Thursday, July 2, 2015
Lesson 183: “I call upon God’s name and my own.”
What we are learning to do is to entirely replace the ego’s previous hold on the checklist of what we think. Our egos generated the habit of being filled with judgement and condemnation- which is most definitely our suffering- the usual mode of undertaking. The ego fills our hearts with total grief and suffering. This is why we realized we don’t want that because it is the basis of our misery. Instead the Course teaches us over and over to undo the old thought patterns. Let go of everything that is not the love and forgiveness and peace of God. The ego masterfully convinces us that there is nothing else out there except the ego’s constant mischief.
Jesus says in the Course that this old self concept of our joining with the ego is simply false. Therefore, all we have to do is replace this with the knowing that God is the only other alternative. This is the greatest gift ever because we can then choose God- which is the way to the most awesome peace ever. We can do this because God chose us since we are His rightful heirs. Then we can just keep identifying ourselves as God’s favored children. We simply need to keep remembering this. We need to fill our minds with the energy and Will of God and fill our minds with the awareness of this one and only truth. This is the sure way to our salvation and our regular peace in this moment on the planet.
When we realize that God’s identity in our lives now will never change- no matter what- then we can just keep recalling God’s name to mind. Whenever we cite the word God, this carries God energy with it. Thus, all we have to do is keep saying God in our hearts and minds. When we have the energy of God within us, then we are happy and peaceful and also living in the truest joy imaginable. This is why we are really asked to make time and space to do this practice.
God always loves us. If we forget to utter the name of God, God isn’t going to be angry or cruel at us back. God is never going to leave us no matter what we say or don’t say. This utterance of God is not for God’s purpose. We don’t have to stroke God’s ego. God doesn’t need us to be president of His fan club. Thank goodness God isn’t functioning with a personality similar to those humans with whom we live. We can let go of that concern.
What God wants for us is to have the utmost peace, being conflict free inside and outside. Therefore, we can gain such enormous energetic well being when we simply bring the energy of God consistently to us. This is the reason we want to do this- and commit to being one with God. Our lives’ quality depends on what we think. Therefore, it necessarily follows that we need to keep our focus on God. The way to do that is to just think the name of God over and over.
This lesson says, “Repeat His Name, and all the tiny, nameless things on earth slip into right perspective.” When we simply understand truly the kind of God that He is- without our projection on Him that He is like a human- then we can hold this true idea of God in our minds and focus on this energy. It is such an elevated energy and when we hold it within, our worldly attachments to things become undone, because in the combining with God energy everything else in the world pales in comparison. Thus, the worldly stuff loses all power to attract our minds. Also we can release it and leave it all in a suitable perspective because that then is now sensible.