[acimlessons_list] Review III, Lesson 117 - April 27

[Sue Roth]

Review III, Lesson 117 - April 27

"God, being Love, is also happiness."

"I seek but what belongs to me in truth."

PRACTICE SUMMARY

PURPOSE: a second chance at the last 20 lessons, in which you can practice
them more diligently, and which can carry you so far ahead that you will
continue your journey "on more solid ground, with firmer footsteps and with
stronger faith" (12:3).
 
REMARKS: Please follow the format below as closely as you can. If you miss a
practice period (either the longer ones or the every-half-hour ones) because
you simply couldn't do it at the appointed time, your progress is not
hindered. Don't worry about making those ones up. If, however, you missed
because you just didn't want to give the time, your progress is hindered.
Those ones should be made up. You missed because you thought some other
activity would deliver more. As soon as you remember that "your practicing
can offer everything to you" (4:5), do your make-up practice periods as a
statement that your real goal is salvation.
In deciding if you should make up a practice period, be very honest with
yourself. Do not try to pass off "I didn't want to practice" as "I couldn't
practice." Learn to discern between situations truly unsuited to practicing
and those in which you could practice if you wanted. 

LONGER: 2-one in the morning, one in the hour before sleep (ideally the
first and last 5 minutes of your day), for 5 minutes (longer if you prefer)

*  Read over the two ideas and the comments about them, so that the ideas
are firmly placed in your mind.
*  Then close your eyes and begin to think about the ideas and also to let
related thoughts come (you should remember both of these practices from
earlier lessons). This time, however, there is an important twist. Let your
mind search out various needs, problems, and concerns in your life. As each
one arises, let your mind come up with thoughts related to the ideas,
thoughts which apply the essence of those ideas to the need, problem, or
concern. In other words, let your mind creatively apply the ideas so as to
dispel your sense of need, problem, or concern. This is a more developed
version of letting related thoughts come, in which it combines with response
to temptation (there were hints of this in Review II-see my response to
temptation comments there).
*  Remember your training in letting related thoughts come: place the ideas
in your mind. Trust your mind's inherent wisdom to generate related thoughts
(this trust is a big theme in this review). Don't strain-let your mind come
up with thoughts. The thoughts need only be indirectly related to the ideas,
though they should not be in conflict. If your mind wanders, or you draw a
blank, repeat the ideas and try again.
*  If you try this and it is just too unstructured for you, I have found the
following more structured version to be useful:

1.  Let a need, problem or concern come to mind, and name it to yourself
(for example, "I see this conflict with so-and-so as a problem").
2.  Repeat one or both of the ideas for the day (for instance, "I am
spirit").
3.  While repeating the idea, watch your mind for any sparks of insight that
arise which apply the idea to your need, problem or concern, and verbalize
this insight to yourself (for example, "As spirit, I cannot be hurt. I am
totally invulnerable").
4.  Either continue with more such related thoughts, or go on to the next
need, problem or concern.

FREQUENT REMINDERS: on the hour and on the half hour, for a moment

*  Repeat the applicable idea (on the hour, the first idea; on the half
hour, the second idea).
*  Allow your mind to rest in silence and peace for a moment.
*  Afterwards, try to carry the idea with you, keeping it ready for response
to temptation.

RESPONSE TO TEMPTATION: whenever your peace is shaken
Repeat the idea (the one you are carrying with you from your last practice
period). By applying the idea to the business of the day, you will make that
business holy.

REMARKS: These shorter practice periods (frequent reminders and response to
temptation) are at least as important as the longer. By skipping these,
which you have tended to do, you have not allowed what you gained in the
longer periods to be applied to the rest of your life, where it could show
just how great its gifts are. After your longer practice periods, don't let
your learning "lie idly by" (10:1). Reinforce it with the frequent reminders
every half hour. And after those, do not lay the idea down (11:3). Have it
poised and ready to use in response to all your little upsets. In this way,
you forge a continuous chain that reaches from your longer practice periods
all the way into the hustle and bustle of your day.

COMMENTARY

"Let me remember love is happiness, and nothing else brings joy" (1:2). One
of the things that over time has convinced me of the truth of the Course is
this very experience: I am happiest when I am loving. I don't just mean "I'm
happy when I'm in love," in the romantic sense of the word, although that
certainly isn't excluded. When love flows through me, whether it is in a
closely intimate relationship or in something more "distant" (sitting here
writing these notes and thinking of all of you, for instance), I am happy.
Loving makes me happy. No, more than that; "love is happiness."

(Barry Kaufman wrote a wonderful book called, "To Love Is to Be Happy With."
I always thought that was a profound title.)

On the other hand, anger is misery. If I think about how I feel when I am
angry, I will notice that I don't like the way I feel. As much as the Course
is about concepts and about changing our mind, often the change of mind is a
decision about feelings: "You can begin to change your mind with this: <At
least I can decide I do not like what I feel now>" (T-30.I.8:1,2). Feelings
can be very useful when we think about them, and use them as motivators for
changing our mind. Anger makes me miserable; loving makes me happy.
Therefore, I will choose love. Is that paying attention to feelings, or is
it logic? Or both? Whatever it is, it works.

I said that noticing that loving and happiness go together has helped
convince me that the Course is true. Here's why. The Course says we are
wholly loving and wholly loveable. It says, "Teach only love, for that is
what you are" (T-6.I.13:2). Sometimes I don't feel as if I am love. Yet if
when I love I am happy, love must be my will; it must be my nature. What is
happiness, except the freedom to be myself and to fulfill my nature? If I am
happy when I love, then I must <be> love.

That is what this line means: "Love is my heritage, and with it joy" (2:2).
My heritage; my nature; what I am. Love belongs to me in truth, and with it
happiness, since they are the same thing.

Today, as often as I can, I intend to remind myself: "Love is happiness"
(1:2). And then, in that moment, to just be the love that I am. If I want to
be always happy, let me always be loving. And joyous! Oh, the happiness and
joy when the heart opens and lets out the love! May I not cause myself pain
today by holding it back. God bless you all!