ACIM Lesson 45 God is the mind with which I think.
God is the Mind with which I think.
ACIM Lesson 45
Lesson 45
God is the Mind with which I think.
1. Today’s idea holds the key to what your real thoughts are. ²They are nothing that you think you think, just as nothing that you think you see is related to vision in any way. ³There is no relationship between what is real and what you think is real. ⁴Nothing that you think are your real thoughts resemble your real thoughts in any respect. ⁵Nothing that you think you see bears any resemblance to what vision will show you.
This lesson is stunning! Nothing we think we think is our real thoughts. Nothing we see with our eyes is what is really there. And, nothing we think is real is actually real. But we have real thoughts and we have vision that will show us what is real. This is a lot to take in but there is more.
I Am Part of His Mind
2. You think with the Mind of God. ²Therefore you share your thoughts with Him, as He shares His with you. ³They are the same thoughts, because they are thought by the same Mind. ⁴To share is to make alike, or to make one. ⁵Nor do the thoughts you think with the Mind of God leave your mind, because thoughts do not leave their source. ⁶Therefore, your thoughts are in the Mind of God, as you are. ⁷They are in your mind as well, where He is. ⁸As you are part of His Mind, so are your thoughts part of His Mind.
More astounding than knowing how much we have hidden from ourselves is the realization that we think with the Mind of God. We share our thoughts with Him and He shares His thoughts with us. This is happening right now even as we choose to focus on the endless chatter of the mind. We could instead shift our awareness to our true thoughts, the thoughts we think with God. These thoughts are still in our mind because thoughts leave not their source. They are in our mind eternally. Think about this: We share the same thoughts with God because they are thought by the same Mind. Seriously, think about that!
Where Are My Real Thoughts?
3. Where, then, are your real thoughts? ²Today we will attempt to reach them. ³We will have to look for them in your mind, because that is where they are. ⁴They must still be there, because they cannot have left their source. ⁵What is thought by the Mind of God is eternal, being part of creation.
Where indeed are my true thoughts? I sit quietly and wait to become aware of them and all I notice is nonsense thoughts. I sink below those thoughts and yet they follow me everywhere I go. It is very frustrating. I trust Jesus and so I know the problem is mine. My mind is still undisciplined and that is why I need this practice. I know how to practice and so I focus on that instead of the frustration. Jesus tells us that what is thought by the Mind of God is eternal because it is part of creation. I also remember that in Chapter 10, he said we are God’s only creation so it is eternally part of my mind as well. I will eventually reach them because that is God’s Will and mine.
Seeking My Real Thoughts
4. Our three five-minute practice periods for today will take the same general form that we used in applying yesterday’s idea. ²We will attempt to leave the unreal and seek for the real. ³We will deny the world in favor of truth. ⁴We will not let the thoughts of the world hold us back. ⁵We will not let the beliefs of the world tell us that what God would have us do is impossible. ⁶Instead, we will try to recognize that only what God would have us do is possible.
5. We will also try to understand that only what God would have us do is what we want to do. ²And we will also try to remember that we cannot fail in doing what He would have us do. ³There is every reason to feel confident that we will succeed today. ⁴It is the Will of God.
It’s something of a relief to realize that Jesus knew we would have doubts and experience frustration as we practiced. He is encouraging us to keep at it and reassuring us that at some point we will succeed, maybe even today. He tells us to focus on the fact that what God would have us do is possible. He also assures us that it is what we want as well. And finally, he tells us why we can feel confident; it is the Will of God.
The Practice
6. Begin the exercises for today by repeating the idea to yourself, closing your eyes as you do so. ²Then spend a fairly short period in thinking a few relevant thoughts of your own, keeping the idea in mind. ³After you have added some four or five thoughts of your own to the idea, repeat it again and tell yourself gently:
⁴My real thoughts are in my mind. ⁵I would like to find them.
⁶Then try to go past all the unreal thoughts that cover the truth in your mind, and reach to the eternal.
The exercise itself is simple. No complicated instructions are needed. I have done this practice twice already this morning and when I became frustrated, I stopped for a while. When the ego enters the practice it is never helpful. I will not succeed through force of will, that is, by trying to make it happen. His instructions, “I would like to find my real thoughts” feels gentler and more peaceful. I appreciate that.
The Foundation
7. Under all the senseless thoughts and mad ideas with which you have cluttered up your mind are the thoughts that you thought with God in the beginning. ²They are there in your mind now, completely unchanged. ³They will always be in your mind, exactly as they always were. ⁴Everything you have thought since then will change, but the Foundation on which it rests is wholly changeless.
Ok, I am stunned all over again! The thoughts I have thought with God in the beginning are still in my mind, unchanged. I can know those thoughts again. It made me cry to think of this. All those crazy thoughts cluttering up my mind are there just to prevent this memory from surfacing. I understand that this is what I wanted at one time, but not now. Now I want my real thoughts.
An Exercise in Holiness
8. It is this Foundation toward which the exercises for today are directed. ²Here is your mind joined with the Mind of God. ³Here are your thoughts one with His. ⁴For this kind of practice only one thing is necessary; approach it as you would an altar dedicated in Heaven to God the Father and to God the Son. ⁵For such is the place you are trying to reach. ⁶You will probably be unable as yet to realize how high you are trying to go. ⁷Yet even with the little understanding you have already gained, you should be able to remind yourself that this is no idle game, but an exercise in holiness and an attempt to reach the Kingdom of Heaven.
When I read this the first time this morning, I felt the holiness, the sacredness of this practice. I could see that and feel it in my heart. But then I got caught up in the effort of trying to corral my unruly mind and lost my focus. I am seeking the place in my mind where I am one with God. I am going to start over. My part is simple. I have the desire and I recognize the magnitude of the goal and I will do the simple practice. I leave the rest to the Holy Spirit.
Gratitude and Appreciation
9. In the shorter exercise periods for today, try to remember how important it is to you to understand the holiness of the mind that thinks with God. ²Take a minute or two, as you repeat the idea throughout the day, to appreciate your mind’s holiness. ³Stand aside, however briefly, from all thoughts that are unworthy of Him Whose host you are. ⁴And thank Him for the Thoughts He is thinking with you.
What a beautiful practice for the day! I am so very grateful and I will remind myself of my appreciation all through the day. I thank God for the Thoughts He is thinking with me. And I thank myself for my willingness to do what does not come easily to me.
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