LESSON 51
The review for today covers the following ideas:
1. Nothing I see means anything.
The reason this is so is that I see nothing, and nothing has no meaning. It is necessary that I recognize this, that I may learn to see. What I think I see now is taking the place of vision. I must let it go by realizing it has no meaning, so that vision may take its place.
2. I have given what I see all the meaning it has for me.
I have judged everything I look upon, and it is this and only this I see. This is not vision. It is merely an illusion of reality, because my judgments have been made quite apart from reality. I am willing to recognize the lack of validity in my judgments, because I want to see. My judgments have hurt me, and I do not want to see according to them.
3. I do not understand anything I see.
How could I understand what I see when I have judged it amiss? What I see is the projection of my own errors of thought. I do not understand what I see because it is not understandable. There is no sense in trying to understand it. But there is every reason to let it go, and make room for what can be seen and understood and loved. I can exchange what I see now for this merely by being willing to do so. Is not this a better choice than the one I made before?
4. These thoughts do not mean anything.
The thoughts of which I am aware do not mean anything because I am trying to think without God. What I call "my" thoughts are not my real thoughts. My real thoughts are the thoughts I think with God. I am not aware of them because I have made my thoughts to take their place. I am willing to recognize that my thoughts do not mean anything, and to let them go. I choose to have them be replaced by what they were intended to replace. My thoughts are meaningless, but all creation lies in the thoughts I think with God.
5. I am never upset for the reason I think.
I am never upset for the reason I think because I am constantly trying to justify my thoughts. I am constantly trying to make them true. I make all things my enemies, so that my anger is justified and my attacks are warranted. I have not realized how much I have misused everything I see by assigning this role to it. I have done this to defend a thought system that has hurt me, and that I no longer want. I am willing to let it go.
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Lesson 51
Review of lessons 1-5
The part of the lesson that particularly stood out to me today was how we are constantly trying to justify our thoughts. I thought of the statement in the Course, “Beware of the temptation to perceive yourself unfairly treated.” Sometimes it seems quite easy to see others doing this. I see how these judgments bring pain and unhappiness, a sense of hopelessness and resentment. I can see how great effort is put into defending limitations, insisting that they are real.
If the particular form of this defense is not one that I identify with, its easy for me to see how meaningless it is. It is not so easy for me to see myself trying to justify my thoughts because I want them to be real. I’m identifying with the mistaken thought system.
This is when I am grateful that God gave me the Holy Spirit, Who does not mistake illusions for reality. In any moment I can reach to Him and accept His help to lay down those defenses, let go of those judgments and set aside the attempts to justify my thoughts. I need His help moment by moment. With His help, I return to peace. With His help, I accept the joy, the happiness that God wants for me and has given me.
Holy Spirit, I dedicate this day to following your lead so that I may be truly happy.
I need a lot of reminding that what I see through the body’s eyes is nothing and that it does not meaning anything. Giving meaning to what I see through the body’s eyes is the barrier to vision. I need a lot of reminding that what I see is the projection of my own mistaken thoughts. “Ideas leave not their source.” What I am seeing are the ideas that are coming from my own split mind. There is nothing to do with these ideas but to hand them over to the Holy Spirit so we will see their nothingness and let them go.
I am finding that this takes diligent practice. It still seems so easy to make the world real again. It still seems so easy to see something ‘wrong’ out there in the world. I need reminding that there is no ‘world out there.’ I am dreaming a dream that is not real. All the meaning I am giving this dream is coming from my own thoughts. I can let it go.
I am willing to practice today recognizing that the forms I see as ‘outside me’ are not real. I am willing to practice asking for God’s Thoughts and quieting my mind enough to accept to God’s Thoughts. When I forget that I am the one that is giving the world all the meaning it has for me, I am the one that is writing this script, I am willing to return to this practice without guilt.
Jesus gives me the benefits of this practice in the Introduction to the Review Lessons. What particularly stood out to me is that the reason I am practicing these lessons so diligently is so that I can bring the peace that comes from my true Nature to every situation I find myself. I need to practice and apply these lessons to heal every place where I still get upset, or feel vulnerable or helpless. I need to practice remembering that I am peace in every situation. I am determined to practice moving through the clouds of ego perception with the Holy Spirit by my side, helping me see everything with new eyes.
The happy hearted are those who see with the eyes of Love. They seek not to hold on to shame, sorrow, guilt or judgment. The happy hearted let go of all ego thoughts. They carry them with an open hand; they look at ego thoughts but do not hold on to them. They are carried lightly so that Holy Spirit can blow them away with a single soft breath. The happy hearted continually ask for this soft breath of Love and see only the Light in the palm of the hand. The happy hearted know and trust Holy Spirit to take away every ego thought and replace the illusion with true vision. Today I desire to be happy hearted.
Today I desire only the meaning of the soft breath. Today I desire to see only the meaning of Love.
Today I started the day with a heavy heart, but hoped that my prayers would be heard. Yes, Spirit has "blown them away with a single soft breath" I feel lighter now, trusting that God's love is all-powerful and the yoke can be lightened.
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