Day 160

Today's Lesson:

I am at home. Fear is the stranger here.

Fear is a stranger to the ways of love. Identify with fear, and you will be a stranger to yourself. And thus you are unknown to you. What is your Self remains an alien to the part of you which think that it is real, but different from yourself. Who could be sane in such a circumstance? Who but a madman could believe he is what he is not, and judge against himself?

There is a stranger in our midst, who comes from an idea so foreign to the truth he speaks a different language, looks upon a world truth does not know, and understands what truth regards as senseless. Stranger yet, he does not recognize to whom he comes, and and yet maintains his home belongs to him, while he is alien now who is at home. And yet, how easy it would be to say, "This is my home. Here I belong, and will not leave because a madman says I must."

What reason could there be for not saying this except that we had asked this stranger in to take our place, and let us be a stranger to ourselves? No one would let himself be dispossessed so needlessly, unless he thoughts there were another home more suited to his tastes.

Who is the stranger? Is it fear or we who are unsuited to the home which God provided for His Son? Is fear His Own, created in His likeness? Is it fear that love completes, and is completed by? There is no home can shelter love and fear. They cannot coexist. If we are real, then fear must be illusion. And if fear is real, then we do not exist at all.

How simply, then, the question is resolved. Who fears has but denied himself and said, "I am the stranger here. And so I leave my home to one more like me than myself, and give him all I thought belonged to me." Now are we exiled of necessity, not knowing who we are, uncertain of all things but this; that we are not ourselves, and that our home has been denied to us.

What do we search for now? What can we find? A stranger to ourselves can find no home wherever he may look, for he has made return impossible. His way is lost, except a miracles will search him out and show him that he is no stranger now. The miracle will come. For in our home our Self remains. It asked no stranger in, and took no alien thought to be Itself. And It will call Its Own unto Itself in recognition of what is Its Own.

Who is the stranger? Is he not the one our Self calls not? We are unable now to recognize this stranger in our midst, for we have given him our rightful place. Yet is our Self as certain of Its Own as God is of His Son. He cannot be confused about creation. He is sure of what belongs to Him. No stranger can be interposed between His knowledge and His Son's reality. He does not know of strangers He is certain of His Son.

God's certainty suffices. Who He knows to be His Son belongs where He has set His Son forever. He has answered us who ask, "Who is the stranger?" We are to hear His Voice assure us, quietly and sure, that we are not a stranger to our Father, nor is our Creator stranger made to us. Whom God has joined remain forever one, at home in Him, no stranger to Himself.

Today we offer thanks that Christ has come to search the world for what belongs to Him. His vision sees no strangers, but beholds His Own and joyously unites with them. They see Him as a stranger, for they do not recognize themselves. Yet as they give Him welcome, they remember. And He leads them gently home again, where they belong.

Not one does Christ forget. Not one He fails to give us to remember, that our home may be complete and perfect as it was established. He has not forgotten us. But we will not remember Him until we look on all as He does. Who denies his brother is denying Him, and thus refusing to accept the gift of sight by which his Self is clearly recognized, his home remembered and salvation come.

Miracles I'm noticing:

My conversations are definitely getting bigger. I spent a couple of hours last night with my friend Sharon, who lives here in Palm Beach Gardens. I met Sharon in 2004 when she was in my coaching certification class, which we completed entirely by phone. We feel as if we know each other very well, but we had never met in person. It didn't matter - we immediately delved into very deep and meaningful conversation - even though we were at Chili's, and directly behind a table of women having a lot of fun.

We talked about this Course, which Sharon is familiar with, but has not studied. We have so much in common! We will get together again this week in between my Bob Proctor studies.

I'm certain I'll have a lot of opportunities to apply what I'm learning here with what I'll learn next week. But for today, I'm going to relax!! Beach - here I come!