ACIM Workbook Lesson 100 – for Sunday, April 10, 2011
Affirmation: “My part is essential to God’s plan for salvation.”
Selected Passage:
“Sadness is the sign that you would play another part, instead of what has been assigned to you by God. Thus do you fail to show the world how great the happiness He wills for you. And so you do not recognize that it is yours.
“Today we will attempt to understand joy is our function here. If you are sad, your part is unfulfilled, and all the world is thus deprived of joy, along with you. God asks you to be happy. . . .(WB180)”
Reflections:
God would have us joyous, not sad. And depression is a sign that we have misunderstood ourselves (a Text tenet). We would choose joy today, and we would know that this is not in any way an inferior goal.
Sometimes we think that there are more loftier goals than that we be happy. But a happy person is a kind one, and we are far more likely to do our Father/Mother’s Will when we are happy. Sadness means that we have, still, egoistic goals that are different from the life that we are leading. But calm today, and relax in the knowledge (and it is knowledge) that we cannot but be in the right place at the the right time (an ACIM tenet).
If we are sad, know that this need not be (a Text tenet). We have misjudged ourselves, and we have brought on this error in thinking. Of course, ACIM is always practical, and we are human, and some conditions come about for which we cannot always experience joy. But we can experience peace, even in the loss of a loved one (a most extreme example). This peace is the peace of God. And He will offer it to us just for the asking. Let us ask today.
Prayer:
Dear Father/Mother,
Thank You for helping me to understand that my desire to be happy is actually a lofty goal. It does not have to be a selfish goal. When I am happy, I am far more likely to be kind, and kindness is a virtue that we frequently hear about in our society today.
May I walk through this day in gladness. Easter is coming, and with it springtime and the chance for days of enjoying nature. May I walk the path of peace among the beauty of this world.
Amen.
