Lesson 191
I am the holy Son of God Himself.
Lesson 191 brings to mind the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. from his “I Have a Dream,” speech delivered August 28, 1963. Words originally spoken for the Civil Rights movement, however they ring true to all of us who are in search of freedom, not just in the color of our skin or our background, but free from the bondage of our unauthentic selves.
“Free at, free at last, thank God almighty we are free at last!”
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Today, we are guaranteed our freedom if we but only claim our inheritance, our true and only identity. We know all too well what occurs when we deny our Real Self. We are familiar with the feelings of smallness, meekness, guilt, wrong doing, self-loathing, uncertainty…and the list can go on. The more we claim these human characteristics, the more we deny our divinity.
“You are as God created you. All else but this one thing is folly to believe. In this one thought is everyone set free. In this one truth are all illusions gone. In this one fact is sinlessness proclaimed to be forever part of everything, the central core of tis existence and its guarantee of immortality” (ACIM Lesson 191 4:2-6).
FREEDOM. We are free at last: free to be Who we are created to be, free from all guilt and sin, and free to be a Child of the Universe. In releasing ourselves from our own bondage, we release the world simultaneously, merely by claiming our holy birthright, “I am the holy Son of God Himself.” Thus, as it is stated in Lesson 188, “Why wait for Heaven?” Why wait for the world when it is all up to you and your choice right here, right now?
“They must await your own release. They stay in chains till you are free. They cannot see the mercy of the world until you find it in yourself. The suffer pain until you have denied its hold on you. They die till you accept your own eternal life. You are the holy Son of God Himself. Remember this, and all the world is free. Remember this, and earth and Heaven are one” (ACIM Lesson 191 11:1-8).
Have the courage to take the leap and not only say these words but integrate them into your daily life and your entire being. Let these words, your motions, and your breath be one, as it is the One who breathes this flow of truth through you. It does no good to look at your fellow brothers and sisters, like you are waiting to jump into a cold pool, debating with one another who shall plunge first, “You first. No, you first. No, you first, then I will go.” Jump into freedom! Wait not more! Love waits on no one!
“One holy thought like this and you are free: You are the holy Son of God Himself” (ACIM Lesson 191 6:1).
In this one holy thought, there is nothing we cannot do. As you integrate this into your being throughout the day, feel the creation of your hands and the strength of your thoughts. With this, you create a peaceful universe, Heaven on earth.
“You who receive yourself as weak and far, with futile hopes and devastated dreams, born but to do, to weep and suffer pain, hear this: All power is given unto you in the earth and Heaven. There is nothing that you cannot do” (ACIM Lesson 191 9:1-2).
Misuse your power no more. If you can do anything, and you now know this, why continue to use that power for insanity? If you are so powerful as to create this crazy illusion of life, why not use that same power to create what you truly want, peace? It is all at your fingers tips ready to be created in front of you. It needs only these words, and it is done,
“I am the holy Son of God Himself. I cannot suffer, cannot be in pain; I cannot suffer loss, nor fail to do all that salvation asks” (ACIM Lesson 191 7:3-4).
George Michael, music icon of the eighties and nineties, wrote a particular song that many suggest is his declaration for his own freedom: the freedom to explore music, his life, and his sexuality, on his terms. In the song, “Freedom,” George Michael uses the lyrics to boldly state, “
“I think there’s something you should know
I think it’s time I told you so
There’s something deep inside of me
There’s someone else I’ve got to be”
Many believe the lyrics are suggestive to his “coming out,” yet he does not exactly state that in the song. Like any well written lyric, there is just enough room left for the listener to insert her own message alerting her to what she truly needs to hear. Thus, in this song the idea of “coming out,” a phrase that is often used for the LGTB community, is it not a universal message, similar to that of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech? Are we not all dying to be Who and What we are? Are we all not ready to come out of the closet in which we have held ourselves captive? Even in our differences, is our journey not the same? Freedom!
Like with any beautiful messenger of God, as George Michael gifts himself with freedom, he also invites us to do the same. In his lyrics there is also a wonderful hint of the art of giving and receiving, noting that as we receive freedom, we also give freedom,
“Freedom
You’ve gotta give for what you take
Freedom
You’ve gotta give for what you take”
Claim your identity and you also claim mine. I also do the same for you. Today is the day that we claim our freedom in God, as we are the holy Children of God Herself. And, yes, I invite you to play the song “Freedom” and dance boisterously out loud!!!! Namaste.