ACIM Workbook Lesson 116 – for Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Affirmation: “God’s Will for me is perfect happiness.”
Selected Passage:
“God’s Will is perfect happiness for me. And I can suffer but from the belief there is another will apart from his. (WB209)”
Affirmation: “I must share God’s Will for happiness for me.”
Selected Passage:
“I share my Father’s Will for me, His Son. What He has given me is all I want. What He has given me is all there is. (WB209)”
Reflections:
1 – Is Happiness a Lofty Function?
Many of us feel that happiness is not a lofty-enough function. But it is. It is only when we have accepted God’s promises that we find real happiness at all. Anything else partakes of the ego, and the “happiness” of the ego is short-lived always. Nothing happens that seems joyful, in the eyes of the ego, that is not bought with tears of misery (a paraphrase from the Text).
2 – A Recollection
In my early years, I recall an instance with one of my students in which I realized that having happiness was her primary goal. I felt then, judgmentally, that this was not enough of a goal. And certainly it was not, if by “happiness” she meant the “joys” of the ego. But perhaps she did not mean that at all. ACIM has taught me that the right way of viewing happiness is a wonderful promise. We are certainly not meant to go through life with a too serious nature. The light and easy touch is assumed in A Course in Miracles.
3 – Don’t Follow the Ego
The “other will” apart from God’s is the will of the ego, and here we are told that only this brings us misery. The ego, remember, is a part of our belief about ourselves. It can be left aside with the help of the Holy Spirit. The ego is not just a way of speaking in an egotistical sense; it is a persona (an interpretation, not stated in ACIM). May we give up this persona today.
Prayer:
Dear Father/Mother,
I desire happiness, and in so doing I believe that I am helping to fulfill my function as Your child. May I share my happiness with others. May I help to make happy my brothers and sisters in this world. There is so much that is difficult in life. May I spread a little joy today. May I leave this world a better place for having lived in it one more day.
Be with all of us today. When difficulties arise, may I know that my higher Self has chosen these difficulties as a way of honing my spirit. May I work through my struggles, knowing that peace and joy are on the other side of all difficulties.
Amen.
