ACIM Daily Lessons – Workbook Lesson 71

Lesson 71

Only God’s plan for salvation will work.

You may not realize that the ego has set up a plan for salvation in opposition to God’s. It is this plan in which you believe. Since it is the opposite of God’s, you also believe that to accept God’s plan in place of the ego’s is to be damned. This sounds preposterous, of course. Yet after we have considered just what the ego’s plan is, perhaps you will realize that, however preposterous it may be, you do believe in it.

The ego’s plan for salvation centers around holding grievances. It maintains that, if someone else spoke or acted differently, if some external circumstance or event were changed, you would be saved. Thus, the source of salvation is constantly perceived as outside yourself. Each grievance you hold is a declaration, and an assertion in which you believe, that says, “If this were different, I would be saved.” The change of mind necessary for salvation is thus demanded of everyone and everything except yourself.

The role assigned to your own mind in this plan, then, is simply to determine what, other than itself, must change if you are to be saved. According to this insane plan, any perceived source of salvation is acceptable provided that it will not work. This ensures that the fruitless search will continue, for the illusion persists that, although this hope has always failed, there is still grounds for hope in other places and in other things. Another person will yet serve better; another situation will yet offer success.

Such is the ego’s plan for your salvation. Surely you can see how it is in strict accord with the ego’s basic doctrine, “Seek but do not find.” For what could more surely guarantee that you will not find salvation than to channelize all your efforts in searching for it where it is not?

God’s plan for salvation works simply because, by following His direction, you seek for salvation where it is. But if you are to succeed, as God promises you will, you must be willing to seek there only. Otherwise, your purpose is divided and you will attempt to follow two plans for salvation that are diametrically opposed in all ways. The result can only bring confusion, misery and a deep sense of failure and despair.

How can you escape all this? Very simply. The idea for today is the answer. Only God’s plan for salvation will work. There can be no real conflict about this, because there is no possible alternative to God’s plan that will save you. His is the only plan that is certain in its outcome. His is the only plan that must succeed.

Let us practice recognizing this certainty today. And let us rejoice that there is an answer to what seems to be a conflict with no resolution possible. All things are possible to God. Salvation must be yours because of His plan, which cannot fail.

Begin the two longer practice periods for today by thinking about today’s idea, and realizing that it contains two parts, each making equal contribution to the whole. God’s plan for your salvation will work, and other plans will not. Do not allow yourself to become depressed or angry at the second part; it is inherent in the first. And in the first is your full release from all your own insane attempts and mad proposals to free yourself. They have led to depression and anger; but God’s plan will succeed. It will lead to release and joy.

Remembering this, let us devote the remainder of the extended practice periods to asking God to reveal His plan to us. Ask Him very specifically:

What would You have me do?
Where would You have me go?
What would You have me say, and to whom?

Give Him full charge of the rest of the practice period, and let Him tell you what needs to be done by you in His plan for your salvation. He will answer in proportion to your willingness to hear His Voice. Refuse not to hear. The very fact that you are doing the exercises proves that you have some willingness to listen. This is enough to establish your claim to God’s answer.

In the shorter practice periods, tell yourself often that God’s plan for salvation, and only His, will work. Be alert to all temptation to hold grievances today, and respond to them with this form of today’s idea:

Holding grievances is the opposite of God’s plan
for salvation. And only His plan will work.

Try to remember today’s idea some six or seven times an hour. There could be no better way to spend a half minute or less than to remember the Source of your salvation, and to see It where It is.

Journal

If you have ever felt like you just could not forgive a grievance or found it so hard to do so that it took a long time, you might wonder why that is. I did. Oh, at first, I thought it was hard to forgive because of the nature of the wrong, but later, as I began to understand that all grievances are different expressions of the same one and that all grievances must be released, I was confused at my stubbornness.

I understand now why it is that I had trouble letting them go for a while even after making the decision to do so. There are two plans for salvation in my mind. The Holy Spirit has a plan, but so does the ego. It’s pretty simple really. Here is the ego’s plan.

“2 The ego’s plan for salvation centers around holding grievances. It maintains that, if someone else spoke or acted differently, if some external circumstance or event were changed, you would be saved. Thus, the source of salvation is constantly perceived as outside yourself. Each grievance you hold is a declaration, and an assertion in which you believe, that says, “If this were different, I would be saved.” The change of mind necessary for salvation is thus demanded of everyone and everything except yourself.”

So the ego’s solution to our problem is to make someone or something else the blame for it and then to change the guilty party. And good luck with that! As Dr. Phil would say, “And how’s that working for you?” We all know the answer to that question. It doesn’t work. Even if we manage to change something in the world that makes us feel better for a while, something else will pop up, or the original problem will come back, or the one we changed will resent us and then we have to save ourselves from that. 

“3 The role assigned to your own mind in this plan, then, is simply to determine what, other than itself, must change if you are to be saved. According to this insane plan, any perceived source of salvation is acceptable provided that it will not work. This ensures that the fruitless search will continue, for the illusion persists that, although this hope has always failed, there is still grounds for hope in other places and in other things. Another person will yet serve better; another situation will yet offer success.”

It is hopeless, and of course, this is the ego’s plan to seek but do not find. It is never going to work because we are looking where the answer cannot be found. But there is another plan in our mind, one that will work. This lesson tells us to ask God to reveal His plan to us. Ask Him very specifically:

“What would You have me do?

Where would You have me go?

What would You have me say, and to whom?”

“He will answer in proportion to your willingness to hear His Voice.”

This is a good question to ask frequently. It is a good question to ask if one is having trouble releasing a grievance or wanting to release a grievance. It represents for me, full surrender. I surrender my efforts to save myself. Here I am, God. What now?

Another way to understand the two plans in our mind.

If I use the teaching of The Code, I can see that I have two programs running in my mind. One program I can call separation, the other program I can call the Atonement. Separation and Atonement are completely different, and in fact, are opposed.

Living with both has caused chaos in my mind and thus in my life. I want to get rid of one and keep the other. I cannot completely rid myself of the Atonement program because it was installed in such a way as to be permanent. But I can rid myself of the separation program because it was never meant to be permanent. So what I am doing is removing separation code every time I see it because I no longer want it.

I like this idea because it helps me to see that there is no reason for guilt. What kind of programmer would feel guilty for finding code to a program she no longer cares about and wants to remove? In fact, finding destructive code in the system and removing it for all of us would make me something of a hero. ~smile~

Regina’s Tip

Regina’s tips today were really excellent. They included an example of how she used the method Jesus gave us in this lesson. I highly recommend reading the entire tip. But the following is the part I want to emphasize for myself.

“In today’s workbook lesson, we are instructed to ask God, “What would You have me do? Where would You have me go?

What would You have me say, and to whom?”

In my experience, it is entirely possible that you will hear something when you ask these questions, and it is entirely possible that you won’t. However, either situation can be a success. Let me explain how.

When something was weighing on my mind, such as a grievance or fear, a time of quiet ‘asking for guidance’ led me to see the situation differently. I received guidance regarding my mind in the situation. When this type of guidance came, I wrote it down. It doesn’t matter if it was brief or a long conversation with God, I found writing it down helpful so I could reflect on it, accept it, and follow it.

However, if there was nothing weighing on my mind, I usually did not receive guidance during a quiet time of ‘asking.’ Instead, I felt peace or devotion as I sat quietly, but later in the day guidance would spontaneously arise when I needed it. I had opened a channel during the quiet time of sitting, and the channel was being used when it was needed.”

My Thoughts

Many people think they don’t hear an answer when they ask for one. From my own experience I have seen that sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t, at least, I don’t get an answer right away. But as Regina points out, asking for an answer opens my mind to receive it when it is needed.

I, too, find it very helpful to write the answer as it comes. I do this so that I can contemplate it and so that I can go back to it later when it needs to be refreshed in my mind. I also do it for another reason. Sometimes I have to start writing just to get my mind fixed on hearing and to keep it from wandering away to something else. Also, I might not be getting anything, but if I start writing, it starts flowing.

Another thing I have discovered is that sometimes I just cannot hear a thought in my mind that seems to be coming from Spiritual Inspiration. I understand that somehow I am blocking it, but that’s OK. I can let it come another way. I leave this up to the Sender. It might come from another person or a book.

It might come from something said in a movie or off of a bumper sticker. These days, it is more likely to come from something I read on Facebook. The point is, if I am sincere in wanting an answer, the Holy Spirit will get it to me in some way that I can understand. I have chosen to practice daily asking and receiving answers because I want to open that channel and keep it open.

Past Entries

Jesus says that the ego has a plan for salvation and that plan is to change anything except myself. The Holy Spirit’s plan is to forgive the world rather than to change it. I always choose one or the other. There is no third plan. There is not an option to not choose at all.Through A Course in Miracles, I have seen that the ego’s plan doesn’t work. I might have a thought that I need something to change, but I quickly realize how useless this is, and I ask the Holy Spirit to show me what is really needed.

What I learned is that the ego plan is to find someone or something to blame, and then try to change the circumstances, or as it often happens, wish the circumstances would change. At the very best, I manage to manipulate people and circumstances, and for a brief time, I feel relief. Since the source of the problem remains the same the problem will surface again, perhaps in a different form, but always it will return. In essence, my best solution is to put off the inevitable, and so my plan has failed.

It used to be hard to turn my back on the ego’s plan. I would look at the situation and it seemed like I really had to do something, and the sooner the better. I knew that if I thought controlling other people and, in fact, controlling the world, is my plan for salvation then I am in trouble. And yet, I tried again and again to do just that. And thus the ego sticks to its main doctrine, “Seek but do not find.” How else could it be if I am looking for salvation where it is not.

Even When I Choose the Ego’s Plan, I Can Change my Mind.

Here is something that happened while I was still working and it is a good example of choosing the ego’s plan for salvation, and then changing my mind and choosing God’s plan. One morning I was noticing worry thoughts about a situation at work. I noticed how I was having one of those fruitless imaginary discussions in my head with my boss. I was arguing my point and he was not having any of it. This cracks me up. Not only am I having an imaginary discussion in an imaginary situation in an imaginary world, but I am losing. You would think if it was my daydream, I would at least set it up to win.

I did not immediately see that this was the ego plan for salvation. Something is happening at work that seems threatening to me and the solution is to do something about the situation at work. Seems reasonable to the ego mind, even though it will, at best, only temporarily solve the problem. Even that doesn’t seem likely since I can’t even win an imaginary battle in my head.

The sentence of the lesson that helps me pull my attention away from the ego plan for salvation is this: “If this were different, I would be saved.” This brings my plan into stark relief. I see exactly what I am trying to do. First, I am proclaiming the situation (which, by the way, is in my life because I have wanted it there; see Lesson 152) is my problem, and thus changing the problem is my salvation. This is wrong on so many levels.

Jesus has told us that this world represents our desire, complete in every detail, nothing added that we don’t want, and nothing omitted that we do want. So how can changing the representation of my desire solve the problem? Even on that level, it is an impossible job; if we can only be happy when the world lines up just the way we want it, we are thoroughly screwed. Ego wins as it keeps us in unending conflict, and thus distracted from our reality.

So this morning when I saw what the ego mind was doing, I took my eyes off of the image of a problem at work, and put my focus on the truth. This was not easy at first. The perceived disaster loomed big in my mind and the idea of doing something about it within the story was very compelling. But I want true salvation. I want to wake up. I want to be happy. So I must choose the plan for salvation that will work.

Now here is the funny part. I put all this thought and effort into changing my mind, making a different decision and choosing the Holy Spirit’s plan for salvation instead of the ego’s plan. Now I do nothing. I saw what I was doing that wasn’t working. I realized that I have a different option. I released the problem to the Holy Spirit knowing He will heal my mind and I will be happy. That is it! The whole thing!

Well, I do have to stick with the plan, and the ego fights like a crazy person against it. So I do have to be vigilant for the desire to return to the problem. The ego warns that if I sit around and do nothing that it’s all going to hell in a handbasket. It brings the problem to my attention over and over hoping to engage me in the internal conflict again. But I really do accept that the problem exists only in my mind, and so the only solution is a healed mind.

When the situation arises in my mind again, tempting me to a reaction, I allow my mind to find the truth. I remember that my mind is part of God’s. I am very holy. My holiness envelopes this entire situation and there is nothing my holiness cannot do. Why would I need or want the ego’s interference? Has the ego saved me yet? I put my trust where it is warranted. I put my trust in God.

As my mind is healed, there may be things I am supposed to do in the story. Am I supposed to be doing something? I will ask.

What would You have me do?
Where would You have me go?
What would You have me say, and to whom?

Then I will listen.