Commentary on ACIM Lesson 329

© 2010 Rev. David Seacord

I read todays lesson with a deep gratitude, for it triggers in me the remembrance of a much truer reality than the one I call 'my normal day to day experience'. Each day I do this Course I gain somehow, somewhere... and incrementally I feel my life growing truer to my heart. Sometimes still however, I can feel my 'I don't want to' voice for a while, but when Course-work time of day comes around, I find can count on it to break up my resistance with its lazar-like words of precise truth which always seem to be perfectly chosen exactly for me. This repeated experience forms the foundation of my relationship with the Course, for although I have many times found spiritual writings of great profundity among the worlds literature, I personally have never found another one with a voice of such precision, psychologically (excepting possibly in some Zen teachings).

Hazrat Inayat Khan, the great Sufi Master taught that besides 'knowing' the truth, to deliver 'the Message of God' to the world also requires astute psychological insight into humanity. Since our 'humanity' is fundamentally in essence a function of our mind, my attraction to the Course because of its psychological exquisiteness is fitting. I am sure many people are like me, knowing themselves to possess a complex and capable intelligence which has struggled with spirituality versions which appear as simply 'based on faith' etc. While I have learned that there is no falseness in those (and I have many times been envious of the tranquility demonstrated by those who adhere to pure bhakti or pure karma yoga systems, for instance), my personal struggle has been 'how to surrender' to a path not demonstrating a clear ability to trump my own egoic psychology. For to do anything else would be egoic hypocrisy, given that in a true surrender it is both the ego AND the Heart that come together and jointly 'surrender'. And this the Course does quite easily, often with stunning power to reverse (at least for a moment) my 'POV'.

This has proven itself true repeatedly, over more than 35 years of it (The Course) being in my life. How could I not then, recognize I have always been since then, like Earth is to the Sun, a benefitting and willing captive of its influence. (That's about as far as my ego is willing to go toward allowing me to name myself 'a Devotee' :-).

I don't force my ego excessively these days. I think compassion is more appropriate, especially towards myself. If I can give it to myself, I've seen, I am a lot more likely to be able to extend it to 'others' too. This would be, of course, God's will, for both He and I know the gig is up, and we are only reeling in the line, in God's perfect timing. Since I am pretty sure you are being reeling in likewise too, let's spend this Thanksgiving Day in gratitude for the good of each others company.

Namaste,

David

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Lesson 329

I have already chosen what You will.

Father, I thought I wandered from Your Will, defied it, broke its laws, and interposed a second will more powerful than Yours. Yet what I am in truth is but Your Will, extended and extending. This am I, and this will never change. As You are One, so am I one with You. And this I chose in my creation, where my will became forever one with Yours. That choice was made for all eternity. It cannot change, and be in opposition to itself. Father, my will is Yours. And I am safe, untroubled and serene, in endless joy, because it is Your Will that it be so.

Today we will accept our union with each other and our Source. We have no will apart from His, and all of us are one because His Will is shared by all of us. Through it we recognize that we are one. Through it we find our way at last to God.