LESSON 232
August 20
"Be in my mind, my Father, through the day."
PRACTICE SUMMARY
(See Part II Practice Summary, and also Part II Introduction)
COMMENTARY
When I wake, God is in my mind; His Presence is with me and in my awareness. His love and the joy and peace of knowing God are with me; they take precedence over any other thoughts. Physical discomfort and concerns about scheduling the day arise, but none of these displace the peace of God; it is my bedrock, foundation, and first concern. It is a constant awareness, like the background hum of an air conditioner, always there, often unnoticed, but ready to be noticed any time I turn my attention to it.
"Let every minute be a time in which I dwell with You." Here is my desire! To dwell with God every minute of the day. It reminds me of John 15 in the New Testament: "Abide in me, and I in you." Or the Old Testament expression of the same idea: The eternal God my resting place, and underneath me, the everlasting arms (Deut. 33:27). Let me remember today, each hour, to say, "Thank You for being with me today. Thank You for always being with me."
"As evening comes, let all my thoughts be still of You and of Your Love. And let me sleep sure of my safety, certain of Your care, and happily aware I am Your Son." Sure of my safety. Thus, free of all fear. For the most part, our lives are run by fears of various kinds; the ego is driven by fear. Peace is the absence of fear. And since fear is only the absence of love, peace and love are interdependent. When I am loving, I am peaceful. When I am peaceful, I am loving. Where I am sure of my safety, knowing the Presence of God in every moment, I am at peace and love flows through me.
"This is as every day should be." This is the goal for life in this world: to live every day with God in my mind, to wake in His Presence, to walk in His shining Love, and to sleep in His care and protection. To so live that His Presence becomes my foreground, and all else—the hum and bustle of the world—becomes background.
What is a day like for someone who has learned what the Course is teaching? Simply this:
To consistently practice the end of fear. To walk with faith in Him Who is my Father, trusting all things to Him, letting Him reveal all things to me, and in everything to be undismayed because I am His Son (W-pII.232.2).
Copyright © 1996, The Circle of Atonement, Sedona,
Arizona, USA.
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