Lesson 210: Review: “I am not a body.  I am free.  For I am still as God created me.”  “I choose the joy of God instead of pain.”  

This lesson says, “Pain is my own idea.” 

The Course teaches us to take responsibility for our own actions. 

We take responsibility for our thinking.  The Course teaches us that we have a  solid worth.  We need to take time to learn the concepts so we understand that we absolutely must have a renewed perception of who we are.  We need to get crystal clear that we are all actually totally awesome.

We just had incorrect ideas about ourselves up until now.

The Course teaches us to remember our grandeur- which is of God- and this means that we are so grand that we are powerful enough to be God’s most cherished children.

God specifically picked us for this magnificent role as His children because He says we are all worthy of the position exactly as we are.  The Course teaches us to get this right and once and for all.  We want to realize this permanently so we refuse to go back into the old thinking that we are insignificant.  With this renewed and correct perception then we can have the life of the happy dream that God has so chosen for us.

The Course reminds us to conclude finally that we are totally worthy so we don’t need to question this in any way.

However, while we hold this correct perception in our minds, at the same time, we still need to take responsibility for creating the life that we most desire.  

We must be willing to do our part. 

The ego likes to complain and make everything a problem so we end up being partially or totally unresponsive to the world’s woes when we are faced with dilemmas there.  The Course reminds us to gently play our role.

We must ask and listen to the Holy Spirit specifically, who can guide us exactly how to play our part in the illusion before us.  We must be willing to be open and available to take on whatever task the Holy Spirit gives us.  Our willingness is ever so important.  We want to sit and notice what needs to be done to heal ourselves.

We must do the part of being nonjudgemental, and letting everything we see be part of the solution, but also physically move and change what is best for the resolution of the situation as appropriate.  

God gives us the solution but God needs our hands to do the work in the world. 

This is the essential role we play in the workings of the Universe.  We bring our willingness to get our hands dirty on the earth if God asks us to do that.

Just appreciate that getting our hands dirty is the way to be authentic in our thinking in the action steps of choosing an appropriate life for us with God. 

When God asks us to do whatever work is necessary to heal our minds this can seem annoying and inconvenient.

But, just appreciate that the end product will be when our minds have been totally emptied and redeveloped into what is purely light filled.  

The Course asks us to not be afraid to work with grit.   Often the ego wants to avoid the weeding because it is dirty, but just know this is the way to get to the diamonds underneath in our hearts.

The more practice we have with whittling away the stone, the more jewels we find within.

It just takes time and practice.  Let’s leave our minds with nothing but the breathtaking, shining gems of forgiveness and love.   

God never brings anything but joy.  The Course is teaching us to get honest with ourselves that we are the ones who create the pain.  The problem is when we decide that any other being causes us to feel pain.  The problem is then that we lose our empowered minds when we let another be the one who brings pain.

Because then we have no way to solve the problem when we think we are at the mercy of other’s people’s whims.