Lesson 79

Lesson 79

Let me recognize the problem so it can be solved.

A problem cannot be solved if you do not know what it is. Even if it is really solved already you will still have the problem, because you will not recognize that it has been solved. This is the situation of the world. The problem of separation, which is really the only problem, has already been solved. Yet the solution is not recognized because the problem is not recognized.

Everyone in this world seems to have his own special problems. Yet they are all the same, and must be recognized as one if the one solution that solves them all is to be accepted. Who can see that a problem has been solved if he thinks the problem is something else? Even if he is given the answer, he cannot see its relevance.

That is the position in which you find yourself now. You have the answer, but you are still uncertain about what the problem is. A long series of different problems seems to confront you, and as one is settled the next one and the next arise. There seems to be no end to them. There is no time in which you feel completely free of problems and at peace.

The temptation to regard problems as many is the temptation to keep the problem of separation unsolved. The world seems to present you with a vast number of problems, each requiring a different answer. This perception places you in a position in which your problem solving must be inadequate, and failure is inevitable.

No one could solve all the problems the world appears to hold. They seem to be on so many levels, in such varying forms and with such varied content, that they confront you with an impossible situation. Dismay and depression are inevitable as you regard them. Some spring up unexpectedly, just as you think you have resolved the previous ones. Others remain unsolved under a cloud of denial, and rise to haunt you from time to time, only to be hidden again but still unsolved.

All this complexity is but a desperate attempt not to recognize the problem, and therefore not to let it be resolved. If you could recognize that your only problem is separation, no matter what form it takes, you could accept the answer because you would see its relevance. Perceiving the underlying constancy in all the problems that seem to confront you, you would understand that you have the means to solve them all. And you would use the means, because you recognize the problem.

In our longer practice periods today we will ask what the problem is, and what is the answer to it. We will not assume that we already know. We will try to free our minds of all the many different kinds of problems we think we have. We will try to realize that we have only one problem, which we have failed to recognize. We will ask what it is, and wait for the answer. We will be told. Then we will ask for the solution to it. And we will be told.

The exercises for today will be successful to the extent to which you do not insist on defining the problem. Perhaps you will not succeed in letting all your preconceived notions go, but that is not necessary. All that is necessary is to entertain some doubt about the reality of your version of what your problems are. You are trying to recognize that you have been given the answer by recognizing the problem, so that the problem and the answer can be brought together and you can be at peace.

The shorter practice periods for today will not be set by time, but by need. You will see many problems today, each one calling for an answer. Our efforts will be directed toward recognizing that there is only one problem and one answer. In this recognition are all problems resolved. In this recognition there is peace.

Be not deceived by the form of problems today. Whenever any difficulty seems to rise, tell yourself quickly:

Let me recognize this problem so it can be solved.

Then try to suspend all judgment about what the problem is. If possible, close your eyes for a moment and ask what it is. You will be heard and you will be answered.

 

Journal

“A problem cannot be solved if you do not know what it is. Even if it is really solved already you will still have the problem, because you will not recognize that it has been solved. This is the situation of the world. The problem of separation, which is really the only problem, has already been solved. Yet the solution is not recognized because the problem is not recognized.”

“The temptation to regard problems as many is the temptation to keep the problem of separation unsolved. The world seems to present you with a vast number of problems, each requiring a different answer. This perception places you in a position in which your problem-solving must be inadequate, and failure is inevitable.”

I know this is true. I fully accept it. I forget sometimes, and if I forget that there is only one problem and one solution, I can get sidetracked. Just the other day, I started worrying about my son because of a situation he was in that could possibly cause him a problem. If I had immediately realized that this is just another form of the one problem of separation, it would have been a thought here and then gone. But I cast my attention on it too long and the worry expanded.

Before I knew it, I was worried about him for many reasons and then I was worried about a financial situation that I am in, and I began to worry about a physical problem. Well, you see what I mean. It is like fear is a filter that every thought went through. All along, I had only one problem. I believed that because I see myself in a body in a world unlike reality, that I am separated from God. But that’s not true.

We have been told that we can be in the world but not of it. Even here in this illusory state in which we find ourselves, we can embody our divine self within this human form. To believe that we cannot be in God and part of God because we are in human form is to believe that to have made the choice to have this experience is a sin and it is not possible the Son of God can sin. To think I can sin is to think God can sin. It’s absurd.

Lately, I have found The Code to be helpful in shifting my thinking quickly, or in dragging my mind out of the confusion of believing in problems. When I saw what I done letting the idea of fear take over temporarily, I began to meet each thought with a certainty of purpose. I would remind myself that the thought was just bad code. I am the programmer of my mind and no programmer would want to keep bad code if it was recognized as such. This made it easy to drop the thought.

I am happy for today’s lesson because it helped me to remember that I have only one problem regardless of how many different forms it takes. I know from practicing the Rules for Decision that if I decide what the situation means and then ask for help, I will probably not recognize the solution when it is given me, and because I don’t recognize its relevance, I will feel like I am not being answered. This feels like an attack. This is really the same thing I am being told in this lesson. Today, I will not forget that my only problem is separation.

Regina’s Tips

Thinking’ (mental chatter) is the problem. ‘Thinking’ is the cause of all wars. Based on what we learned from NTI Ephesians and The Code, ‘thinking’ is even the cause of disease, weather patterns, etc.

If we look carefully at our thinking, we can see that it IS separation. After all, each of us thinks about ‘me’ and ‘mine.’ Each of us holds to a ‘personal’ point of view. We don’t find universal unity in the mind’s chatter.

My Thoughts

This adds another dimension to today’s lesson. It is the chatter in my mind that keeps my attention away from the actual problem. I am learning to quiet the chatter as much as possible and I am giving myself some time away from the chatter altogether.

Past Entries
Excerpt from my book, “Hey, Holy Spirit, It’s Me Again.”

Holy Spirit: Every time you experience your body as sick, you really believe you are separated from God’s love. Every time you think you have been offended, you really believe you are separated from God’s love. Every time you are upset because you don’t have enough money or your car has broken down, or your boss is angry with you, your problem is really that you believe you are separated from God’s love.

All of the problems you have projected onto what you think of as the world are just a distraction from this one thought; you think you are separated from God’s love. You are afraid of the problem and you do not acknowledge it. You are afraid of the solution so you very carefully keep the problem and the solution separate. This is the source of all your unhappiness and all of your sickness.

The solution is simple. Each time you notice any discomfort within your mind, bring that thought to Me. Ask me what the problem is, and ask Me for the solution. I want you to learn that you do not have problems in the world. That is not where they are. It is futile to spend your life trying to solve these many problems you imagine to be outside you.

It is your purpose to recognize that each one represents the One problem and is not in the world at all but is in your mind and that the solution is in your mind as well. Bringing the problem and the solution together is the answer to your problem. There is, of course, no world and there is no endless list of seemingly unsolvable problems, but since you believe there are, the best way to use them is to bring them to me so I can show you the truth.

One Problem, One Solution

I recognize the problem and I accept the solution. One day, I had a business meeting that I was dreading. Here was the problem as the ego mind saw it. A customer had a serious problem and if I couldn’t convince him that I could fix it, I would lose his business. It was further complicated because I was dealing with unknown factors as the customer was new and the engineer I was working with didn’t like me. We had history. It looked like I had several obstacles to overcome and the more I thought about it the more nervous I became.

But I also knew this could not be true. It certainly looked like this was the problem and if I believed the thoughts I was having it would be impossible to ignore that problem as I saw it. I would not be able to see the real problem because my mind would be focused on the apparent problem. I changed my focus from the problem as my ego perceived it and placed it on the truth. Clearly, the only problem I had was that I believed I was separate from God’s Love.

From that place of realization, I was able to see a solution. I remembered that my purpose is to be the love that I am. I went into the meeting after asking Spirit to use me for His purposes. I offered this body and this situation to be used as a channel to extend love and bring us all together. I stopped thinking about what I could say and what might happen. I had one true desire and fear turned into anticipation as I waited to see how that desire would unfold.

The situation worked out very well for us all with little moments of true connection, real joining. Most importantly, I remembered that there is only one problem. No matter how real the ego form of the problem, how scary it might seem in that form, how impossible to solve, that is not the problem. I have learned to ignore the form and go straight to the source of the problem.

Remembering My Function

Now when a problem causes me anxiety, I remind myself that this is not the real problem. It is just a symbol of the one problem. If the mind is entangled with the problem as it appears and I have trouble letting it go, I remember my function. The peace of God is everything I want. The 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. Remembering my purpose draws me out of the ego entanglement and I again realize that I am looking at an illusion. There is one problem and there is a real solution, and that solution is in my mind, right next to the problem.