Day 332

Today's Lesson:

Fear binds the world. Forgiveness sets it free.

The ego makes illusions. Truth undoes its evil dreams by shining them away. Truth never makes attack. It merely is. And by its presence is the mind recalled from fantasies, awaking to the real. Forgiveness bids this presence enter in, and take its rightful place within the mind. Without forgiveness is the mind in chains, believing in its own futility. Yet with forgiveness does the light shine through the dream of darkness, offering it hope, and giving it the means to realize the freedom that is its inheritance.

We would not bind the world again today. Fear holds it prisoner. And yet Your Love has given us the means to set it free. Father, we would release it now. For as we offer freedom, it is given us. And we would not remain as prisoners, while You are holding freedom out to us.

Miracles I'm noticing:

I spoke yesterday for a new client, telling them about my book The 100% Factor and giving ideas for living at full capacity instead of existing day to day waiting to achieve their potential. It was fun for me to deliver information to a brand new audience, and to see some of them get it, stay after and visit about the information, and to know that for some, this is simply awareness of a whole new way of thinking about the world. I've always said to myself that if I can touch even one person with my speaking then I've accomplished my dream. I know that happened yesterday. Life is so good!

In considering today's lesson, I go back to when I was waiting for everyone to get into the room yesterday. It was one company, not a public event, and I had never been there before. I didn't have anyone introducing me, so it was just a bit awkward because I didn't have my own introduction prepared. So for the slightest second I had a flutter of what I might call fear show up in my stomach. And I must admit, it took me a couple of minutes to find my groove yesterday. The audience was not responding the way audiences usually do. They weren't laughing at the places most people laugh. They were attentive (for the most part they were with me except for a couple of people who nodded off for a moment - that's a whole other story I can share sometime ...) but they weren't really responding. But something inside of me kicked in and when I relaxed and got rid of the fear, they came with me. It was really an automatic thing - and I just kind of watched. When I feel in the groove as a speaker, that's when I kind of hang back and watch. It's strange to explain, but it's a very cool place to be.

I realize, when I analyze it, that it's letting go of my ego and just being a conduit for the Holy Spirit. One thing I remember telling the audience yesterday was that everything is data. There is no judgment if we can look at everything that seems to happen to us that way. Today's lesson says "Truth never makes attack. It merely is." Freedom is there for us if we just accept it. Forgiveness is what does that for us - the Course's forgiveness, not the traditional view.

As a reminder, I'll go back to my Glossary of Terms from A Course in Miracles by Robert Perry:

Forgiveness
Conventional: Giving up your resentment towards another and your right to punish him, even though you keep the perception that he sinned against you and that you are justified in resenting and punishing him. According to the Course, this forgiveness cannot forgive, for it affirms that the other sinned and thus is worthy of condemnation (yours and his own). It also affirms that you are holier than he, because he sinned and you forgave.

ACIM: Giving up your false perception that another sinned against you and that you are justified in resenting and punishing him. Releasing this perception automatically releases your resentment and desire to punish. Releasing another not from what he did, but from "what he did not do," from your misinterpretation of what he did. This can forgive, for it frees your mind of resentment and release the other from the accusation of sin and guilt.

This is the forgiveness that gives freedom to both people: the forgiver and the forgiven.

And here's another miracle that happened this morning. I had decided that this year I was going to forgo the two Christmas concerts that I always attend (Lorie Line and The Blenders) just to take a break - mostly a financial one - to allow this holiday to be a low stress and low budget one. Earlier this fall a friend's mother asked if I had purchased Lorie Line tickets yet (I always go). When I told her I hadn't, she said she had an extra one and would love me to join her family at the concert. I hadn't even put it out there as an intention, and it just showed up.

So this morning as my clock radio went off, they were announcing that caller #5 would win premium tickets to tomorrow night's Blenders concert. And who do you suppose caller #5 was? Yep ... that's the way this works!

So I'm going to both concerts anyway, and it was low stress and low budget! Be careful what you wish for, so they say. I say, WISH AWAY! The Universe - God - Spirit everything is conspiring on your behalf to give you everything!

What a miracle!