JULY: Joy… My Will Or Thy Will?
JOY . . .
MY WILL
OR THY WILL?
“Prepare you now for the undoing of what never was. If you already understood the difference between truth and illusion, the Atonement would have no meaning . . . Put not yourself in charge of this, for, you cannot distinguish between advance and retreat. Some of your greatest advances you have judged as failures, and some of your deepest retreats you have evaluated as success.” ACIM Ch18, p1
Hello dear friends,
How grateful I am to share this moment of time-out with you as we join our minds in oneness. Each month, I sit down to open my heart to Spirits’ message of healing for me, and hopefully for you. This time, a recent event has inspired me to share a lesson I’ve been given in the past, but is now being offered to me for higher level of integrating. Several weeks ago, my husband fell and fractured his ankle. An absolute nightmare followed involving 19 hours in an emergency room, surgery, and now an extended time of rehab. Fortunately, he is healing well. I am left to make of this what it is.
The ego’s shrieks immediately elbowed their way into my mind, such as, why? why now? what good can come of this? . . . setting me on an intense quest to do as I know I’m to do, and that is to hear only the voice of Spirit.
“The ego analyzes; the Holy Spirit accepts.”
(T-11. V13, 1)
One of the ego’s major weapons in our mind is judgment and analysis, and its insane idea that we could possibly understand what goes on in this world. We don’t know what is good or bad.
The truth of the matter is that nothing here makes sense. This experience of time and form that we call life is an insane illusion. Our job is to have the little willingness to look through it all with the eyes of love. From the bigger picture, the only thing that the Holy Spirit would have us do is to simply accept that this is what we have chosen; this is my curriculum, my path as I join with the Mind of the Holy Spirit and awaken. The script is written. All that is important is whether I can choose to look at whatever the event is with the Holy Spirit rather than the ego . . . through the eyes of peace or the eyes of judgment.
I remember, as you also might recall, the Zen story about an old farmer who had worked his crops for four years, and one day his horse ran away. His neighbor said to him, “Oh, such bad luck.” “Maybe.” The farmer replied. The next morning the horse returned with three wild horses. The neighbor said, “Oh, how wonderful.” “Maybe,” the farmer replied. Then, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses and broke his leg. The neighbor sympathetically said, “Such bad luck.” “Maybe,” replied the old man. The day after, military officials came to town to draft young men into the army. Seeing the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. “Oh, such good luck!” the neighbor said. “Maybe,” the farmer replied. The old farmer understood non-judgment.
The truth of the matter is that nothing here makes sense. This experience of time and form that we call life is an insane illusion. Our job is to have the little willingness to look through it all with the eyes of love. From the bigger picture, the only thing that the Holy Spirit would have us do is to simply accept that this is what we have chosen; this is my curriculum, my path as I join with the Mind of the Holy Spirit and awaken. The script is written. All that is important is whether I can choose to look at whatever the event is with the Holy Spirit rather than the ego . . . through the eyes of peace or the eyes of judgment.
The ego always speaks first, and it speaks the loudest. The choice is to accept what is, go within, experience the love of Spirit, and then an answer will come through in the form of something I am inspired to say or do. I love it when I can remember that the Course has said that then all the angels of heaven will come to my aid, meaning that the love in my mind which I’ve accepted will now guide everything I say and do.
I’ve written previously that it is important for us to keep in mind that we are safe at home with God, although we are seeming to experience a process of mentally reviewing all that has gone by. This is the full awareness of the Atonement. In this situation the question is will I learn what will make me happy and collapse time, or will it reinforce my anxiety and my guilt and keep me bound in the world of the ego? Awakening is letting go of guilt. All that matters is that I can come to a place of peaceful forgiveness to do whatever is needed.
“And the beautiful caveat is, all the while, as we journey from insanity to sanity, we are safe at home with God learning as we listen to the echo of our oneness. For me, that understanding takes the ‘clout’ out of fear!”
TGIC p. 393 LINK
I confess, I have trudged through an avalanche of reactionary ego-based thinking—but, I’m happy to say I’m learning to let go of it much more quickly. It has been helpful to post key thoughts from the Course on stickies on my bathroom mirror. (Bet you’ve done that too 😊) I share them here with the hope that they are also helpful to you in your everyday challenges or during the ego’s inevitable turns in the road.
***This is what I have chosen
***Accept—don’t judge.
***I’m never upset for the reason I think. (ACIM WB, L, 5)
***The miracle lies in my willingness to let it be what it is.
***I could see peace instead of this.
“It is your realization that you need do so little that enables Him to give so much.”
ACIM T, C.18 S. IV, 1-10
I live in grateful awareness that it is up to me to get out of the way, and to rejoice in the realization that Spirit will do the rest.
I Love you all,
Grace
So, until next time,
When you find yourself staring into the headlights of fear, I hope you can stop . . . allow yourself to laugh at your temporary insanity . . . and say, as I often do, THANK GOD I’M CRAZY! 😊
***** SEE ONLY LOVE FOR THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE *****
Thank God I’m Crazy available in paperback and e-book on:
Thank God I’m Crazy includes pictures of places which took place in Grace’s life, as seen in her visions. Grace Avalon, teacher and intuitive counselor, has taught A Course in Miracles for nine years. She gives presentations, seminars and workshops for anyone whose known abuse, thought they were crazy, or wants to live a joyful life.
*** Gary Renard, (International bestselling author of Disappearance of the Universe, and international speaker) says, “Grace Avalon’s courage to share her secret visions that led her out of deep abuse to heal through forgiveness brings a whole new level of understanding to the principles of love found in A Corse in Miracles.”
*** Marianne Williamson, (NY Times bestselling author, teacher, and internationally renowned speaker) , has said, “Grace Avalon inspires all of us to trust the wisdom of our hearts. Here is spirituality in practice.”