Doing yourself a favor

Lesson 64 of A Course in Miracles

Welcome to Daily Miracles, a running commentary on the 365 lessons of A Course in Miracles, an influential spiritual text from the 1970s. I am James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as I go through this material for the first time.

Let me not forget my function. (ACIM, W-64)

This day was a tough one. I kept forgetting my function to forgive and kept thinking of things I had been taught and used to believe, things that often left me depressed and angry.

But the thought “let me forgive and be happy” (ACIM, W-64.6:4) made me realize I hadn’t really forgiven my previous teachers, despite the training of this course. Nor have I forgiven the “teachers” of society today, political leaders and other social influencers who, it has seemed to me, traffic in fear and anger.

For me to be happy, I must forgive them all, because what I seem to see is an illusion. Are they teaching bad things, which leads to more people being depressed and angry? Or do they, like the rest of us, feel trapped in a maze and are trying to figure things out?

Why am I choosing to see evil? Why am I on a lofty perch secretly thinking “if only they are as enlightened as I am?”

In the end, however, the recognition of these judgmental thoughts make it easier to dismiss them.

Maybe forgiveness is just dismissing negative thinking.

Maybe forgiveness doesn’t have to do with anybody else, it’s doing yourself a favor.

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support!

(Photo credit: Ivoronwik)