ACIM Workbook Lesson 96 – for Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Affirmation: “Salvation comes from my one Self.”
Selected Passage:
“Spirit makes use of mind as means to find its Self expression. And the mind which serves the spirit is at peace and filled with joy. Its power comes from spirit, and it is fulfilling happily its function here. Yet mind can also see itself divorced from spirit, and perceive itself within a body it confuses with itself. Without its function then it has no peace, and happiness is alien to its thoughts. (WB169)”
Reflections:
This is a passage that tells us how to be happy. Happiness is not necessarily a selfish concept, though many of us may have vestiges of this misguided interpretation. When we are happy, we are the most available to the others in our lives as well as to the outside world. We are not turned inward as neurotic souls without a desire to reach out at all. This is real sickness, this obsessive turning inward. And it will get us nowhere, because it is a sure sign that the ego is in charge (an interpretation, not stated in ACIM).
The “spirit” mentioned her refers to our own spirit, but that is a part of the Holy Spirit, for the Spirit is within. We will be filled with joy when we turn ourselves over to this Higher Power, when we let our intuitions rise to the surface and we follow guidance. Then and only then will we know the happiness of fulfilling our function of forgiveness in this world.
The mind divorced from spirit is in the hands of the ego, and the ego does not mean its maker well (a Text tenet). Then we lose our joy, and we descend into unhappiness and neurosis. We would not have this outcome come to us, and we would be rid of it if this state of mind has already arrived. Let us reach higher. Let us find our one Self. This is not as hard to do as might be imagined. It can happen today. May it happen today.
Prayer:
Dear Father/Mother,
May I remember, hour-by-hour, to serve my inner spirit, which is a part of my link with You. My link with You is the Holy Spirit, and may I listen intently to what He tells me. May I have a good day.
I know that the only way that I can be at peace and have joy consistently is to serve the spirit. This need not seem “too religious” for me, because it is the most practical thing in the world. We are not meant to make our own judgments, which would always be incorrect, but to turn to the Holy Spirit with our perplexities.
Amen.
