Lesson 130
It is impossible to see two worlds.
Our journey in this complex world is actually rather simple. Grey areas we welcomed to be explored but when it comes to full liberation, awakening, and living as the Light of the World, the field gets narrowed quickly: love or fear, forgiveness or judgement, peace or suffering, heaven or hell. One can use any terminology that suits but it truly comes down to deciding between the eternal, expansive life or the limited life.
“The unreal or the real, the false or true is what you see and only what you see. Perception is consistent with your choice, and hell or Heaven comes to you as one” (ACIM Lesson 130 10:2-3).
You will always abide as a sinless child of God, it is just up to you if that is what you want to experience as you explore your divine free will. We are all free to choose the adventure of living as God created, our likeness in Her image, or we can opt to pretend we are not God. When it is put like this, it seems like a no brainer…claim divinity! However, as you know this one choice can, at first, seem like toughest choice to make, as if it is outside of you, far out of reach.
The only thing that makes it seem like a far of possibility is because of habit. We have habitually fallen asleep and let the ego take the wheel. There is nothing wrong with this; it was the choice we made so that we could witness our awakening, which is pretty tempting as well, experiencing awakened moments. You know, those moments when you glimpse at your limitless, God-given potential. Would you recognize their glory had it not been for experiencing the opposite? Do you not fully understand what it feels like to be the King of the World because you know what it feels like to be the peasant?
As we put today’s lesson into deeper perspective, think about watching a movie out of your right eye and another movie out of your left. Is it possible? Eventually, would you not have to choose to close one eye to focus on one movie over the other? Sure you can keep checking in on the other movie by switching eyes every now and then but either way, you will have to focus on one chosen movie at a time. As our experience on earth can be likened to a grand movie being played out in 3D in front of our eyes, you too can choose whether you watch a heavenly movie full of love, compassion, tenderness, knowing, and peace or a hellish movie full of angst, anger, hatred, sadness, fear, and loss. Truly your life is like an old movie before there was sound and only moving pictures on the screen. It was left to the viewer to interpret the message. Thus, are you the interpreter and creator of the movie that is your life.
“It is impossible to see two worlds which have no overlap of any kind. Seek for the one; the other disappears. But one remains. They are the range of choice beyond which your decision cannot go. The real and the unreal are all there are to choose between, and nothing more than these” (ACIM Lesson 130 5:1-5).
The question is really very simple; shall you participate in experiencing heaven or hell? It is an “all in” question. As we have come to understand on our Walk in Miracles together, you cannot leave one pinky out of heaven. You cannot leave one person unforgiven. You cannot leave one morsel of hate in your heart. You cannot leave one thought of unworthiness in your awareness. You cannot leave any piece of doubt in your mind.
“Accept a little part of hell as real, and you have damned your eyes and cursed your sight, and what you will behold is hell indeed. Yet the release of Heaven still remains within your range of choice, to take the place of everything that hell would show to you” (ACIM Lesson 130 11:1-2).
My partner had on a pair of shorts yesterday that he had not worn since purchasing them a year ago. He delighted in wearing the shorts but commented on how they still don’t fit great. They didn’t feel wonderful when he tried them on at the store a year ago but talked himself into getting them expressing that what felt tight “might” change. He assessed that everything about the shorts were wonderful except the waist band. It was not that they were too tight as there was plenty of room in the mid section but still something in the style of the short just didn’t feel right. Yet did he continue to wear them yesterday? Yes. Did he realize that what was so uncomfortable a year ago was still uncomfortable today? Yes. Did he realize that the one uncomfortable thing about the shorts made the entire pair of shorts uncomfortable and potentially unwearable? Yes.
After he told me about his shorts debacle, I shared with him what I will share with you now. Uncomfortable is not a feeling associated with heaven yet do we not somehow keep ourselves accustomed to compromising ourselves in handling just the slightest bit of uncomfortableness? Rather than claiming our full comfort, joy, ease, and peace, do we not hold onto just a little bit of suffering to see if it will hopefully change? Do we not try to smuggle in a little bit of hellish contraband into heaven like we try to make a pair of shorts fit when they just do not work?
We must be willing to let go of all suffering, awkwardness, and uncomfortableness. The waist band of heaven is one that is expansive, all-inclusive, and free flowing; not constrictive, contracting, or uncomfortable. One cannot turn hell into heaven. As we must eventually lay down our dolls and toys so must we let go of the uncomfortable shorts that constrict us, so we can choose the comfort of a heavenly pair.
Shorts, movies, haircuts, houses…it doesn’t matter the analogy, the two choices are the same: heaven or hell. Analogies are merely helpful to let us become more subtly aware of how finite our choice can be in each moment. Truly, that still, small Voice inside you is on repeat saying, “Which would you prefer now, heaven or hell? What about now? What about in this moment?” This Voice is only on repeat until the habit is set, the scale is tipped, and we come into the bliss of the choiceless choice, living the remembrance that there is only really one choice, heaven.
“Perception is consistent. What you see reflects your thinking. And you thinking but reflects your choice of what you want to see” (ACIM Lesson 130 1:1-3).
We created the impossible when we created two worlds thus do we see the easeful potential of our journey Home. It is not impossible, as the impossible has already been done. Now, as we walk back through the eye of the needle, we come back to the only world there is, Heaven. In order to do this, you do not have to go anywhere, buy anything, read anything, stand on your head, hold your breath, or, even meditate. All you must do is choose, right now, to witness heaven on earth. You must choose the victor over victim, savior over survivor, forgiven over unforgiven, and certainty over uncertainty.
“God will be there. For you have called up on the great unfailing Power Which will take the giant step with you in gratitude” (ACIM Lesson 130 9:1-2).
We share in a handful of practice periods today to witness the choice that is always calling us Home. Our time today is practice in making that choice for heaven and edging ourselves to tip the scale, for good. We come to understand, with gratitude, that we cannot sneak a little bit of hell into heaven, as then it would no longer be heaven. A fish sandwich without the fish isn’t a fish sandwich anymore, is it? Luckily, what we desire most cannot be altered, hidden, watered down, out of season, out of style, fully occupied, or overbooked. In appreciation, do we journey Home with our Creator to a place we never truly left. The Prodigal Miracle Worker has returned as she welcomes the vision of only one world, Heaven!
Namaste.