptions with truth as God created it.
When my thinking is in alignment with the truth, I am peaceful at all times and in every circumstance. When something happens to alter this blissful state, when I become confused and start thinking with the ego, I lose my peace. The contrast has taught me that true perception is miraculous. When I think with God, everything changes.
I was thinking of a time when my daughters were arguing. This happened years ago when it was still easy for me to become confused about how to achieve peace and happiness. I wanted them to be at peace with each other, and I thought it was up to me to make this happen. I kept trying to say something that would end the argument, which only made it worse.
In retrospect, the problem is obvious. I was trying to achieve peace by changing others and I was trying to change them through my ego will. Before I could ever help bring about a peaceful resolution to anything, I would first have to align my own perceptions with the truth. I had not done that, and the outcome was predictably unsatisfactory.
Undoing the Ego
First, I was upset that they were arguing. I wondered why that was. Why did it upset me that two other people were in an argument? It could only be that I thought my happiness depended on what they did, and that can’t be true. Nothing outside me can affect me unless that is my choice. I forgave the belief that it could.
Second, I thought I could fix a problem at the level of the effect. In other words, I asked the ego what to do, and the ego guided me to try to change their minds. That’s just funny, really. How could I have fallen for that? It required only that I change my mind. With a clearer perception, it became obvious that I needed to turn to a better source of information. The Holy Spirit always gives good advice, and His advice always works.
Sometimes, He might give me inspired thoughts as to what to say to lead to a reconciliation. Sometimes, He lets me know that there is nothing for me to say in a particular situation. Heeding that advice is always a good idea so that I don’t accidentally make it worse. It might be that my part is just to send love to each and to surround the entire situation with my holiness.
In turning to the Holy Spirit as my advisor, I return to right thinking as my perceptions become aligned with truth. When this happens, everyone involved is blessed, and often the situation is resolved in a way that benefits all.
Principles of Miracles 37
37 A miracle is a correction introduced into false thinking by me. It acts as a catalyst, breaking up erroneous perception and reorganizing it properly. This places you under the Atonement principle, where perception is healed. Until this has occurred, knowledge of the Divine Order is impossible.
I have a picture in my mind of this happening. I have become anxious about something happening in the world and become absorbed in all the things that could go wrong because of this one thing that happened. All sorts of angry, fearful thoughts whirl around in my mind, but amid all of those thoughts is a true thought. This true thought is a call for help. I give it my attention, if only briefly, but at that moment, the call becomes focused and heartfelt, and I know I mean it.
A burst of light hurtles into all those thoughts, breaking them up, and they begin to reorganize into Divine Order. They start to make sense as I see them differently. I see the incident as just something that happened and not a harbinger of disaster. I start to see solutions instead of calamities. Slowly I remember that I am in no real danger. I am safe at Home with my Creator. This is not reality but a dream story, a game I am playing, and I want to laugh in relief. Without the upsetting fear thoughts distracting me, I become interested in the game again.
I ask for guidance to play the game with compassion, love, joy, and, most of all, gratitude. It may be only a dream, but it has become a dream that is helping me to wake up. I am grateful to the point of tears as I realize that I have helped gain a new perspective, and seeing it differently changes everything and changes on every level. What a miracle this is!
If you click here, you can read /listen to Regina Dawn Akers explain her Root Cause Inquiry, a tool I have found very useful.