III. The Guide to Salvation, P 11
11 The ego made the world as it perceives it, but the Holy Spirit, the re-interpreter of what the ego made, sees the world as a teaching device for bringing you home. The Holy Spirit must perceive time, and reinterpret it into the timeless. He must work through opposites, because He must work with and for a mind that is in opposition. Correct and learn, and be open to learning. You have not made truth, but truth can still set you free. Look as the Holy Spirit looks, and understand as He understands. His understanding looks back to God in remembrance of me. He is in communion with God always, and He is part of you. He is your Guide to salvation, because He holds the remembrance of things past and to come, and brings them to the present. He holds this gladness gently in your mind, asking only that you increase it in His Name by sharing it to increase His joy in you.
Journal
Though we made the world as a place to hide from God, to experience something different than God, the Holy Spirit uses it to help us awaken to our truth. This happens in many ways and as often as we are willing to listen to His Voice. Yesterday I delivered the sermon for a Unity Church in New Orleans. This required a good deal of time to prepare and I didn’t have a lot of extra time. But even as the ego was starting to panic, I asked Jesus to help me with the issue of time. He does this often for me and so I am starting to understand that time is not real.
As the time got close for me to do this sermon, I started getting nervous. I began to think what I wrote was not good, would not be helpful, was too long, or too short. I was afraid I would stumble over the words. I was afraid that it was too “Course” for the people I was speaking to who were not Course students. I was afraid that it was not “Course” enough for the listeners who were Course students.
All this went through my mind quickly, and quickly I dismissed it. It was all just ego stuff and meaningless. I gave the whole thing over to Spirit. He would guide me, of that I was certain. I told Him that I would say whatever He wanted me to say without regard to what I had written, and without regard to anyone’s expectations.
As I spoke it was very quiet and at times I was uncertain if I was making sense to them or if they were accepting it. I couldn’t tell. Then I would remember that this was none of my business. My job is to follow guidance to the best of my ability. My job is to be helpful and kind, and to share what is given me. How it is accepted is not my concern.
Afterwards I was approached by a number of people who said they enjoyed the sermon very much. Several people told me which parts seemed to be just for them. One woman told me that the story I told about my daughter was so perfect for her because she was going through the same thing. She was so grateful to have heard about my experience. When I wrote the sermon I almost took that story out several times because it was loo long, but each time I felt that I should leave it. Now I know why.
This is how the Holy Spirit uses the world we made to wake us up from the world. The circumstances of our lives become our way home, or they will be the way we go deeper into the dream. It is up to us. Yesterday, I chose to allow the Holy Spirit to reinterpret my perceptions and I am truly grateful for the opportunity.
I felt so much joy, not because what I said was accepted, not because I got through it without any disasters, not because I was complimented, but because I shared what I was given to share and in doing so I did what I am meant to do. We all have a part to play in the awakening, and while your part might look different from mine, each part is absolutely essential to the whole. My only business is my part. It makes me happy every time I do it.