Part 1 Undoing the Way We See Things Now
Lesson 70 My Salvation Comes from Me
- All temptation is nothing more than some form of the basic temptation not to believe the idea for today. Salvation seems to come from anywhere except from you. So, too, does the source of guilt. You see neither guilt nor Salvation as in your mind and nowhere else. When you realize that all guilt is solely an invention of your mind, you also realize that guilt and Salvation must be in the same place. In understanding this you are saved.
- The seeming cost of accepting today’s idea is this: It means that nothing outside yourself can save you; nothing outside yourself can give you peace. But it also means that nothing outside yourself can hurt you, or disturb your peace, or upset you in anyway. Today’s idea places you in charge of the universe, where you belong because of what you are. This is not a role that can be partially accepted. And you must surely begin to see that accepting it is Salvation.
- It may not, however, be clear to you why the recognition that guilt is in your own mind entails the realization that Salvation is there as well. God would not have put the remedy for the sickness where it cannot help. That is the way your mind has worked, but hardly His. He wants you to be healed, so He has kept the source of healing where the need for healing lies.
- You have tried to do just the opposite, making every attempt, however distorted and fantastic it might be, to separate healing from the sickness for which it was intended, and thus keep the sickness. Your purpose was to ensure that healing did not occur. God’s purpose was to ensure that it did.
- Today we practice realizing that God’s Will and ours are really the same in this. God wants us to be healed, and we do not really want to be sick, because it makes us unhappy. Therefore, in accepting the idea for today, we are really in agreement with God. He does not want us to be sick. Neither do we. He wants us to be healed. So do we.
- We are ready for two longer practice periods today, each of which should last some 10 to 15 minutes. We will, however, still let you decide when to undertake them. We will follow this practice for a number of lessons, and it would again be well to decide in advance when would be a good time to lay aside for each of them, and then adhering to your own decisions as closely as possible.
- Begin these practice periods by repeating the idea for today, adding a statement signifying your recognition that Salvation comes from nothing outside of you. You might put it this way: My Salvation comes from me. It cannot come from anywhere else. Then devote a few minutes, with your eyes closed, to reviewing some of the external places where you have looked for Salvation in the past; – in other people, in possessions, in various situations and events, and in self-concepts that you sought to make real. Recognize that it is not there and tell yourself: My Salvation cannot come from any of these things. My Salvation comes from me and only from me.
- Now we will try again to reach the light in you, which is where your Salvation is, you cannot find it in the clouds that surround the light, and it is in them you have been looking for it. It is not there. It is past the clouds and in the light beyond. Remember that you will have to go through the clouds before you can reach the light. But remember also that you have never found anything in the cloud patterns you imagine that endured, or that you wanted.
- Since all illusions of Salvation have failed you, surely you do not want to remain in the clouds, looking vainly for idols there, when you could so easily walk on into the light of real Salvation. Try to pass the class by whatever means appeals to you. If it helps you, think of me holding your hand and leading you. And I assure you this will be no idle fantasy.
- For the short infrequent practice periods today, remind yourself that your Salvation comes from you, and nothing but your own thoughts can hamper your progress. You are free from all external interference. You are in charge of your Salvation. You are in charge of the Salvation of the world. Say, then: My Salvation comes from me. Nothing outside of me can hold me back. Within me is the world’s Salvation and my own.[1]
Notes and Personal Application (2019): For now and the following lessons, my two practice periods will be in the morning upon waking up and in the evening before going to bed. The practice periods will be 10-15 minutes long or longer each. I will stick as closely to the recommendations of the Course lessons as possible.
First I repeat the idea for today: My salvation comes from me. My salvation does not come from anywhere else.
Now with my eyes closed I will review and carefully consider some of the external places where I have looked for salvation in the past: In my family, the Bible, church, friends. I have looked for my purpose and meaning in my sexuality, in my gender, in special relationships. I have looked for salvation in my marriage, my house, a career and profession, in writing, in books, in education. I have looked for my purpose and meaning in travel, in cooking, in eating, drinking, and having fun.
I have looked for my salvation in my children and grandchildren, in my students, in my colleagues, philosophy, and in historical figures. I have looked for meaning and purpose in self-help books, pop psychology, in religious texts, and spiritual practices. I have looked for salvation in being good and trying to love people and be kind. I have looked for salvation in practicing hospitality, warmth, and generosity. I have looked for salvation in trusting the wrong friends, the wrong guidance, and in being selfish, ungenerous, and unkind. I have looked for salvation in this course. I did not find salvation in these things.
My salvation cannot come from any of these things, though all will point the way if I pay attention. My salvation comes from me and only from me. It is inside of me where God placed my salvation through Jesus my Savior. I am part of and have always been part of the Sonship of God, the Brotherhood of Christ.
I pass through the dark clouds of grievances, false teachings, hidden agendas, and accusations that obscure my mind from knowing where my salvation is and where it comes from. Jesus holds my hand and buoys me as I walk through the clouds into the light of my Salvation, past all those empty efforts of trying to find Salvation where it is not.
My salvation comes from me. Nothing outside of me can hold me back. Within me is the world’s salvation and my own.
Today’s prayer and affirmation – I thank You, Holy Spirit, for guiding and protecting me and keeping me on the right path. I have answered the call of Christ in studying the Course, and I trust in Him to protect, edify, enlighten, and save my mind. I ask that today’s lesson be made real in my heart and that I know what to do and how to do it. I thank the Holy Spirit for making the right choice for me. I relinquish the ego. I offer only love and forgiveness. I do not forget my function, which is to save the world and thus be happy. My only function is the one that God gave me. Love created me to be Love. And that is what I choose to be. I have relinquished my grievances against all and have let the grievances go and chose love. I have given all my special relationships to You, and trust in You to transform them into holy, everlasting, and loving relationships. I have awakened my true Self by laying the grievances at your feet and practicing non-interference to the best of my ability! I know perfect safety and security. I accept peace of mind and everlasting joy. I ask that every grievance be revealed to me and that I no longer hold any grievances toward God for when I hold grudges against others, I am holding them against God and not allowing the light of the world to shine through me. Today I realize that salvation comes from within me and is not found anywhere else or through any other means. In the name of Christ Jesus I pray. Amen.
Notes and Personal Application (2020): This morning we shared our devotional during the James’ drive to work. He exclaimed how the trees are blossoming and the daffodils and crocuses are budding already in Virginia, and the thought of spring and the earth turning green again filled us both with such happiness. During these drab, murky days before spring breaks forth –as we patiently watch for the flowers and buds to start breaking forth, I am reminded of today’s lesson idea – our Salvation – always there, within us, placed by God Himself – the Source of our healing would not place the remedy for our healing anywhere else. It makes such perfect sense. And my heart is full of gratitude.
Within our prison cells, our salvation is in us. Within our darkest hour of need, our salvation lies within us. As we face any hurdle, be it despair, disease, or death, our salvation is in us. God put it there because we are His Sons. Yesterday Linda and I discussed how we bring things upon ourselves by simply chasing after replacements for salvation – the needless pains we bear, the heartache and sorrow of yet another disappointment, betrayal, and letdown as one by one our salvation substitutes leave us in the lurch!
As much as we may recoil from the idea that both our salvation and our despair come from ourselves and the choices we make – this thought delivers us from being victimized by creation ever again. We are Sons of God, we are in charge of the universe, it is our birthright. It the reason for our being. Our salvation and our separation come from us, as individuals and as a collective.
We can stop stamping our feet over injustice. We can stop being enraged by the countless isms that would distract us from the real choice. We can put down our defenses and stop attacking anyone and anything outside of ourselves and realize God wants to heal us. Nobody really wants to be sick, and yet we all choose sickness when we fail to see the world through the eyes of Christ. When we see the world through the eyes of our egos we see a world full of opposites, enmity, abuse of power, black vs. white, a world of separateness, split ends, and sloppy means.
Paragraph four of our lesson states that we have tried to separate healing from the sickness for which it was intended and thus we kept the sickness. This is the sure way to ensure that healing does not occur.
God put the source of our healing within each of us, ensuring that we have the means wherever we are and in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. We don’t have to run to a guru for our salvation; we have no need to chase after rare berries or exotic liquors to bring us health and happiness. We do not have to wait for an audience with the pope. There is no need for you to spend years of your life in a monastery or live in a cave to earn your salvation. It is within us.
As we practice today’s lesson idea, dig deep within your consciousness to examine the ways in which you tried to find your security, well-being, and purpose in the outer world. Since everything you can think of has failed to give you salvation, realize that you have been chasing after what can only be found in the dark clouds that obscure your Light, that deny the Vision of Christ, that compel you to be what you are not.
Jesus tells us to imagine holding His hand and letting Him lead us – as our Savior he assures us that this will be no useless daydream! He is there, holding out his hand, taking our hand, and leading us to that vital decision that we, and we alone can make. Choose salvation today and let us say together:My salvation comes from me. Nothing outside of me can hold me back. Nothing outside of me can make that decision for me. God and His Kingdom are within me. There is where I find the salvation of the world and my own.
[1] A Course in Miracles. Workbook for Students. Lesson 70 My salvation comes…Foundation for Inner Peace, Second Edition (1992). pp. 119-120.
the friar patch 