A Course In Miracles Lesson 78
A Course In Miracles Lesson 78
What is a Grievance?
A Course In Miracles Lesson 78 states: Let miracles replace all grievances. A grievance is a complaint that we have been wronged and are owed recompense. To hold a grievance requires that we keep the upsetting situation in our thoughts and hold ourselves in a state of waiting for what we believe we are owed to be given to us. A grievance is a waiting state that requires another person or situation to bring us relief. We are waiting for the other person to behave in a way that will release us from our frustration.
But we can release ourselves from that frustrating waiting state today by turning our attention towards a narrative that truly empowers us to move on and need nothing more from the situation we are focusing on. The new narrative considers miracles as possible. The new narrative views our own selves as having the ability to locate peace even in this situation, or that one…
We are still learning to understand the nature of what a grievance is and the damaging effects it has on our experiences in life. We are learning the physics of how to not carry complaints within our perspective. We are learning how to meet what happens without feeling attacked or betrayed. This process of seeing a situation differently is a process of changing our logic. It is our way of thinking that hurts us. A Course In Miracles Lesson 78 wants us to understand that building the ability to guide how we think leads to the power that peace gives. Today we are asked to let compassion replace anger and to let miracles replace grievances.
Oh sure, easy for a book to say...
You may be thinking, “Yes, but A Course In Miracles does not understand the details of what I am having to deal with.” A Course In Miracles Lesson 78 is not saying, “Don’t be angry. Be at peace.” And yet, that is the direction we must head in to ever arrive at peace. We are not being asked to ignore or stuff down angry feelings. We are not being shamed for feeling angry. And we are being given all the time in the world to be (and stay) as angry as we want to be. But when anger becomes a constant state, it causes pain. We believe something out in the world is causing the anger to happen, but today’s lesson is teaching us that we are not at the mercy of the external world. The anger we feel is an indication that our conclusions about something are in error. We may not be ready to change a conclusion we have drawn about something or someone because being wrong feels scary. Being mistaken shakes foundations we thought were permanent.
Is Anger bad?
Anger is like fire. It is useful until it becomes dangerous and it must be watched with great care. Anger logic is part of a clarifying process that does not end with anger. When it arises it can be a great relief as it is filled with energy and confirms a passion to engage in life. Anger indicates interest and care. And also a time to look closely at what we believe is true. To release ourselves from anger we will eventually need to yield from one way of thinking to a different way of thinking. When and how that yielding occurs is up to you. But A Course In Miracles Lesson 78 wants to gently remind you that getting angry is not a problem. But to stay angry produces an unhappy experience.
Releasing anger logic and choosing miracle logic unfolds a profoundly enjoyable experience. Releasing a need to feel certain and prioritizing an interest in feeling peaceful is the process of letting miracles replace grievances. Every decision we make is always a decision to either construct a grievance or to behold an opportunity for a miracle. Whatever happens to us is how a miracle can unfold for us. We decide if we think miracles are possible. We decide if what we encounter in our day has the power to prevent a miracle. We decide if what we are dealing with is impossible to release. In this course, we are learning that there is nothing the power of Creation can not do. Any impasse can be overcome. There is a way through any obstacle. If we chose to believe miracles are not possible in a given situation due to all the “evidence” around us of the lack of Grace, we are the ones placing grievances in the way of miracles.
Apply today's lesson The Practice
Today we are asked to remember as often as possible that experiencing the miraculous is a decision we make. Make a note of today’s lesson and have it nearby all day. Set an alarm for reminders every hour. Change for the better is not just possible, it is guaranteed to us when we decide to believe that miracles are our inheritance. If you are not so sure of the existence or power of miracles, make no mistake, that is a belief you are choosing to maintain. We chose what we believe. Our mind either lets it in or gives it no attention. Today we claim the power we were given by Creation when we were created and we ask in earnest to have miracles replace our grievances, to have our belief in separation and isolation be replaced by a belief of astounding connectivity. We decide to stop analyzing all the details of how a problem is painful and just decide to put the pain down. We will stop trying to figure things out and turn towards less complex, less painful things. We recognize that we do not understand a certain painful situation and we decide to not spend another moment in the experience of conflict. We let go of any fire that has shifted from warmth to burning. We step away from the whole system of thought that hurts us and we ask that anger be lifted from our minds and connect me to your Grace.
Who do we ask? That within us which is capable of the miraculous.
The part of our mind that has been seeing the world through the lens of grievances will not feel it is possible to just stop being upset about something to which we have assigned importance. Trying to dismiss something we are attached to only makes that part of our mind more frustrated. We can not resolve feelings of grievances with a, “Be gone!” command of banishment. If part of us is clinging to anger, getting upset that we are angry is just feeding the loop of anger. Like a mother prying a pair of scissors out of a toddler’s hands, we can be the parent to ourselves who can see more clearly the danger in the anger we are clinging to and guide our own selves to let go of what we cling to.
A Course In Miracles Lesson 78 wants us to understand that the process of letting miracles replace all grievances first acknowledges that we have a grievance and that by having that feeling, we are hurting. The reason we deny our frustrations and try to banish problems through a process of denial and disassociation is because we believe the situation can not be changed. This belief causes a sense of powerlessness and despair. Feeling powerless is actually unbearable and we will do anything to regain a sense of personal power. Why is that? Because a sense of powerlessness is simply untrue and what is untrue is painful. In truth, we are power Itself. We come from Creation. Creation made us like Itself, with the power to create. To think otherwise will simply be wrong and painful.
Summary of Lesson 78
It is not our job to figure out how to solve a particular problem. It is not for us to figure out how to make a situation peaceful. It is only our job to decide that a resolution exists even if we can not see it at the moment. If you encounter a situation today that feels impossible to resolve remember that nothing is impossible for a miracle. Decide for yourself that you are someone miracles can happen to. And tell the situation, “I do not understand you but I believe it is possible for you to resolve and transform into something enjoyable.” Then be willing to have the situation change by releasing any impulse to track its details. Let go of grievance counting. Rest assured, you’ve counted enough of them and they have been duly noted. That which has gone wrong will inevitably encounter the consequences of that error. Release your own self from any error occurring. Let miracles replace all grievances today.
About the Author
Hi, I’m Jess. This blog is an ongoing discussion and practice of A Course In Miracles. All content is based on and cited from the original publication. Learn more about Jess…