Heaven is the decision I must make.
Yesterday I was with a friend – my sweetest, dearest, most adorable friend in the world – and she was crying her eyes out, sobbing, choking out some miserable story through her tears. I couldn’t barely hear the story through all her wailing. I was driving, she was in the passenger seat, and all I could think to do in that moment was to let her cry and talk.
There was absolutely no way to respond to her.
She’s been with A Course in Miracles for a very long time, even longer than me. She knows what to do. But sometimes … often … even when you have all the lessons … even when you hold the key in your hand … even when you know the solution to your problems … you still get lost and trapped in your own dramas.
I remember a teaching by a guy named Hector and he said “be careful you don’t land in a world where there in no Course in Miracles.”
This means if you are not vigilant, you can stray very very far away from the truth, and land yourself in a world of complete darkness. So be careful!
In Chapter 5, in the Text, it says: “The first step in the undoing is to recognize that you actively decided wrongly.”
In Chapter 3, in the Text, it says: “Questioning delusions in the first step in undoing them.”
In Chapter 23, in the Text, it says: “Brother, take not one step in the descent to hell. For, having taken one you will not recognize the rest for what they are.”
In other words … Be careful you don’t land in a world where there is no Course in Miracles.
The Course uses the word “step” 126 times. To see all 126 references, click HERE.
I said to my friend, “Okay, now breathe.”
And that was all she needed to hear. Her crying stopped. Her sob story stopped.
Then I said, “Okay, breathe again.”
And we got to Starbucks (I go there a lot!) and she was completely calm. We got inside, got our coffees, and she started asking me how I’ve been. LOL. She immediately switched gears and took the focus off of herself, and began looking outward. I told her what is going on with me lately, and you could see she instantly forgot about her own story. What a laugh! It’s a miracle what happens when you take the focus off yourself for a minute! You forget all about your problems.
So then I said: Look, it is your responsibility to STOP yourself when you are in the middle of fear. No one is going to do it for you. You have to do it. There is not going to be a miracle that’s going to come out of nowhere. You have to make a conscious decision to catch yourself and stop.
She said: I don’t know how.
And I said: I use the word STOP. Just catch yourself when your mind is in the middle of a dramatic chaotic episode, and say the word STOP. Say it out loud. STOP. And then immediately, your mind will go back into the story again, catch yourself again, and say the word STOP again. Keep catching yourself. Keep interrupting the story.
I said: the Master Teacher is not here anymore to disrupt us. You have to do it for yourself now. It’s like being in the military. You have to be firm with yourself. You can’t wait for the discipline to come miraculously. You must discipline yourself! No one is going to do it for you!
She immediately began laughing, restored back to her natural state of perfection.
And that’s today’s lesson: Heaven is a decision I must make.
Your peace of mind is NOT going to be delivered to you on a silver platter. You must choose for it. You must decide that peace and happiness is what you want.
You’re not going to wake up one morning and be free of all problems and worries. It doesn’t work like that.
You must consciously choose for your happiness.
You must consciously choose for Heaven.
You must consciously choose to stop being a victim.
You must consciously choose to stop being afraid.
No one is going to do it for you. You can come to this blog and be reminded. You can open A Course in Miracles and be reminded, but there are FIVE HUNDRED TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED MINUTES in a year.
So you might spend 10 minutes a day at this blog or reading the Course, feeling happy, remembering the truth … but what about the other 1430 minutes in a day? What do you do then?
You – YOU! – are the one that is responsible for catching the thoughts you think and interrupt them. No one is going to do it for you.
“The conscious choice of Heaven is as sure as is the ending of the fear of hell, when it is raised from its protective shield of unawareness and brought to light.”
!!!!!!!!!!
That’s it.
Read that again.
“The conscious choice of Heaven is as sure as is the ending of the fear of hell, when it is raised from its protective shield of unawareness and brought to light.”
A Course in Miracles is about becoming CONSCIOUS. You start to see how you’ve been blindly stumbling through life, falsely thinking people are doing things to you, events happening that are separate from you … and now you are becoming conscious. You are beginning to realize that YOU ARE DOING THIS TO YOURSELF.
And the moment your realize you are harming yourself, you will simply STOP. You will interrupt your story right smack in the middle of it.
And you choose again. Choose for a different thought. Start telling yourself a new story.
You’re the light of the world. That’s a good story. I have a function God would have me fulfill. That’s a good story.
“Heaven is the decision I must make. I make it now, and will not change my mind, because it is the only thing I want.”
You have five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes in a year. How are you spending them?
Click picture to listen to the song Seasons of Love, from the movie Rent:
Facebook comments:
thank you so much
right on !!!