Lesson 330: I will not hurt myself again today.

As forgiveness is chosen by you as your only function, you will look past all things that appear to hurt your mind, or any part of your life, in any way. Yet with unforgiveness chosen as your function, either consciously or by default, then instead of looking past those things that disturb your mind, you will be looking at them, letting them hurt your mind as you gaze upon them and give them undue credence.

Ask yourself, then, why would you want to attack your mind thus, and hurt it? Why would you teach your mind that it is powerless to choose forgiveness, and that it must be vulnerable to every little hurt that comes its way, especially when forgiveness has been given you to bring your mind to peace?

The mind that chooses forgiveness also chooses God’s gifts of His power and His love. This is the mind that has been restored to spirit. It cannot therefore sin, nor suffer in any way at any time. It cannot fear nor hurt, as it sees the truth that only love is real! So choose forgiveness and power and love today, and escape forever from all that unforgiveness offers. It offers nothing that you want, nothing that you need, and nothing that you would or can even have. Unforgiveness offers nothing!

Theme of Relevance 12: What is the Ego?*

The ego is idolatry; the sign of a limited and separated self, born in a body, doomed to suffer and to end its life in death. It is the “will” that sees the Will of God as its enemy, and takes a form (the body) in which the Will of God is denied. This thinly veiled hypothesis is then seen as the “proof” that strength is weak and love is fearful, life is really death, and what opposes God alone is true.

The paragraph above clearly depicts insanity. In the ego’s insanity, it thinks it has become a victor over God Himself and thinks that the Will of God has been destroyed. Having thought thus, the ego seeks to attack everything and everyone that gets in its distorted way, before it can be attacked. “Attack first, ask questions later” could be another motto for the ego along with “seek and do not find.”

The ego is a choice for options that do not exist. It is nothingness, but in a form that seems like something. There is no definition for a lie that serves to make it true. Since it is nothing, we cannot really make a definition for what the ego is, but we can say what it is not. Therefore, to know reality is to NOT see the ego and to NOT think its thoughts. To NOT notice its works, acts, laws and beliefs, its dreams, hopes, and its plans for you and the cost belief in it entails. To know reality, however, is to simply pass by the ego and all its purposelessness, and to see only God’s Love shining forth in all its glory.

If you have allowed yourself to feel overwhelmed or defeated or hopeless “about it all,” then you have chosen the insane path the ego is showing you. God’s Will is perfect happiness. Shall we choose It instead? Use selective vision, use Christ’s vision. Rise above what the ego sees, and see only what God would have you see; see only truth and love. The Holy Spirit will help you do this. Just ask.

*See also www.UCome.org – Terms: The Ego – The Miracle

Lesson 331: There is no conflict, for my will is Yours.

Remember daily, moment by moment, that you are God’s Son. How foolish, then, to believe that you can suffer or sin. Your Father will not allow it. Yet do you allow it? Have you been allowing the false ideas of sin and suffering and death to appear to enter your hallowed mind?

If so, do not despair. Simply say “Oops, I opened the wrong door.” Close it and choose again, this time letting the Holy Spirit shine the way. Though there are thousands of ego “doors” to choose among; there is but one door to the Real World. It stands brightly shining with light so you can easily enter it. The key to entering this door is forgiveness! Choose forgiveness and enter into the light with effortless ease and joy.

Choose peace instead of conflict, love instead of war or strife, life instead of death, and eternal truth instead of the ego’s lies and deceptions. Despite “false evidence appearing real,”

THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR

FOR GOD IS ALWAYS HERE.

Say it and know it. Forgiveness shows you that God’s Will is one in which you share. Look only upon the holy sights forgiveness shows you today, that you, too, may share the peace of God.

Lesson 332: Fear binds the world. Forgiveness sets it free.

Be watchful, all through the day. Whenever fear raises its unforgiving head, simply remember that forgiveness is the choice for your focus, the choice you want to make for your goal of happiness. You cannot think of fear and forgiveness at the same time, so choose the higher thought. Forgiveness will recall the mind to its rightful place away from fantasies and evil dreams by shining them away, and will wake the mind to the truth of love.

The world you see cannot be bound unless you entertain the idea of fear. Fear causes the mind to entertain the ideas of futility and helplessness, foreboding and withdrawal. If you were having a gathering, would you invite fear to attend? Would fear be on your guest list at the top, the middle, or even near the bottom of that list? Certainly not. Gather, then, only thoughts of love in your mind. Have a happy mind, filled with loving ideas.

Lesson 333: Forgiveness ends the dream of conflict here.

As long as the idea of conflict has a place in your thoughts, your mind will not be completely at peace. Conflict is not an answer and it is not a resolution. Though the ego wants you to think otherwise, it is also not desirable. Instead, conflict must be resolved, so peace can be experienced in its stead. To resolve it, the conflict must be seen for the purpose for which it has been chosen, which is always to deflect your mind from the truth in any way that it can. Conflict will seek a part of your body or an aspect of your relationships, or some part of your experiences as an outlet for the fear in your mind.

For example, if you have a pain in the shoulder, is it really the shoulder experiencing the pain? Or is it your mind deflecting fear onto a part of the body, which in turn is alerting you to the fact that you have a conflict, an unforgiveness? Then you may reach for something from the outside for the pain, that has temporarily been given healing belief. Or you may think it is your brother who is upsetting you and perhaps a new relationship will serve you better, or you find someone or something to “blame” for the fear and conflict. Anyone and anything will do as long as it is not you. Yet this only compounds the situation; it does not resolve it.

The answer is to give the cause of the lack of peace, in whatever form it appeared, to the Holy Spirit to resolve through forgiveness. You do not give it to the ego to compound it through blame and conflict. The light will shine away all conflict and its effects, by shining away what the conflict is attempting to hide, which is always some form of fear. Then watch all pain, all suffering, and all sadness disappear into the light. You now have direction from the Holy Spirit, Who has the answer and the resolution that works: forgiveness!

Lesson 334: Today I claim the gifts forgiveness gives.

Why wait another day to find the treasures that your Father offers you? He knows His Son will be content with nothing less than His gifts. His gifts are real and will last forever. The world offers only illusions which will never content the Son of God. God offers certainty and peace to your bewildered mind and frightened heart. Can the gifts of the world offer you this? God’s Voice is offering perfect happiness to all who hear and choose to follow Him. Accept forgiveness as your function today. Behold your brother in the light, and see only the reflection of your holiness shining in welcome.

Lesson 335: I choose to see my brother’s sinlessness.

Would you be surprised to hear that you NEVER see your brother as he is? Nor do you see yourself as you truly are. For that is far beyond “perception,” even true perception. What you see as your brother is what you wish to see. Uh, oh. If you have been seeing your brother in any unloving way, now you realize that it is because you wanted to see him that way. But why -- why would you want to see anything but love in your brother? Because you “fear” that there is something other than love in you. So you project it onto your brother because you cannot bear to look upon it in yourself.

Be glad to know that this is no longer viable, because anything you see in yourself or in your brother that is unloving or unlovable, is also unreal. Take another look at both your brother and yourself, this time with the Holy Spirit shining His light upon you both. What do you see now? There is nothing to fear here, is there? It was only perception gone awry. Correct the perception; correct what is perceived. You will see your own holiness as you agree to see holiness in your brother.

Lesson 336: Forgiveness lets me know that minds are joined.