II. SECTION 14. What am I?
Lesson 359 God’s answer is some form of peace. All pain is healed; all misery replaced with joy. All prison doors are opened. And all sin is understood as merely a mistake.
- Father, today we will forgive Your world, and let creation be Your Own. We have misunderstood all things. But we have not made sinners of the holy Sons of God. What You created sinless so abides forever and forever. Such are we. And we rejoice to learn that we have made mistakes which have no real effects on us. Sin is impossible, and on this fact forgiveness rests upon a certain base more solid than the shadow world we see. Help us forgive, for we would be redeemed. Help us forgive, for we would be at peace.[1]
In response to our question, What am I? God’s answer comes in some form of peace. All of our sorrows, bewilderment, searching, and confusion about our identity is put to rest. When we accept our divinity in Him, we are healed. Jesus tells us today in our ninth lesson on what we are, that all misery is replaced with joy. We have accepted the truth about ourselves. We have been set free of the prison house of humanity, of separation, of the manmade world. We can look upon ourselves, not as sinners bound for hell, but as beloved Sons.
Today as we come to our daily devotional practice, we know Christ as God’s answer because He brings us peace. Accepting the Christ Child as King of our minds and hearts, restores us to our rightful place, beside Him in His kingdom – joint heirs with Christ.
Standing with Christ, today we forgive everything and everybody who would have established us as anything but the holy Sons of God. Those who put us down and tried to keep us down; those who built us up and fawned upon us and tried to make us special alike, we forgive them for none of us knew what we were doing. We have misunderstood the gospel of Christ and categorized some as sinful and some as sinless and missed the point altogether – we are all the Sons of God who have simply lost our way, who have merely made mistakes, who – bewildered and afraid – thought to change what could never change – God’s love for His Creation.
The lies of sin and shame – forgiven – we are redeemed, we are set free, we are at peace. In our day-to-day application of this idea, we run into an ego resistance that at first seems impossible to stand against. Our hearts and minds seem attached to that which would hurt our feelings, make us feel small, or fill us with righteous indignation and justified outrage! No matter. The only response to all that is not of God, is forgiveness for in forgiveness, we stand with Christ, not against Him, we become one with Christ, we accept our rightful place in His Kingdom and are at peace.
Today as we celebrate the birth of Christ, commit to your Being as peace in whatever circumstance, in whatever capacity, in whatever form you can today. Exchange all thoughts of battle with thoughts of peace. Instead of building cases against your enemies, build a case for love and forgiveness. For all the snubs, slights, and mockery that others may seem to offer, commit to kindness, good deeds, and thoughts that reflect God’s love. Do not grow weary, for as we make our best efforts toward peace and goodwill, we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. In one form or another, Peace is what we are, where we are, what we bring, and who we are created to be. Be that Peace!
[1] A Course in Miracles, Workbook for Students, Lesson 358. Foundation for Inner Peace, Second Edition, (1992). p. 483.
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the friar patch 