ACIM Workbook Lesson 127 – for Saturday, May 7, 2011
Affirmation: “There is no love but God’s.”
Selected Passage:
“For fifteen minutes twice today escape from every law in which you now believe. Open your mind and rest. The world that seems to hold you prisoner can be escaped by anyone who does not hold it dear. Withdraw all value you have placed upon its meager offerings and senseless gifts, and let the gift of God replace them all. (WB231)”
Reflections:
Part if the world’s meager offerings is the part that believes that money is our salvation; the Text calls them “strips of paper.” And coins are equally devalued in ACIM. But we can escape from this emphasis which most of us have placed on the security that money provides. Indeed, we learn from scientific studies that rich people are certainly not necessarily the happiest people on earth. Money can be an impediment to happiness.
This passage also hints at the brief accounting in the Text of the reaction of long-held prisoners to the sunlight of the world outside. They do not immediately welcome freedom. They have been captives too long, and they must grow accustomed to a life of new freedom. We are much like that, in that we do not understand, and sometimes do not even welcome, the quiet and calm that true salvation will bring to our personal world. As mentioned previously in this blog, we are addicted to the adrenaline rush, and we like the drama that it brings. But we are made for something better.
Certainly the work that we do is frequently stressful. We do not feel ourselves in total control of our work lives, and indeed of our personal lives–which work impacts in often negative ways. But there is a way to spend time with God each day, and for many the choice is for the Workbook as a starting point. This quiet time will lead us to the blessings that God has for us, even in the midst of a difficult life. And life will quickly seem to become less difficult, though perhaps nothing external has to change. The change can all be internal to ourselves, and, oh, for a difference this makes!
Prayer:
Dear Mother/Father,
Be with me especially today when I do my devotionals. I ask to feel Your presence. Please do not withdraw from me today. I know that I am a part of You, and that we are therefore always One. But I ask to know this in a more meaningful way today.
May I walk into the sunlight of my salvation today. May I move ever closer to the time when You will reach to me and lift me up to Awakening. I pray to do my part in being ready.
Amen.
