Lesson 196: “it can be but myself I crucify.”

This lesson says, “For once you understand it is impossible you be hurt except by your own thoughts, the fear of God must disappear.” 

The ego tells us that people are our enemies and deserve to be attacked and crucified because they appear to be doing something the ego judges as bad.  

The Course invites us to remember that when we appear to be attacking them, this is simply bringing that attack energy right into ourselves.

The Course says that we simply project our own minds outwardly, and then make the world from the source of the ego’s illusion.

There is no one out there except us and it is simply our own minds we are seeing when we see someone else. 

That means what matters is that we look at our own state of mind first and foremost in any situation that appears to be outside of us.

They may appear to be, but we are reminded how most importantly, we see our own minds within as well so that we can take a proper perspective about the situation. 

The ego always wants to attack and wants to make sure someone is suffering.  

This is one of the primary reasons the ego actually feels happy when someone is suffering.  The ego tells us things like either we have to suffer or they have to suffer.

The ego never thinks that no one has to suffer. 

That never occurs to the ego because the ego is coming with a very short and limited perspective where we find only lack. 

The ego always thinks that if the other person suffers, then someone will be in that role and so we with our egos can escape.  This is truly insane.

But it is so true to the ego.  We just need to sit back and appreciate how crazy this is.

The Course tells us that the true nature of the Universe is of God, and therefore, is ruled by totally different principles. 

God’s Universe is full of plenty.  Everyone can be happy and everyone can be in solace and peace with not a speck of suffering.

We just need to tell the ego that we are not willing to entertain any other idea, and therefore, we can get to that place of peace instead where we are not suffering. 

It is the place where we don’t try to get the other person to remain in that place of suffering either, because we know this is truly not what we want or what anyone wants.

Part of what happens with the ego is that the ego projects its own thinking out into the world and then confuses itself with God. 

The Will and energy of God is so foreign to the ego, we sometimes don’t know how to let it in because it is bizarre and strange.

That is why the ego can convince us that God’s plan is not God’s plan because it just seems so unusual 

We end up mistaking the ego for God because we can’t fathom that God is actually totally different.

We just need to appreciate how this happens.  Then, we not only get confused about who is God and who is the ego, but then we get totally fearful of this image of God that seems like the ego.

Then we hold this intense resistance to joining with God because we mistakenly think God is like the ego, and then we no longer want to join with God because God seems like the nightmare in our confusion.  

The Course asks us to not perpetuate this fear but realize how often this can happen.

When we fear God, then we add another layer of complication on our relationship with God and we are even more reluctant to unite with God. 

Then, we get just a step further from God.

Our job is to see that this is just a silly mistake, laugh it off, and get right back to God, where He is clearly demonstrating He is our ideal parent always.