A Course In Miracles Lesson 85
A Course In Miracles Lesson 85
A Course In Miracles lesson 85 reviews lessons 69 and 70.
My resentments hide the light of grace in me Review of Lesson 69
Review of Lesson 69:
My complaints hide the light of the world in me.
Today’s review brings our attention to the fact that not only do we have a light within our minds that is also found in every mind, we also hold grievances in our minds about how things went wrong for us.
A grievance is a complaint or an expression of discontent. A grievance is a feeling that we have been wronged, mistreated, and disrespected. When we enter this state, we need the people involved with creating these feelings to do something or say something to release the grievance. Unfortunately, that does not always happen and we are left in a waiting state, needing someone else to release us of our frustration.
While it is not possible for us to stop wanting what we want from other people, it is possible to inform how we cultivate our desires so that those desires align with peace and empowerment. It is disempowering to need another person to behave a certain way to be able to achieve peace of mind. We become a captive of their choices to either respect us or not.
Today’s first review lesson wants us to consider that what we want underneath what we think we want is peace. Meaning, we think we want a person to do or say something because we believe that will bring us peace. So what we really want in every situation is peace. We are misguided about how to achieve that peace. As the next review phrase quickly clarifies.
We can not stop wanting. It is in our inherent nature to have desires. But what we can do is inform our desires about how to more effectively achieve what we are after. We are always after peace, well-being, satisfaction, and joy. What we do to achieve these qualities is what we can refine. Today we are asked to again consider that it is not the situation that is causing you pain. It is what you think that situation means that hurts. And what you think can be redirected towards a better feeling.
How do I release resentments? Seek help from a reliable source
This world is ever-changing and impermanent. To seek comfort from that which does not endure will always lead to a cycle of ups and downs, satisfaction, and dissatisfaction. A Course In Miracles wants us to shift our attention away from needing the impermanent to be permanent and towards realizing how to actually sense the permanent state of wellness, which, in this lesson is called the light. The light is eternal wellness.
A constantly changing world is very distressing because it is not a true state of consistent being. This world can not comfort. Wanting comfort from things of this world will lead to feelings of grievance.
We are not being asked to figure out how to stop feeling our grievances in this lesson. We are only being asked to recognize the effects that grievances have on our sense of well-being. How we stop feeling frustrated is discussed after we recognize the root cause of the frustration in the first place. Feeling that someone or some situation should be different causes pain. The way something unfolds is as it is. What we thought ought to happen is not what happened. This is because we do not understand what this world is. We think it is something it is not. We think it is reliable when it is not. Recognizing that our attention is in the wrong place is the first step to shifting it towards a more reliable focus.
The ever-present permanence of security and well-being is here. It has just been obscured by a misperception. Today we are asked to bring this lesson into all your challenging situations by saying to each one,
New Inner Dialogue to remember throughout the day
“Let me not use this disappointment I feel to block my connection to lasting, reliable peace.”
“Let me remember in this frustrating situation that there is peace in this world even when I can not see it. That peace is found within my own heart whenever I am willing to recognize my state of grievance.”
“Let me remember I have no need for the feelings of frustration this situation is causing me to feel. I do not know how to resolve the conflict. But I do know how to be willing to have the conflict resolved for me. This I ask the Light to do for me now.”
My asking for help is how I am the one who releases me from my frustration. And that leads us to the second review lesson for today…
I have the power to end my own suffering Review of Lesson 70
(70) I am the only one who releases me from my suffering.
Today I will recognize where to find the help I need to end my suffering. Pain is a brief occurrence but suffering goes on and on because I do not realize what causes it. The cause and the cure are within my own mind. I end my suffering because I am the one generating it.
The ability to end mental fear, anger, or anguish is not to be searched for in the world. It is found in the light in me. The end of suffering is not brought to me from outside. Ending suffering is an event I allow to rise and occur from within my perception of a painful situation. I let my thoughts change rather than hold fast to misguided beliefs. I let myself learn and be guided to join that which is less of a struggle.
Today, when I encounter my chronic pain, I will say, “Let me not think for a moment that this is an external or an eternal problem. Let me make room in my mind for a realm of calm to arise from deep within me and let me allow that calm within to dissolve away this pain.”
I will say, “I will not let this confusion separate me from my inner sense of well-being. I have the ability to be at peace, even through this situation and, in fact, I no longer need such situations to teach me how to locate inner peace. I can be done with extreme situations. I can be interested in peace. I can learn to let feeling good feel good and safe.
There is no conflict with enough power to separate me from my peace within.
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…