A recent lesson in A Course In
Miracles (ACIM) discusses my only true function here on earth and how pursuing
all my constant, trivial purposes and goals only interferes with this one goal
given me by God. It is a hard lesson for me. I’ve been taught that setting and
achieving goals is the way forward – the way to happiness and contentment.
The Course constantly tells me all my disappointments, frustrations,
upsets, anger, worry, anxiety, come from these trivial goals and objectives I
have set for myself. Achieving these goals is supposed to allow me to be happy,
joyous and free. But they don’t. The Course explains that these ego-based goals
and objectives actually keep me in a state of fear, which is the root cause of
my unhappiness and sense of being unfulfilled.
So, according to ACIM, what is
my one, true function? To be a source of light and love. To be forgiving of
myself and, thus, of others. To see all humankind as one – collectively, the
Son of God. Finding my peace through forgiveness is my salvation. Allowing my
peacefulness to spread to all humankind will save the world. That is my sole – my only – purpose. Doing God’s purpose
for me is my only source of happiness, contentment, and freedom. Doing anything
else is of my ego and will result in my unhappiness.
“What unhappiness?” I say to
myself. “I’m not unhappy. Well, maybe a little. Yes, all the drama, chaos, and emotion
I attach to my expected outcomes from achieving ‘my’ goals don’t make me really happy. Any nice feelings I may get
are only very fleeting.” “Well, Donnie, my boy” I answer myself. “ That’s being
unhappy.”
Then I remember from AA: My
emotions are just that – emotions. They are not real. They are not facts. They
are merely tripwires of my past experiences. I need do nothing with these
emotions other than to acknowledge and accept them. If I pay attention to them,
the frustration I experience (simply another emotion) will tempt me to drink
again. After all, anesthetizing my feelings was the principle reason I drank in
the first place. ACIM indicates, as well, that simply – and only – recognizing my emotions as a result of
my perception of a situation, event or person is pretty close to the definition
of forgiving myself and extending forgiveness to others.
Forgiving myself for perceiving
the situation in a way that allowed these based-on-the-past emotions to bubble
up and forgiving the people in that perceived situation is my salvation and the
salvation of the world. I am to do some of this. The Holy Spirit does the rest.
I have experienced the reality
of what ACIM is stating – although I could never put it into words. It’s the
reality l learned by focusing on my AA purpose, rather than focusing on all the
distractions of unmet expectations or focusing on “poor me” questions – like
“Why is this always happening to me?” I
learned, when my sobriety felt very tenuous to return to my AA purpose: “To
stay sober and help another alcoholic achieve sobriety.”
Focusing on my AA purpose would
alter my whole physical universe – I have never been able to explain it. Now,
maybe, I’m getting a glimpse of the true reality that was really going on. By
focusing on my sobriety and my helpfulness to other alcoholics, all the
peripheral stuff (and it’s all peripheral stuff) just seemed to float away. It
was like my life had become Teflon®. Nothing trivial seemed to stick. When
that occurred, my universe changed. Problems melted away. Confounding issues
just disappeared on their own. It was – as I perceived it then – miraculous.
ACIM is telling me that when I
focus on my true purpose, I will find true happiness, because following my
purpose and being truly happy are one and the same. When I focus on my true purpose, I have a taste
of True Reality – not my egoic, illusionary perceptions of reality.
My True Reality is coming from
my True Self, which is aligned with my True Function. That is joy! That is
Peace! That is my True Happiness!
As I said, this is a hard message
for me. But I’m working on it.
Although these messages are
mostly for me, thanks for listening. As always – feel free to forward this
message to your friends, family, and those accompanying you on your spiritual
journey.
Don
#2 March, 2013
Copyright, 2013
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