Part 1 Undoing the Way We See Things Now
Lesson 107 Truth Will Correct All Errors in My Mind.
- What can correct illusions but the truth? And what are errors but illusions that remain unrecognized for what they are? Where truth has entered errors disappear. They merely vanish, leaving not a trace by which to be remembered. They are gone because, without belief, they have no life. And so, they disappear to nothingness, returning whence they came. From dust to dust they come and go, for only truth remains
- Can you imagine what a state of mind without illusions is? How it would feel? Try to remember when there was a time, – perhaps a minute, maybe even less – when nothing came to interrupt your peace; when you were certain you were loved and safe. Then try to picture what it would be like to have that moment be extended to the end of time and to eternity. Then let the sense of quiet that you felt be multiplied a hundred times, and then be multiplied another hundred more.
- And now you have a hint, not more than just the faintest intimation of the state your mind will rest in when the truth has come. Without illusions there could be no fear, no doubt, and no attack. When truth has come all pain is over, for there is no room for transitory thoughts and dead ideas to linger in your mind. Truth occupies your mind completely, liberating you from all beliefs in the ephemeral. They have no place because the truth has come, and they are nowhere. They cannot be found, for truth is everywhere forever, now.
- When truth has come it does not stay a while, to disappear or change to something else. It does not shift and altar in its form, nor come and go and go and come again. It stays exactly as it always was, to be dependent on in every need, and trusted with a perfect trust in all the seeming difficulties and the doubts that the appearances the world present engender. They will merely blow away, when truth corrects the errors in your mind.
- When truth has come it harbors in its wings the gift of perfect constancy, and love which does not falter in the face of pain but looks beyond it, steadily and sure. Here is the gift of healing, truth needs no defense, and therefore no attack is possible. Illusions can be brought to truth to be corrected. But the truth stands far beyond illusions and cannot be brought to them to turn them into truth.
- Truth does not come and go nor shift nor change in appearance now and then in that, evading capture and escaping grasp. It does not hide. It stands in open light, in obvious accessibility. It is impossible that anyone could seek it truly and would not succeed. Today belongs to truth. Give truth its due, and it will give you yours. You were not meant to suffer and to die. Your Father wills these dreams be gone. Let truth correct them all.
- We do not ask for what we do not have. We merely ask for what belongs to us, that we may recognize it as our own. Today we practice on the happy note of certainty that has been born of truth. The shaky and unsteady footsteps of illusion are not our approach today. We are as certain of success as we are sure we live and hope and breathe and think. We do not doubt we walk with truth today and count on it to enter into all the exercises that we do this day.
- Begin by asking Him who goes with you upon this undertaking that He be in your awareness as you go with Him. You are not made of flesh and blood and bone but were created by the selfsame Thought which gave the gift of life to Him as well. He is your Brother, and so like to you your Father knows that you are both the same. It is your Self you asked to go with you, and how could He be absent where you are?
- Truth will correct all errors in your mind which tell you you could be apart from Him. You speak to Him today and make your pledge to let His function be fulfilled through you. To share His function is to share His joy. His confidence is with you, as you say: Truth will correct all errors in my mind, and I will rest in Him who is my Self. Then let Him lead you gently to the truth, which will envelope you and give you peace so deep and tranquil that you will return to the familiar world reluctantly.
- And yet you will be glad to look again upon this world. For you will bring with you the promise of the changes which the truth that goes with you will carry to the world. They will increase with every gift you give of five small minutes, and the errors that surround the world will be corrected as you let them be corrected in your mind.
- Do not forget your function for today. Each time you tell yourself with confidence, “Truth will correct all errors in my mind,” you speak for all the world and Him who would release the world, as He would set you free. [1]
Notes and Personal Application: There is an old gospel chorus we used to sing. It went something like this: Jesus breaks every fetter. Jesus breaks every fetter. Jesus breaks every fetter, and He sets me free![2] Last year when I read this lesson and meditated upon its message, this song stayed with me throughout the day; I could feel the truth of it brushing away the untruth in my mind and giving me peace and joy. It was an exhilarating time for me. I wrote about it in my devotional journal, in my daily journal, and shared the experience with some of the study group members.
This year the song once again is ringing through my mind. For the past few days I have had a real struggle with the ego pleading its case in my mind, desiring to reinsert itself in my thoughts. The struggle wore me down, I came down with the sniffles. I could not sleep. I felt backed into a corner: a lethargic, crippling sorrow and anguish seemed to fill my mind. I blamed it on different circumstances that are not as I would like them to be at this time in my life, but underneath it all was the yammering of a frightened, exposed ego blubbering about how useful it has been to me, pointing out all the treasures it has brought me, trying to convince me that its gifts have given me something worthwhile, have protected me from being used and abused, have saved me from wasting my life being a patsy to the unholy demands of others. Spite and vengeance are good tools to have in one’s arsenal, it squeaks. Picture this: a cornered rat, standing on its hind legs, clasping its front claws together and putting on a sorry face, begging to be left free to proliferate in the feed shed. I almost felt sorry for it. But for too long have I suffered at its whipping post. It is not my friend. Spite and vengeance are its gifts to me – gifts that would turn me into a near sociopath, an addict to a false sense of power and control, heedless of the damage they wreak, blinded to how consuming and demanding are its call for sacrifices. No thank you. It cannot encroach upon my mind, splitting it, separating me from my identity, giving me gifts that not only fail to heal me but can only increase the suffering of others.
Truth will correct all errors in our minds. And we will rest in Him Who is our Self. Jesus shows us how to break every fetter. Jesus shows us how to be free. When we believe the truth that Jesus teaches, we will see the cost of ego’s gifts. We put two and two together and quit trying to make it anything but four!
The lessons we teach are then based on gentleness and forgiveness. When we recognize the grandeur of God as our God-given right, there is no need to compete with anyone, to attack anyone, or to vie for the upper hand. When we recognize the grandeur of God as our own, the ego offers us grandiosity in its place. It would puff up our egos, convince us that to win we must struggle against others and prove to them that we are on the right path and they are on the wrong. The grandiosity of the ego would call us to save the world by forcing our beliefs down the throats of others, not trusting or respecting the processes and timing of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The grandiosity of the ego would be more concerned about how many people “like” our posts than if we were sharing what we are called to share. The grandiosity of the ego would promise us earthly rewards in place of treasures in heaven. The grandiosity of the ego would tell us to hide our mistakes, disguise our sorrows, and put a happy face on our struggles in order to save our spiritual pride and justify the path that we are on.
The truth will correct all these tricks of the ego. We can rest in Christ who has become us. As we become One with Christ, our minds are transformed and liberated of ego’s troubled drivel. Our peace will be so deep and tranquil, Jesus says, that our own healing will change the world. We will be the miracle, because we are set free.
[1] A Course in Miracles. Workbook for Students. Lesson 107 Truth will correct…Foundation for Inner Peace, Second Edition (1992). pp. 192-194.
[2] Tillman, Charles “Charlie” Davis. https://hymnary.org/text/i_am_all_on_the_altar
the friar patch 