ACIM Workbook Daily Lesson 205, Year 2022

ACIM Daily Lesson 205. I want the peace of God.

Lesson 205

I am not a body. I am free.
For I am still as God created me.

1. (185) I want the peace of God.

²The peace of God is everything I want. ³The peace of God is my one goal; the aim of all my living here, the end I seek, my purpose and my function and my life, while I abide where I am not at home.

⁴I am not a body. ⁵I am free.
⁶For I am still as God created me.

This is the lesson that I keep taped to my computer, where I spend most of my time. It has been my only goal for a number of years now. Every choice I make, every decision I am aware of making, has to pass that test. Is it going to take me closer to my goal? If not, then I am not interested. It is not relevant to my goal of the peace of God, so I let it go. I ask the Holy Spirit what He would have me choose instead.

The Ultimate Lesson

The ultimate lesson is that I am not a body, that I am still as God created me, and nothing can change that. But to get to that understanding requires certain steps. This is the process I used.

• First, I had to accept that the problem, no matter what form it took, began in my mind as a thought. I had to be willing to accept that it was never caused by anything outside my mind.
• Then, I had to realize that I could change my mind and embrace a different thought, a thought more in alignment with the truth.
• Next, I had to be willing to forgive (undo) the grievance I had against someone else because I mistakenly thought they were the problem. Or forgive the circumstance because I thought it was the problem.
• It is very helpful to notice the belief behind the thoughts, grievances and events. For instance, I am angry that I was cheated because I believe in lack and loss. I am afraid because I feel vulnerable.
• I had to remember that I cannot heal myself, that is, I cannot use ego thinking to heal my mind. So, I learned to look with the Holy Spirit at the situation or the person and allow Him to heal me and show me another way to see.
• And I had to practice these steps over and over to instruct my mind that it was now going to use this method of problem-solving rather than the old method of projecting guilt onto others.

New Understandings

As I practiced this more consistently, my mind began to clear and certain ideas from A Course in Miracles began to take on a deeper meaning. I began to accept them more fully and to do so without exception. This is when the realization that I am not this body and not in this body began to feel real to me. It is also when I began to truly accept that the script is written and that there is the Holy Spirit’s corrected script that I can experience rather than the ego script that I was reviewing for so long.

Each decision I make determines the story of Myron that I watch, the story of Myron as seen from the perspective of the ego, or the story of Myron as seen from the perspective of the Holy Spirit. Now that I know and understand this, it is just a matter of paying attention. That way if the script veers off into guilt and fear stories, I know to ask for correction of my thoughts. In this way, the dream becomes a happier one. Then I know that I am living my purpose, undoing the ego through forgiveness, or at least the part that I was given to do.

Yesterday Was Difficult

This is a perfect lesson for me today. Yesterday was difficult. I had a lot going on and was in pain for most of it. Nothing was going as expected. I did go to Spirit with each thought that was disturbing my peace, and that’s good. But it still felt like a lot. I let it all go last night and woke up with a renewed sense of purpose.

I have some appointments I have to fit into my already tight schedule, and for a few minutes, I felt overwhelmed again. But I decided to choose the more peaceful solution. I just sat down with my calendar and worked each appointment in one at a time until it was done. Even my lesson was put on hold until this necessary job was completed. Now I am working on this lesson and laughing a bit at how appropriate it is.

The Contrast Between Overwhelm and Peace

When I felt overwhelmed, I was not at peace but knew my purpose, so I chose peace. I asked Holy Spirit what needed to be done now, and I did that. I kept doing that, and I stayed at peace. In those moments when I started to feel anxious about getting the next thing done, I remembered that getting things done is not my purpose; peace is my purpose. Now I am at the end of my day, and while not everything is done, everything that must be done has been done, and I am at peace. Yay! Success!

Regina’s Tips

What is it that your mind thinks you want? What are your dreams? Why do you want those dreams? Spend time inquiring into your dreams to find what they represent for you. Do you really want that thing or circumstance, the object of your dream, or do you actually seek the peace of God?

My Thoughts

That’s an interesting question. What does my mind think it wants? Right now, it thinks it wants to be free of pain. It also wants to be free of problems it doesn’t know how to solve. The mind doesn’t know how to ask for what it wants because it doesn’t really understand what is wrong and what the solution would be. I’ve learned not to listen to my egos desires nor its solutions because doing so has only led to more problems and to suffering.

This body has pain right now and a variety of problems. The Holy Spirit leads me out of this situation by helping me to remember that I am not the body that has problems. I see that as I move further from that belief, I suffer less. Since clearly this is true,I know this is the solution. I give Holy Spirit the belief I am a body and the desire to experience myself as the body. I give Holy Spirit the belief that there is some value in experiencing a body and claiming it as me.

Looking in the Wrong Direction

I see that up until now I have been looking in the wrong direction for a solution. I have been focused on the story of a suffering body. It is my mind that I need to look at the thoughts and beliefs that I am holding onto. The particular form the suffering takes isn’t really relevant. As I am writing this, I realize that it sounds like there is something really wrong with the body, but that isn’t true.

There are just a few little things wrong, but I am a real baby when it comes to pain. And as I write this, I am reminded that I am suffering from my thoughts about what might happen. The actual pain I am experiencing is very minor. This is so funny. I have sacrificed my peace of mind for no reason, just thoughts in my head. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for that reminder. It is easy to get caught up in the story and miss the lesson altogether. I almost fell for that ego distraction.

Contemplation 2026

To enjoy the Pathways of Light Insights on ACIM Lesson 205 click here.

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