Commentary on ACIM Lesson 364

© 2010 Rev. David Seacord

Sometimes we are just not ripe yet... but later we are. When that happens, we get to discover how much we have grown that we had not noticed....

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New beginnings time is here again, can you feel it? I do... my days of late are all about preparing, getting better organized, structuring my affairs to be more manageable... all with one purpose.... to manifest (make real) 'my part of the mission' (what I have in the past--- and still sometimes do--- think of as 'my ministry').

Many times this year the Course has voiced the view that we each are where we are 'by no accident'.... that the spirit has guided us to here, and that it will lead us on as long as we are needed here... all towards what it (the Course) calls 'The Atonement' (which I like to think of as 'The At-One-Ment'). Inside this way of holding life, there is often a sense of humor at the way the actors around us appear on our stage.... I am sure you have your stories too....

Remember that I mentioned that I just spent a day surfing the commercial landscape for after-Christmas sales? One the places I visited was Best Buy Electronics. That visit was all about researching the ways hi-tech advancements could help me get moving on my YouTube/singer-songwriter assignment and other related stuff. And since the sales staff was all occupied, I wandered the store aisles a bit, which led me to the digital notetaking recorders. From past experience using micro-cassette recorders, I knew I could use one to help catch my thoughts (somewhat significant for a writer) without having to stop and write 'in the moment'. Actually, I had purchased one in 2004, but I was believing it was 'nonfunctional', as back then my computer literacy quotient was much lower, and because of that, I found it difficult to use. I had tossed it with frustration into a box where stuff like that just accumulated and degraded....

Anyway, the doubled or tripled price of the new ones (compared to my emotional memory of the 2004 price) was enough of a 'stop' to have the thought arise---"Well, you don't absolutely KNOW that the old one couldn't be still used... you could dig it up and see... before spending money on a new one, etc...". So that's one of the things I did today.

I found it and it needed cleaning big time. It was sticky-oily and covered with oily lint/dust. Not good for something electronic you know. Hummm, can I even clean it? VfG (Voice for God) says 'Yep'... and gave me the idea of a very slightly moist sponge...the kind with the green scrubbing pad on the other side. Lo and Behold, it worked... after maybe 10/15 minutes of careful scrubbing and wiping. Then open it up and find another 'killer'.... the batteries had leakedbad. VfG had me scrape it all out with some needles. Ok, what will happen when I put in fresh batteries? Well, by golly, the display is working! Well, do you suppose God I can find the instructions/owners manual thing? After a bit of a search, the answer was NO... so then VfG had me remember my computer and to try finding the instructions online. Bingo! Should have tried that first, huh!

And now the point.... why I had tossed it into the degrade pile years ago was because I gave up on learning something new.... it just seemed at the time 'too much hassle'. So I opted out to go back to the older tape technology... except I lied to myself... I never did that either. (OK, It's a digression, but...the answer to "why?" is: Because the tape technology had it's frustrations too... like having to listen to a whole half hour tape to find one piece of information sometimes.... no way I would really do it, usually, even with the best of intentions.... so that con (on myself) just became another way for good thoughts to be tossed into the 'degrade/get lost' box. It's totally an ego-trick thing... this 'I can't, I don't want to, it's too much hassle' mind drivel. Because it is NOT TRUE. Werner gave me a great counter thought (worth memorizing): There is NEVER a circumstance where a 'conversation for NO possibility' is REQUIRED. That is saying it straight.) (End digression).

So I was now facing the past--- the I-can't-learn-to-use-this story. What to do but step right past it, which I did. And was I delightedly surprised? Yes, absolutely.... to discover that my current computer literacy could and did easily handle the challenge. It was a cakewalk.

I celebrated by taking a several mile hike, keeping it (the recorder) with me. I came back with over 20 new entries! I mean, the monkey-mind in me just jumped branch to branch on the most seemingly insignificant associations, but in so doing, bringing to surface consciousness deeper insights on some of my current focuses, but also throwing in several 'reminders' of things I was losing track of. So, even while taking a hike, I was 'on the job', creatively.

And somewhere along that trail, I realized (like an experience) that Iwas being 'geared-up' for a bigger game in this coming year. The evidence is all around me.... all the improvements in organization etc... they all point to increases in stewardship capacity being made ready for use....

For you, as well as for me, I pray having spent this year together in this way has brought similar gifts to you, and that as this year concludes, it will be like having the booster rocket drop away, as the true mission begins.

Namaste,

David

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Lesson 364

This holy instant would I give to You.
Be You in charge. For I would follow You,
Certain that Your direction gives me peace.

And if I need a word to help me, He will give it to me. If I need a thought, that will He also give. And if I need but stillness and a tranquil, open mind, these are the gifts I will receive of Him. He is in charge by my request. And He will hear and answer me, because He speaks for God my Father and His holy Son.