A Course In Miracles - Chapter 7, Section X

Hi,

I'm Teresa Hubbard.

Welcome back to our continued reading of the text to A Course in Miracles.

We continue today in Chapter 7,

The Gifts of the Kingdom.

Section 10,

The Confusion of Pain and Joy.

To summarize my takeaways,

In Section 10 of Chapter 7,

We learn that the Kingdom,

As well as the world of the ego,

Are the result of premises.

We are told that we may have carried the ego's reasoning to its logical conclusion,

Which is total confusion about everything.

Yet if we really saw this,

We would not want it.

It is likely clear to us by now that we both accept into our minds what is not there,

And deny what is.

Although our ability to see a logical outcome depends on our willingness to see it,

Truth has nothing to do with our willingness.

Truth is,

God wills,

While the ego wishes.

This is the ego's weakness,

And our strength.

We must remember that our will is as powerful as God's,

Because God's will is ours.

It is what we are.

What is joyful to us is painful to the ego.

And as long as we are confused about what we are,

We will be confused about pain and joy.

The Holy Spirit's main function is to teach us how to tell them apart,

And will direct us so as to avoid pain.

The Holy Spirit always sides with us and with our strength,

Never asking for sacrifice as the ego always does.

The Holy Spirit's voice will teach us how to distinguish between pain and joy,

And will lead us out of the confusion we have made.

The miracle,

Then,

Is a lesson in what joy is.

And by offering a miracle,

We are learning the difference between pain and joy.

I invite you to keep a few things in mind as you listen to the reading.

The Course uses male pronouns,

Yet this is simply a way of pointing to the spiritual being,

Having no gender.

The Course is written in first person,

And although not introduced directly to the reader,

It becomes clear that the words are from Jesus,

Often quoting from the Bible.

The Course uses traditional Christian terms in a non-traditional manner.

These words are simply pointers to truth,

Nothing more.

A few definitions of terms you will hear within this reading.

Kingdom.

A state of consciousness.

The non-dualistic world of knowledge,

Wherein God and His creations dwell in perfect unity.

Ego.

Our belief in the separated or false self that we made as a substitute for the self that God created.

God.

The Creator.

The Source of all being,

Or life.

God's essence is Spirit,

Which is shared with all creation.

Holy Spirit.

The communication link between God and us,

Bridging the gap between the mind of Christ and our human minds.

The voice for God.

Miracle.

The change in mind that shifts our perception,

Transcending the laws of this world to reflect the laws of God.

The miracle provides the means to heal our own minds and the minds of others.

And now,

On to the reading.

A Course in Miracles Chapter 7.

The Gifts of the Kingdom.

Section 10.

The Confusion of Pain and Joy.

The Kingdom is the result of premises,

Just as this world is.

You may have carried the ego's reasoning to its logical conclusion,

Which is total confusion about everything.

If you really saw this result,

You could not want it.

The only reason you could possibly want any part of it is because you do not see the whole of it.

You are willing to look at the ego's premises,

But not at their logical outcome.

Is it not possible that you have done the same thing with the premises of God?

Your creations are the logical outcome of His premises.

His thinking has established them for you.

They are exactly where they belong.

They belong in your mind as part of your identification with His.

But your state of mind and your recognition of what is in it depend on what you believe about your mind.

Whatever these beliefs may be,

They are the premises that will determine what you accept into your mind.

It is surely clear that you can both accept into your mind what is not there and deny that what is.

Yet the function God Himself gave your mind through His you may deny,

But you cannot prevent.

It is the logical outcome of what you are.

The ability to see a logical outcome depends on the willingness to see it,

But its truth has nothing to do with your willingness.

Truth is God's will.

Share His will and you share what He knows.

Deny His will as yours and you are denying His kingdom and yours.

The Holy Spirit will direct you only so as to avoid pain.

Surely no one would object to this goal if he recognized it.

The problem is not whether what the Holy Spirit says is true,

But whether you want to listen to what He says.

You no more recognize what is painful than you know what is joyful and are in fact very apt to confuse the two.

The Holy Spirit's main function is to teach you to tell them apart.

What is joyful to you is painful to the ego and as long as you are in doubt about what you are,

You will be confused about joy and pain.

This confusion is the cause of the whole idea of sacrifice.

Obey the Holy Spirit and you will be giving up the ego,

But you will be sacrificing nothing.

On the contrary,

You will be gaining everything.

If you believed this,

There would be no conflict.

That is why you need to demonstrate the obvious to yourself.

It is not obvious to you.

You believe that doing the opposite of God's will can be better for you.

You also believe that it is possible to do the opposite of God's will.

Therefore you believe that an impossible choice is up to you and one which is both fearful and desirable.

Yet God wills.

He does not wish.

Your will is as powerful as His because it is His.

The ego's wishes do not mean anything because the ego wishes for the impossible.

You can wish for the impossible,

But you can will only with God.

This is the ego's weakness and your strength.

The Holy Spirit always sides with you and with your strength.

As long as you avoid His guidance in any way,

You want to be weak.

Yet weakness is frightening.

What else then can this decision mean except that you want to be fearful?

The Holy Spirit never asks for sacrifice,

But the ego always does.

When you are confused about this distinction of motivation,

It can only be due to projection.

Projection is a confusion in motivation,

And given this confusion,

Trust becomes impossible.

No one gladly obeys a guide he does not trust,

But this does not mean that the guide is untrustworthy.

In this case,

It always means that the follower is.

However,

This too is merely a matter of his own belief.

Believing that he can betray,

He believes that everything can betray him.

Yet this is only because he has elected to follow false guidance.

Unable to follow this guidance without fear,

He associates fear with guidance and refuses to follow any guidance at all.

If the result of this decision is confusion,

This is hardly surprising.

The Holy Spirit is perfectly trustworthy as you are.

God Himself trusts you,

And therefore your trustworthiness is beyond question.

It will always remain beyond question,

However much you may question it.

I said before that you are the will of God.

His will is not an idle wish,

And your identification with His will is not optional,

Since it is what you are.

Sharing His will with me is not really open to choice,

Though it may seem to be.

The whole separation lies in this error.

The only way out of the error is to decide that you do not want,

That you do not have to decide anything.

Everything has been given you by God's decision.

That is His will,

And you cannot undo it.

Even the relinquishment of your false decision-making prerogative,

Which the ego guards so jealously,

Is not accomplished by your wish.

It was accomplished for you by the will of God,

Who has not left you comfortless.

His voice will teach you how to distinguish between pain and joy,

And will lead you out of the confusion you have made.

There is no confusion in the mind of a Son of God,

Whose will must be the will of the Father,

Because the Father's will is His Son.

Miracles are in accord with the will of God,

Whose will you do not know,

Because you are confused about what you will.

This means that you are confused about what you are.

If you are God's will,

And do not accept His will,

You are denying joy.

The miracle is therefore a lesson in what joy is.

Being a lesson in sharing,

It is a lesson in love,

Which is joy.

Every miracle is thus a lesson in truth,

And by offering truth you are learning the difference between pain and joy.