Commentary for ACIM Lesson 68
©2010 Rev. David Seacord
Love holds no grievances.
Today I 'stumbled upon' something I would have not believed possible before personally seeing it. As I do regularly for the love of solitude and exercise (and because it had rained recently ---which brings the desert to flower---), I was bushwhacking off trail deep in an extremely rugged desert mountain preserve near my present home in southwest Arizona. Natural water is rare here, as rainfall is a scant 3" annually, yet somehow many adapted species survive. But when I saw MOSS existing in its protected niche of microclimate, I was completely surprised. Moss needs water, and also relatively cool temperatures, which this land of 115 + degree summers (for months) does not offer. Yet, there it was. Proof that somehow this remote north-facing, cliff-shaded ravine was capable of supporting a life-form named Moss.
I took it as a sign that I do not yet understand everything. (I hope you just laughed.)
This spiritual journey we are sharing has been full of surprises too. It has grown from a tiny seed practice (taking a few seconds a day) to being the pillar that my world revolves around. The Course tells us that this is the inevitable result of simply doing the lessons. And right now, what it is asking us to do is expose everything unlike Love that we are still holding on to. It's deep work, and our willingness to do it demonstrates our sincere and heart felt commitment to knowing God in our lives. What that really means is our spiritual curriculum now is to resolve all current or past internal conflicts in our being, lest we fail to find the true peace of God offered.
Understating the situation then, 'stuff from the past is likely to reappear', to be seen clearly, and forgiven. For me, yesterdays Commentary set the stage for todays spiritual challenge. It arrived in the form of correspondence from one of my seven siblings (who is a born-again fundamentalist Christian and who considers the teachings of the Course heresy, and me, a false prophet. FYI, It wasn't a direct response to yesterdays Commentary-- we've been in a dialogue for several weeks, ever since I sent her one of the early Commentaries.)
Why I sent her that early Commentary I do not 'recall clearly', but I suspect I knew it would initiate a conversation. (In other words, it was a set-up. God loves doing that.) What her side of the conversation contains is numerous expertly-chosen Biblical scriptural cites to support her clear conviction that I am a completely lost soul, which she is at war (not against, but) 'for'. She's not holding anything back, no kid gloves, as my soul is at stake, and it's the Devil she's fighting FOR ME. She's in my face screaming, if you will. So I've gotten back 'more than a conversation'. I've gotten her Absolutely Committed Love.
For me, all this brings up a lot of ancient personal past. Sunday school, my Dad's sermons, childhood Bible study, and all the reasons I learned then about why 'our beliefs were right, and theirs were wrong'. It is a world I escaped from and thought was irrelevant, but which I now see I have never fully come to unshakeable peace with inside myself. So now is the time to do so. As I've come out as a (neophyte) 'spiritual-teacher-in-training' by authoring these Commentaries, if I am going to be authentic, this is going to be a public thing, with you as witnesses.
What I see must be done is to reconcile inside myself the Bible teachings of my past (containing the historically reported words of Jesus of Nazareth) with the Course's teachings in the present (containing the scribed/channeled words of Jesus of Nazareth). My sister clearly believes we are all being deceived, and that her Bible proves it (and she pretty much has it memorized). As I don't have the Course 'memorized', and have not read nearly all the wonderful writings that it has inspired, I see that I have some studying ahead. Yet perhaps I will not read a word. Perhaps that is not 'the Way'.
Perhaps, if there was ever a direct invitation from God to deepen my internal silence, hold no grievances and release the past, this is my golden opportunity.
Namaste,
David
©2010 Rev. David Seacord
Love holds no grievances.
Today I 'stumbled upon' something I would have not believed possible before personally seeing it. As I do regularly for the love of solitude and exercise (and because it had rained recently ---which brings the desert to flower---), I was bushwhacking off trail deep in an extremely rugged desert mountain preserve near my present home in southwest Arizona. Natural water is rare here, as rainfall is a scant 3" annually, yet somehow many adapted species survive. But when I saw MOSS existing in its protected niche of microclimate, I was completely surprised. Moss needs water, and also relatively cool temperatures, which this land of 115 + degree summers (for months) does not offer. Yet, there it was. Proof that somehow this remote north-facing, cliff-shaded ravine was capable of supporting a life-form named Moss.
I took it as a sign that I do not yet understand everything. (I hope you just laughed.)
This spiritual journey we are sharing has been full of surprises too. It has grown from a tiny seed practice (taking a few seconds a day) to being the pillar that my world revolves around. The Course tells us that this is the inevitable result of simply doing the lessons. And right now, what it is asking us to do is expose everything unlike Love that we are still holding on to. It's deep work, and our willingness to do it demonstrates our sincere and heart felt commitment to knowing God in our lives. What that really means is our spiritual curriculum now is to resolve all current or past internal conflicts in our being, lest we fail to find the true peace of God offered.
Understating the situation then, 'stuff from the past is likely to reappear', to be seen clearly, and forgiven. For me, yesterdays Commentary set the stage for todays spiritual challenge. It arrived in the form of correspondence from one of my seven siblings (who is a born-again fundamentalist Christian and who considers the teachings of the Course heresy, and me, a false prophet. FYI, It wasn't a direct response to yesterdays Commentary-- we've been in a dialogue for several weeks, ever since I sent her one of the early Commentaries.)
Why I sent her that early Commentary I do not 'recall clearly', but I suspect I knew it would initiate a conversation. (In other words, it was a set-up. God loves doing that.) What her side of the conversation contains is numerous expertly-chosen Biblical scriptural cites to support her clear conviction that I am a completely lost soul, which she is at war (not against, but) 'for'. She's not holding anything back, no kid gloves, as my soul is at stake, and it's the Devil she's fighting FOR ME. She's in my face screaming, if you will. So I've gotten back 'more than a conversation'. I've gotten her Absolutely Committed Love.
For me, all this brings up a lot of ancient personal past. Sunday school, my Dad's sermons, childhood Bible study, and all the reasons I learned then about why 'our beliefs were right, and theirs were wrong'. It is a world I escaped from and thought was irrelevant, but which I now see I have never fully come to unshakeable peace with inside myself. So now is the time to do so. As I've come out as a (neophyte) 'spiritual-teacher-in-training' by authoring these Commentaries, if I am going to be authentic, this is going to be a public thing, with you as witnesses.
What I see must be done is to reconcile inside myself the Bible teachings of my past (containing the historically reported words of Jesus of Nazareth) with the Course's teachings in the present (containing the scribed/channeled words of Jesus of Nazareth). My sister clearly believes we are all being deceived, and that her Bible proves it (and she pretty much has it memorized). As I don't have the Course 'memorized', and have not read nearly all the wonderful writings that it has inspired, I see that I have some studying ahead. Yet perhaps I will not read a word. Perhaps that is not 'the Way'.
Perhaps, if there was ever a direct invitation from God to deepen my internal silence, hold no grievances and release the past, this is my golden opportunity.
Namaste,
David
posted by Rev. David Seacord at
8:57 AM
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