Lesson 154
I am among the ministers of God.
Outcomes…we are all drawn to them. We want to know the how, the when, and the where of everything. The element of surprise is nice but how can we best plan and control them, right? That is just it, we can’t control surprises. They arrive as they come. And truth be told, this life is one big, moment-to-moment, surprise. As much as we would like to know the outcome of any venture, it is truly impossible to do so. All we can do is hope, at best, while our hope and foresight do nothing but get in the way of what God is trying to reveal to us. Remember from yesterday’s lesson (Lesson 153), our true power and safety is found in our vulnerability.
On one side, not knowing the outcome is…not knowing the outcome. But the other side of it is…not knowing the outcome!!!!! One is full of angst and a predisposition to plan, while the other is an excited, free, and untethered expectation of goodness no matter what happens. Guess which way the Course would like to encourage us? Yes, the latter.
Our function is simple, to align to God’s Will. We are all merely instruments for and of God. When we try to override the system with our own egoic plan, that is when misunderstanding, resistance, and suffering come along. However, over the last few days we have become more humble in our efforts in order to let the Voice of God speak of Her Will freely. Today’s message discusses the importance of God’s work through us, as we are Her messengers, allowing the faculties of the body to be used for the purpose of Her divine plan. We do not orchestrate the plan but are simply guided and observe the unfolding of this magnificence.
“It is through His ability to hear one Voice Which is His Own that you become aware at last there is one Voice in you. And that one Voice appoints your function, and relays it to you, giving you the strength to understand it, do what it entails, and to success in averring you do that is related to it” (ACIM Lesson 154 4:1-2).
Yet, how clever is our Course lesson today, as it steers us clear of reading the lesson in its entirety with a belief that he or she must go out and preach and save humanity with the words he or she hears from God. This goes back to a mind of arrogance. With an unmistakable tone in the second half of our lesson, it is brought to our attention that the message we receive from the Voice of God, is meant for us to receive, fully, first. Thus, are we intended to embody what we hear and then extend our blessings to the world. Once more, we come to understand that we must receive before we can give.
“The messengers of God perform their part by their acceptance of His messages as for themselves, and show they understand the messages by giving them away” (ACIM Lesson 154 7:2).
Think of a time when you were in high school and you were learning to solve a new math problem. Could you have helped a fellow student if you didn’t fully understand the solution yourself? If you tried to help a fellow student before you understood, wouldn’t you feel rather false? Such is the importance of understanding the teachings we are given, first, before we extend them.
Also, we have no agenda in where our message lands, to whom or for whom. Again, that goes back to outcome and arrogance. We abide in each moment to receive, embody, and then let God flow through us in the Divine moment in which we are called to fulfill our purpose as messenger. Just as others have been called to teach us, like the adage “when the student is ready, the teacher shall appear,” those to whom we are to extend what we have learned will present themselves to us. God’s Voice will whisper when this is so.
“He needs our voice that He may speak through us. He needs our hands to hold His messages, and carry them to those whom He appoints. He needs our feet to bring us where he wills, that those who wait in misery may be at last delivered. And He needs our will united with His Own, that we may be the true receivers of the gifts He gives” (ACIM Lesson 154 11:2-5).
As the final word of our statement today suggests, we are free. We are free from having to control, contrive, and demand various outcomes. Our purpose in the Atonement is to be an open vessel, to hand our faculties over to God and have Her use them appropriately for the good of all. Through our walk together we have come to understand that we truly cannot fathom with our small minds the grandness and greatness of our Comforter. As we become present to our humility, we then can let greatness flow through us to be used as God intended, without even our pinky in the matter. Is this not freeing? Does this not free you from what you believe your outcome should be by the end of today or this month or 2016? As you trust God’s care, you will be shown how perfect your existence and purpose is. You will be shown how you, and only you, can help lead your bothers and sisters home.
“I am among the ministers of God, and I am grateful that I have the means by which to recognize that I am free” (ACIM Lesson 154 13:2).
This is not a lesson of inaction but rather coherent, certain, and divine action. As we engage more and more with the Voice for God, we understand where our faculties are needed and warranted. We come to learn how to use our bodies and minds much more wisely in this manner. Thus, do we fully participate in life but in a more sincere, peaceful, and loving way.
There is a magnificence that lies beyond anything you could have imagined for yourself or another. It is not in our effort that we reach heaven but it is in our release that we see the beauty that stands before us, a beauty far greater than we could have ever imagined. Continue to let our Course lessons show you this is so. Yet if you are still so inclined to outcomes…Spoiler Alert!…you are the Hero of the Journey. You are the One you have been waiting for. You are the Ultimate Outcome, already, in form. Merely, let the world you know recede and let the Hero of the Journey step forward. Namaste.