Page 19 - Changing Lesson

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This is a reversal of most Christian teaching and is an example of the many ways the Course
redefines many religious terms as part of the complete thought reversal it is leading us toward. In
the Manual for Teachers, Atonement, salvation, forgiveness and healing are all equated as one.

There is no sacrifice in Atonement or salvation, only healing and forgiveness. Through forgiveness I
learn to see innocence everywhere. As I see innocence, I see harmlessness and I return to the
awareness of God's perfect safety and His Love. I no longer need to defend against the truth but
rather see it as my Source of happiness, peace and freedom.

The recognition that this world is all illusion means that all the interactions between bodies and
forms have no effect whatsoever on Reality. What is unreal cannot affect Reality at all. I begin to
see, as truth replaces illusion in my awareness, that nothing has ever really happened to change me
in any way. Thus forgiveness is natural, for it is recognized that in truth, there is nothing to forgive.
This recognition opens my mind to the awareness that it holds nothing but the thoughts of Love I
think with God. Step by step, these lessons are guiding me to the full acceptance of my Self, as I was
created.

A passage that means a lot to me is, "The Holy Spirit is not delayed in His teaching by your mistakes.
He can be held back only by your unwillingness to let them go." I have posted this where I will see it
frequently. It is important to me that I remind myself that my errors have no real effects. There is no
reason for me to feel guilty or afraid because of them. Experiencing fear and guilt is just my way of
clinging to my errors. I choose, instead, to release them. This is a way that I accept atonement for
myself.

Lesson 152 “The power of decision is my own.”

Jesus is encouraging me to accept the truth and let go of the ego lies of separation. The truth is, all
that is real is one in God and has never changed from how God created it. All is one continuous
whole in God. This one, continuous whole is changeless and eternal. This is my true Identity and
everyone's true Identity. This is the real universe as God created it. In today's lesson Jesus is
encouraging me to let go of what is not true, what is not real. What is not real -- bodies in a world of
time and constant change -- is not what God created.

Let me accept the truth today. Let me not try to change God's creation and make an individual self-
image. Let me let go of that self-image and accept only the truth as true. Let me accept my one
universal Self in God as all that is real. This is salvation. My identity could never be anything other
than as God created it. Let me accept the truth today.

This lesson lays responsibility for the world I see squarely in my own hands. Recognition of this as
true is essential to my release from it. As long as I believe that anything in the world I see is not of
my own making, I am a victim of the world, powerless to do anything about it. Acceptance of full
responsibility for the world is key to my release from it. It means I have all the power I need to
release the world I see and return to Heaven, where I was created to be and still am in truth.

The decision for what I want to believe is true is always mine. This is a point that is repeated many
ways, again and again throughout the Course. The ego puts up all kinds of smoke screens trying to
hide this fact and make it seem as though what happens in the world I see is entirely out of my

Lessons by Marlyn Marval Feb 23th thru April 9th 2015