Lesson 33
There is another way of looking at the world.
Today’s statement reminds me of a motto I have always repeated to myself, even as a child, “There must be a different way. There must be something more.” I grew up in a very dramatic home that would rise and fall depending on my father’s ever-changing moods. I remember as a little girl hiding from my parent’s fights, often under the bed or in my closet, and telling myself “There must be a different way. There must be something more.” There was way too much happiness in my little girl’s heart to believe that my household was all this world had to offer. There had to be another way of living than what I was privied to. I guess this was my first interaction with my seeking soul, a soul searching for God.
I believe we all have had moments in our existence where we have thought, “there must be more to this life I am living.” You don’t run into a book like A Course in Miracles if you don’t have some suspicion that there is another way to live. A better way to be. A seed within that tells you, “you don’t have to suffer.” Guess what? That seed within you is very correct.
“There is another way to look at the world (ACIM Lesson 33).”
I am grateful that this seed continued to stir within me and continues to stir within you. Of course it would, it is truer than any aspect of ourselves that we will ever come to know. It is our God Self. And if you take a moment to reflect you will recognize that small seed has been whispering to you all along: “to turn here, turn there, take this job, take that job, go out with this person, listen to this song, watch that movie, read this book, etc.” On your journey, you have been ripened for this very moment to see the world in a whole new way, the Real Way.
Let us open up to an expanded world today. A world that not only relieves us of our suffering but our cravings and attachments as well. In our Walk in Miracles, we know our lessons can reduce suffering and bring more happiness. However, as we expand our consciousness today, I would like to highlight items that we might be attached to in our outer and inner world. Those items being such that if we said “There is another way of looking at the world,” we would want to say, “…but I don’t want that to change.”
Yes, when we scan the mind to allow Truth to be seen it even means the Truth that lies behind what appears to be wonderful, happy, loving, desirable, and all that is going well in our lives. We are connecting to that which is eternal, not attaching to fleeting substitutions so that we no longer have to suffer. Although it is wonderful to switch from suffering to happiness, our goal is to wake up from the dream all together, not just be in a happier one. Thus, I encourage you today to go that extra step, allow any and everything to be open to the vision of looking at the world in another way. Come back to the blank canvas of the mind and allow the Truth of God to be full realized upon your consciousness.
There is also a hidden gift in the end of our reading. We are reminded to take a pause and repeat the statement during distressing moments throughout the day. We are encouraged to welcome the power of taking a moment to claim a miracle, a shift in perception. The gift of time is always on our side and as we pause during distressing moments we will be shown that we lose nothing by taking a moment for ourselves for the shift to occur. We can only gain insight, love, appreciation, gratitude, and even more time. We spend so much time suffering that if we just took a moment to allow a new way to be shown of how to approach our circumstances, we would see that our inner knowing, the grace of God, is using our time wisely, giving us more time in the end. Thus, we start to experience that time is transcendent.
“Remember to apply today’s idea the instant you are away of distress. It may be necessary to take a minute or so to sit quietly and repeat the idea to yourself several times. Closing your eyes will probably help in this form of application (ACIM Lesson 33 4:1-3).”
Enjoy expanded vision today as it shows you how limitless the world you live in can be. How you do have the power to see something more. How you are that different way of being in the world.
As we close, I share a song with you that encouraged me as I started to awaken on this journey, Something More by Sugarland. Let us celebrate our journey together as we decide, “I need a little less hard time. I need a little more bliss (Sugarland).” Here’s to your bliss and mine. The ONE Bliss.
Namaste.