Lesson 74
There is no will but God’s.
On the spiritual journey, as much as peace and happiness are desired, once we are given it, we realize that it can feel very foreign and sometimes uncomfortable. As we start to awaken to the Truth and choose for peace, we recognize how comforting our suffering used to be. Our angst, anger, sadness, and all means of suffering can sometimes feel like a cozy blanket, as it has been our “norm.” We have grown accustomed to the feeling suffering has had on the body. Once we begin to let that go, we can feel naked and vulnerable. Thus, although peace has been desired, it can take a moment to feel cozy in this new outfit of Oneness.
Today, we learn more about peace as we experience there is no will but the Will of God. There is no other will present. Nothing need be added nor taken away from a statement like today. There are no causes to argue. There are no loopholes. There is no small, fine print to this statement. It is the answer to every question and/or dilemma you have:
What do I do with my life? “There is no will but God’s.”
Where do I go? “There is no will but God’s.”
Should I buy this car or that car? “There is no will but God’s.”
Should I leave my job? “There is no will but God’s.”
What do I do today? “There is not will but God’s.”
If you find yourself in conflict or contraction, you are not in God’s will. God does not desire that you suffer. God wills that you be happy. God wills that you be in peace.
“Let us try to recognize this today, and experience the peace this recognition brings” (ACIM Lesson 74 2:5).
I once had a friend tell me about how she makes decisions. If she is ever torn about what to do regarding a situation, she sits down in a quiet place with her eyes closed and pictures her options as doors. In her mind, she walks up to one door, opens it, walks in and sees the option. She feels it. She senses it. She listens to it. She then closes that door and goes to the next, doing the same thing, following suit with the other doors. The door she opens and feels the most relaxed in, the most peaceful, she chooses that option. This is a wonderful way to tune into guidance and the Will of God.
In my friend’s example, this is the way the Holy Spirit works with her to show her God’s will. She tries on each option in her mind like an outfit and goes with the one that feels most comfortable to her body. Her body is the tool in which the Holy Spirit uses to let her know she is in God’s Will. How does the Holy Spirit tune in with you?
It is true, that we may not have time go through doors of options depending on our environment at the time. But what we can do is use exercises like today’s practice periods as a means of understanding what peace feels like on us and how God’s will is communicated to us. Thus, when a situation arises we will know exactly what it feels like to be in God’s will. Before, we were accustomed to choosing suffering out of habit, today we feel Love’s embrace and invite the new “norm.”
“Sink into [peace] and feel it closing around you” (ACIM Lesson 74 5:2)
Often when resting in God’s will we wonder, what is it? I can’t see it. I can’t hear it. I don’t understand it. What is God’s will? Remember, that too is conflict, which is not a part of God’s will. Sometimes we are graced to hear a voice, have a vision, or feel a tug at our heart, that let’s us know which direction God’s will is leading. However, more often, we are left to just witness how God’s will is arising in each moment of our lives.
God’s will is not a problem to be solved. It is not something to be figured out. It is not part of some sort of linear trajectory of our lives that we can finally move on from, to then be awakened and say, “that is it…I am done…lifetime over…I have succeeded…now on to being an angel, sage, or other master in another realm.” Thus, in these moments we can say, “My conflicts about God’s Will cannot be real.” Because God does not will you to have conflicts, especially regarding awakening and your way Home. She shows us the way with Her Light, not by hiding booby traps, false doors, land mines, or other such egoic deceiving devices. God’s will is simple and easy. It is only in our minds, with our illusions, that we make it more difficult.
“Without illusions conflict is impossible” (ACIM Lesson 74 2:4).
Today, we step into experiencing God’s will and witness how it is part of us. It is nowhere we are not. And it is not just for a moment but always and in all ways. The world will tell you that “it is impossible to live in peace,” when actually nothing is more possible and guaranteed.
Be honest with the conflicts that arise around you today and explore them as intimately as you have the ego. Begin to witness the illusory effects conflict has on your inner world and begin feel what it means to rest in peace fully. This may mean that you feel a little drowsy during your practice periods. Conflict is very heightening to the nervous system of the body and when we come down from the peak of our “fight or flight” mode, we may want to crash and go right to sleep. We are so accustomed to running from 0 to 100 without noticing the homeostasis and peace this available to us in the middle.
It is our desire today to welcome that balance into the body, mind, soul, and spirit. Be kind to yourself as you find your level of homeostasis where the will of God resides. If you need a nap, take a nap. If you find yourself wondering off in the practice period, that is okay, too. What is most important today is our intention and our choice to see that “There is no will but God’s.”
Namaste.