A Course In Miracles Lesson 47

A Course In Miracles Lesson 47 states:

God is the strength in which I trust.

Or

Connecting to the Source of my existence is how I open my heart to trust.

A Course In Miracles Lesson 47 explains that trust is what enables us to feel safe.  Trusting in impermanent things leads to a cycle of hope and disappointment.  Hope is not trust.  There is something in this world worthy of your trust and today’s lesson tells us what that is.  There is only one religious term in today’s lesson that could be rephrased if it causes your mind irritation.  We have redefined the word God in previous lessons to convey the concept of an all-inclusive Field of reality from which all that is comes.  With this in mind, there was very little that I found needed to be changed in order to understand today’s lesson.  It is presented here in nearly its original form with only a few alterations in phrasing as well as expansions to ideas.

A Course In Miracles Lesson 47 explains that if you are trusting in your own strength, you have every reason to be anxious and fearful.  You, of yourself, can not predict or control anything in this world.  What is there in you that can be counted on?  Sooner or later, you will not be able to maintain consistency, not in the way the Field of Creation is able to do.  What would give you the ability to be aware of all the facets of any problem and to be able to resolve those problems in a way that only good comes from it?   Of yourself, you can do none of these things. Such is the ability of a higher order, a higher Field of awareness than the one in which you are currently dwelling.  You alone could not be expected to hold such an awareness.  To believe that you can achieve the all-encompassing awareness of the entire Field of Creation sounds obviously foolish, but we compulsively take upon that role more often than we are aware of.  Trying to self-generate the confidence of Creation without connecting to that Source will cause anxiety and will ultimately lead to disillusionment.

You can not achieve confidence by yourself alone.  To believe that you can is to put your trust where trust is unwarranted. (Building your house on sand rather than bedrock)  And doing this justifies any fear, anxiety, depression, anger, and sorrow.  Who can put their faith in weakness and feel safe?  Likewise, who can put their faith in true strength and feel weak?

The Source of all Creation is your safety in every circumstance.  That Source is within your mind behind all the noise.  Amidst all the loud voices in your head, there is one quiet, calm voice that speaks the truth to you.  The expression of the Source of Creation speaks for itself in all situations and it tells you exactly what to do to call upon the strength of itself within you.  Learning to hear that voice within is the purpose of this course.  The Knowing Field of All Creation is where your ability to trust and be confident comes from.  There are no exceptions because the Knowing Field of All Creation does not have exceptions.  The Voice of the Field is within you and can be heard and can be followed to find true guidance.

A Course In Miracles Lesson 47 attempts to reach past all the self-made voices in your head that guide you to feelings of weakness, anger, and fear to locate the Voice of God in you.

This idea can easily raise a red flag in the minds of conscientious readers who would understandably question the dangers of believing you have found a voice that is “always right.”  Following an overly confident voice does not necessarily lead to locating the true resource for clarity.  The voice of true strength will be a quiet and gentle one.  To hear this quality of voice, we must bring ourselves to a quiet gentleness. To know if we are connected with the reliable Source for trust and certainty, we must constantly scan our inner life for any indications of anxiety, worry, anger, or weakness.  Such qualities are an indication that we are not connected to the Source of true reality.  True confidence does not have any nervous qualities and does not generate feelings of vertigo or doubt.  True confidence is calm, humble, and has no need to shout.

Today we will try to reach past your own weakness to the Source of real strength and trust.  Four 5-minute practice periods are necessary today.  Feel free to sit for longer than five minutes if you wish and also try to recall the lesson frequently throughout the day.

For the long sessions, close your eyes and repeat the idea. 

God is the strength in which I trust.  

If that phraseology irritates you, define it in a way that feels good.

Spend a minute searching for situations in your life where you experience fear.  Dismiss each situation by saying, “God is the strength in which I trust” (Or however you like to express the idea)  I also like the phrase, “The Source of my existence is where I find the ability to trust and feel safe in this world.”

Without connecting to this Source, I can not locate true trust or feel deeply safe.

After contemplating this idea for a bit, then let your thoughts glide past all your concerns related to your own sense of inadequacy.  Any situation that causes you concern is associated with feelings of inadequacy, otherwise, you would believe you could deal with the situation successfully.  Trusting in yourself alone will not lead to confidence.  It will lead to anxiety.  Locating the quiet, gentle, calm voice of God (The Field) in your mind will guide you successfully through all things.  The recognition of your own frailty is a necessary step in the correction of your errors.  But recognizing your frailty is hardly what will lead to the confidence needed to enjoy your life and asking you to develop a spiritual connection is not about asking you to maintain an identity of frailty or excessive humbleness.  Connecting to the Source Field leads to actual confidence, which is your birthright (coming, as you do, from the Field of confidence Itself.)

Do not fear feeling confident or feel a need to second-guess yourself to maintain a nervous, self-doubting persona.  God wants your confidence.  God wants your joy because that is what God is and that is what God made when they made you.  You were always intended to be in peace and joy.  Wellness is a right you are entitled to because of what you really are.  You will only fear confidence when you are trying to make it happen by yourself.  So let fear be a gentle indication that it is time to pause and turn to the Field again.  We turn to the Field again and again and again, choosing to step aside and let it lead the way.  It is much better equipped to guide us through the complexities of life we can not fully grasp.  When we ask for that guidance and truly put down our self-made impulses, we experience a Grace unfold that is more creative and more productive than any solution we could have thought up.

When you connect with the Source Field, confidence in your real strength need not be questioned or worried over.  You can know you have within yourself the ability to locate calm, attentive awareness.  Deep peace is the quality of this inner resource.  It will feel like peace.  If it is evading you, ask to be taught how to step aside and let it in.  The Field will show you how to do that.  Even if a connection to the Source of Creation is felt for a moment, there is tremendous lasting benefit in just that brief contact with your inner connection to True Reality.  You can know it is there even when turbulent, choppy thoughts storm about in front of this small, quiet place within you.

As you sit quietly during the 4 sessions today, slip past all turbulent thoughts and let go of trivial things that churn on the surface of your mind.  Reach deeper, past the turbulence to the Field of wellness within you, and within all things.  There is a place in you where there is perfect peace.  There is a place in you where nothing is impossible and where the strength of all creation dwells forever beyond all time.

Recall today’s lesson often.  Use this lesson as your answer to any disturbances.  Peace is your right when you give your trust to the strength of the Creative Field.