Lesson 57: Review: “I am not the victim of the world I see.”  “I have invented the world I see.”  “There is another way of looking at the world.”  “I could see peace instead of this.”  “My mind is part of God’s.  I am very holy.”

These series of lessons in progression lead us through exactly what the Course is teaching us to carry out in all problems that arise.  

We have that ego voice in us that digs into the victim mentality.  We can’t help but lose ourselves when we allow the ego a voice.

We get the victim idea that we were wronged and the other person is guilty as charged. 

The victim voice is always when we are the ones who were disadvantaged by someone else.

When we believe we are a victim, we have already told ourselves a long, nasty story about how we got into the position of the victim. 

We make it real in the biggest way.

Then, being a victim is certainly a struggle and thus, sometimes we have a  moment of wanting something else because it feels intolerable. 

This is a blessing.

The Course says all we have to do is have the slightest inkling that we would like something else instead.

That opening in our minds is where we allow doubt to get into our minds.

When we sit and allow doubt’s presence, then the the old beaten path starts to feel like maybe it isn’t working for us any longer. 

This little opening of doubt can be minute.

We just need a tiny little gap in the ego’s song and dance to allow in a different tune.

We are reminded that we invented everything we see. 

This is a huge step in the process of shifting our reality.  We just have to recognize that we made it all up because that is what the ego is good at.

The story gets very much air time in our minds because it feels familiar so we give it free rein to proceed. 

We simply must acknowledge that we are willing to open our minds to some other option than the ego.

This is where we allow space in our minds because we know we are the ones who created the nightmare as we see it.

The lesson reminds us to just hold for the possibility that there could be another way of seeing things. 

This changes everything.

We open our minds for the space of doubt because it simply makes the actual choosing something we can actually carry through. 

Then, after this, we simply make a new reality in our mentality.  We don’t have to suffer over anything.

We open space and then we invite God’s energy instead. 

This is always our preferred option.

We just forget to look and notice and often we get frightened of a new reality that isn’t the ego’s same old song.  It can feel frightening to rock the boat- destabilize our world and let God in instead.  Our task is to forgive this when it happens.

But we can also be totally happy that no matter how the nightmare of the world looks, we can simply see it all differently. 

This is outstanding!!

We can end the nightmare at last.

We just need to be willing to make sure peace is our priority. 

Sometimes we get sidetracked.  We forgive this and just stand up and do for ourselves what will make us truly happy.

When we realize that peace is all that we want and we become increasingly committed to choosing the path of peace while engaging in the world’s tribulations, then all we need to do is sit and take the most pleasure in being ever so holy as well. 

This is the consequence of our choosing peace.

When we choose peace, then we choose God’s energy and essence.  This act is a confirmation of the best news that we are sharing God’s energy because God wills it that way.