[acimlessons_list] Review VI, Lesson 208 - July 27

[Sue Roth]

Review VI, Lesson 208 - July 27

Central theme:

"I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me."

Review of:

(188) "The peace of God is shining in me now."

PRACTICE INSTRUCTIONS

See Review VI practice instructions.

COMMENTARY

Over and over again, the Course urges us to "be still." It is remarkable how
much benefit can be derived from simply pausing, even just for ten seconds,
closing the eyes, and remembering the peace of God that is within me. Just
the word "peace," repeated silently, can have a soothing, healing effect on
the mind. This is not something that will come to us without conscious
cooperation. Practice is necessary. "I <will> be still" (1:2, emphasis
mine); it is an act of the will, a choice, a decision. The frantic onflow of
thoughts and concerns has to be interrupted, and the mind turned towards
that "stillness" (1:3) that "is within my heart" (1:4).

Most of our waking hours (and probably most of our sleeping hours as well,
although we aren't aware of it) are spent in various concerns that, when
stripped down to their basics, are concerns about our bodies, in one way or
another. The daily caretaking of bathing, grooming, dressing, feeding, and
resting our bodies goes on and on. The time we spend "earning a living" is
necessitated by the need for money to purchase food, clothing, and shelter,
and to entertain ourselves. But we are not bodies. We need frequent
reminders of that fact. We need to pause and say, "Peace, be still" to
ourselves. It seems easier not to make the effort, to just let the current
of bodily concerns carry us onward from one moment to the next. Yet when we
make the effort, when we step out of the flow for a minute to simply be
still and find the peace of God, everything begins to go more smoothly. We
find ourselves happier than we were before. As an old Christian hymn put it,
"Things that once were wild alarms cannot now disturb my rest."

We have a wellspring of peace within our hearts. It waits for us to simply
dip into it and drink from its refreshing pool. It is there now, shining
within us. Right now, and often today, "I will be still." I will draw on
that inner wealth, "which witnesses to God Himself" (1:4).