[acimlessons_list] Lesson 345--December 11

Sun Dec 11 21:10:08 EST 2005

Lesson 345

"I offer only miracles today, For I would have them be returned to me."

PRACTICE SUMMARY (See Part II Practice Summary, and also Part II
Introduction)

COMMENTARY

The basic thought is similar to yesterday's--what I give is returned to
me. Realizing this is so, let me decide as this day starts, and as every
day starts, to offer only what I want. Miracles. To give a miracle means
to see past the illusions of my brothers, and to see them as they really
are, as God's creations. It means not to accept and support the image my
brother has of himself as a limited ego, a tiny fragment of mind trapped
in a body. Instead, I see him as an unlimited being of spirit,
magnificent in glory. In Chapter 8 of the Text we are told:

"But when you look upon a brother as a physical entity, his power and
glory are 'lost' to you and so are yours. ...Do not see him this way for
your own salvation, which must bring him his. Do not allow him to
belittle himself in your mind, but give him freedom from his belief in
littleness, and thus escape from yours" (T-8.VII.5:3, 5-6).

That is giving a miracle. Refusing to see my brother in the limited way
he sees himself; seeing the Christ in him, for him. The miracle thus
blesses both me and my brother, for as my mind is healed of illusions,
it reflects on him as well and brings light to his mind. I give him the
opportunity to see himself as God sees him.

"The law of love is universal. Even here, it takes a form which can be
recognized and seen to work" (1:2-3). The "law of love" was stated
yesterday: "that what I give my brother is my gift to me." The form this
law takes here is something I can recognize. It isn't merely abstract;
It takes form, it becomes concrete. When I offer miracles to those
around me, they return to me, not in exactly the form in which I offered
them, but in just the form I need to meet my needs as I perceive them
(1:4). In Heaven there are no needs (1:5); here on earth, I do perceive
needs, and the law of love adapts to my perception (1:6).

I can offer a miracle with a profound act of forgiveness, or I can offer
a miracle with a smile to a passerby that tells him, "You are loveable."
I offer a miracle with every gesture of kindness, every token of
courtesy, every expression of respect, and every act of caring. Whatever
the form, if the content of the message is, "You are loveable. You are
worthy. You are innocent," I have offered the miracle, and it will
return to me.

Let me choose, Father, to enter into my day determined to offer nothing
but miracles to those around me. May I say, from the depth of my heart:

"Peace to all seeking hearts today. The light has come to offer miracles
to bless the tired world" (2:1-2).

And before I step out into the bustle of today, let me pause for a few
minutes and spend it simply offering peace to every seeking heart that
comes to mind. No such effort is ever wasted, and I will receive as much
as I am willing to give.

WHAT IS A MIRACLE? (Part 5)

W-pII.13.3:1-3

"Forgiveness is the home of miracles. The eyes of Christ deliver them to
all they look upon in mercy and in love. Perception stands corrected in
His sight, and what was meant to curse has come to bless."

A miracle corrects perception, and miracles live in forgiveness. When we
look with the eyes of Christ, we see with mercy and in love; we see with
forgiveness. And we then "deliver" miracles to everyone we see with that
corrected perception. It is not just that something changes within our
minds, not just that our perception is altered; something gets
communicated or "delivered" from us to those we look upon. A miracle
here, and many places in the Course, seems to include an aspect in which
something passes from my forgiving mind to the minds of others. Miracles
are said to be "interpersonal" (T-1.II.1:4). When I accept forgiveness
within my mind, for myself or another, it extends to others. Indeed it
is by extending it that I accept it:

"Miracles are natural signs of forgiveness. Through miracles you accept
God's forgiveness by extending it to others" (T-1.I.21:1-2).

The phrase, "...and what was meant to curse has come to bless," reminds
me of the Bible story of Joseph and his brothers. Because he was the
favorite of his father, his brothers, jealous of him, sold him into
slavery in Egypt. But Joseph, because of his ability to interpret the
Pharoah's dreams, rose to great power in Egypt. Years later, in a
famine, his family came to Egypt seeking food, and Joseph was the man in
control of the food supply. Instead of taking vengeance on them, Joseph
told them that "God sent me before you to preserve life...it was not you
who sent me here, but God...you meant evil against me, but God meant it
for good."

When we have truly received forgiveness into our hearts, we will be able
to see the blessing even in actions that others intend for our harm.
"What was meant to curse has come to bless." We find that, as the Text
says, "Gratitude is due him for both his loving thoughts and his appeals
for help [that is, what we normally see as his attacks], for both are
capable of bringing love into your awareness if you perceive them truly"
(T-12.I.6:2). And <that> kind of perception is, indeed, a miracle.

    COMMENTARIES ON LESSONS FROM THE WORKBOOK OF A COURSE IN MIRACLES
    by Allen Watson, with Practice Summaries by Robert Perry
    The Circle of Atonement--Visit our website at <http://www.circleofa.com>

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Portions from Clarification of Terms (c) Copyright 1975, Psychotherapy:
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Miracles," 41397 Buecking Drive, Temecula, CA 92590.

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