[acimlessons_list] Lesson 287 - October 14

[Sue Roth]

LESSON 287 - OCTOBER 14

"You are my goal, my Father. Only you."

PRACTICE INSTRUCTIONS 

See complete Part II practice  instructions in separate document.  
A short summary:

* Read the commentary paragraph slowly and personally.

* Pray the prayer, perhaps several times.

* Morning and evening: Repeat the idea and then spend time in Open Mind
Meditation.

* Hourly remembrance: Repeat the idea and then spend a quiet moment in
meditation.

* Frequent reminders: Repeat the idea often within each hour.

* Response to temptation: Repeat the idea whenever upset, to restore peace.

* Read the "What Is" section slowly and thoughtfully once during the day.

COMMENTARY

This lesson comes from a very high place. It is something that would be
spoken by a person ready to live in the real world, a prayer from the heart
of Christ within me. It is the heartfelt thoughts of Christ, expressed in
words; it is the mindset that I seek to listen to all the time. And so it is
true of me; I can speak these words with honesty, even though I know that
often I listen to the ego, which has every other goal but God.

If I feel today that I cannot say with simple honesty, "You are my goal, my
Father. Only You," then let me look with honesty, and without fear, on what
other goals I still cherish. Let me ask myself, "What could be a substitute
for happiness? What gift could I prefer before the peace of God?" (1:2-3).
Any such other goal is obviously a foolish one. Any goal that distracts me
from the peace of God is unworthy of me.

If I have another goal, if I cannot say "Only You," then I am desiring to go
someplace other than Heaven; I am looking for a substitute for happiness; I
am seeking something which I think is preferable to the peace of God; I am
looking to find and keep something which I think is better than my own
Identity; I am choosing to live with fear rather than with love.

It really is that simple.

In the Course, Jesus assures me that it is not shameful to recognize these
things about myself. Recognizing my false goals is the beginning of wisdom.
All that is needful is for me to recognize what I am doing, what other goals
I am choosing, and the power of those things will simply fall away.
<Pretending> to love only God while secretly holding on to other goals is a
sure guarantee of failure and unhappiness. Honest recognition of those other
goals, and of my responsibility in choosing them, is the sure way of
release.

WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Part 7: W-pII.7.4:1


>From knowledge, where He has been placed by God, the Holy Spirit calls to

you, to let forgiveness rest upon your dreams, and be restored to sanity and
peace of mind.

The Holy Spirit has been placed in knowledge, by God. Knowledge is not a
place but a condition, a state of knowingness. The Holy Spirit knows the
truth; He knows reality. He knows our real being, what and who we really
are. On the one side He is firmly linked with God, knowledge, and reality.

>From that place of knowingness, He calls to us within our dreams. On the

other side He is linked firmly with us. He is aware of our dreams, aware of
what and who we think we are, as well as knowing what and who we really are.
He is perfectly equipped to lead us out from those dreams and into the truth
of full sanity.

If we listen, we can hear Him calling. We can become aware of something
within ourselves moving us to "let forgiveness rest upon [our] dreams." The
discipline of Workbook practice is teaching us, if we are doing the
exercises, to listen to that Voice, to respond to that inner urging.
Gradually we are becoming more and more aware of the times we are dreaming;
gradually we become aware we are dreaming most of the time. We can let
forgiveness rest on our dreams by bringing them to the Holy Spirit and
asking for His perception to replace our dreams. This is the way to sanity;
this is the way to peace of mind.

In Chapter 5, the first chapter in the Text which strongly presents the Holy
Spirit and His place in our return to God, He is often referred to as "the
Call." He is called "the Call to Atonement" (T-5.I.5:4), "the Call to
return" (T-5.I.5:5), "the Call to joy" (T-5.II.3:2), "the Call to awaken and
be glad" (T-5.II.10:5), and "the Call for God" (T-5.II.10:7). This Call is
something within our own minds. Something is drawing us home; if you are
reading this Course, you have felt that Call and responded to It. We can
dissociate that Call and block it from our awareness, or we can deliberately
turn our attention to It, and listen. He always calls us to forgiveness,
both to forgive and to be forgiven. His goal is the end of guilt. He speaks
to us, always, of innocence. He seeks to turn us from the way of fear to the
way of love. If we give Him our full attention, He will safely guide us
home. He knows the way.