|
|
"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God."
******************************************
Littleness versus Magnitude "Be
not content with littleness. But be sure you understand what littleness is, and why you could never be content with it. Littleness
is the offering you give yourself. You offer this in place of magnitude, and you accept it. Everything in this world is little
because it is a world made out of littleness, in the strange belief that littleness can content you. When you strive for anything
in this world in the belief that it will bring you peace, you are belittling yourself and blinding yourself to glory. Littleness
and glory are the choices open to your striving and your vigilance. You will always choose one at the expense of the other." (Text-15.III.1) "Yet what you do not realize,
each time you choose, is that your choice is your evaluation of yourself. Choose littleness and you will not have peace, for
you will have judged yourself unworthy of it. And whatever you offer as a substitute is much too poor a gift to satisfy you.
It is essential that you accept the fact, and accept it gladly, that there is no form of littleness that can ever content
you. You are free to try as many as you wish, but all you will be doing is to delay your homecoming. For you will be content
only in magnitude, which is your home." (Text-15.III.2) "There is a deep responsibility you owe yourself, and one you must
learn to remember all the time. The lesson may seem hard at first, but you will learn to love it when you realize that it
is true and is but a tribute to your power. You who have sought and found littleness, remember this: Every decision you make
stems from what you think you are, and represents the value that you put upon yourself. Believe the little can content you,
and by limiting yourself you will not be satisfied. For your function is not little, and it is only by finding your function
and fulfilling it that you can escape from littleness." (Text-15.III.3)
A Course In Miracles came to help us find and fulfill our function.
That function is simple, yet powerful. It is the function that Jesus accepted, taught, and lived; and now he would
have us share that function with him. This function is quiet, gentle, accepting, and merely allows transformation
to occur. It is an inner "letting go" that allows truth to enter and be itself. This function allows Wholeness and
Magnitude to reestablish Itself in the mind that has denied it. This function clears the way for the acceptance of Atonement. This function is forgiveness. When
Jesus spoke, he said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life." He is speaking from
the state of mind of Magnitude. It is the way because it is the undoing of littleness. It is the state of mind
where every last thought of littleness has been happily laid aside. And littleness must be laid aside before we can join him
and go Home. Littleness did not originate in Heaven, so it cannot return There. Magnitude must be remembered before the mind
is ready to awaken in Heaven ("No man comes to the Father but by Me."). When that remembrance is accomplished, we will recognize our truth and life ARE the
same as Jesus because it is a perfectly shared Self, devoid of any element of separation.
Then, and now in A Course In Miracles, he is asking us to allow him to lead us there.
But we have either misunderstood him or found his request too much to ask. And he understands that because he
has walked in our shoes. But he loves us and will not, and cannot, abandon us. He learned what we must yet learn,
and he knows we are as capable as learners as he is. The Teacher he learned from is the same Teacher we have.
We cannot fail.........but we can drag our feet! "In gentle laughter does the Holy Spirit perceive the
cause, and looks not to effects. How else could He correct your error, who have overlooked the cause entirely? He bids you
bring each terrible effect to Him that you may look together on its foolish cause and laugh with Him awhile. You
judge effects, but He has judged
their cause. And by His judgment are effects removed. Perhaps you come in tears. But hear Him say, 'My brother, holy Son of
God, behold your idle dream, in which this could occur.' And you will leave the holy instant with your laughter and your brother's
joined with His." (Text-27.VIII.9) We must
learn what littleness is. Littleness springs from our belief that we have separated from God. That is the "cause",
and we must see it clearly and recognize its cost. Until we do, it is inevitable that we will misunderstand Jesus
or find his request too much to ask. But that's okay. He is patient and knows we will eventually accept his invitation.
Until then, he will reach us where we believe we are, in the state we believe we are in. He does not believe it, but he knows
we do. We have all grown accustomed
to littleness, accustomed to the dark, so to speak; and we have long since lost any desire to question it. From the perspective
of littleness, we interact with our brothers and the world. And this we call "reality". And we pay a dear price
for this reality. Part of learning is to realize the cost and refuse to pay it any longer.
"You do not have to strive for it (magnitude),
because you have it. All your striving must be directed against littleness, for it does require vigilance to protect your
magnitude in this world. To hold your magnitude in perfect awareness in a world of littleness is a task the little cannot
undertake. Yet it is asked of you, in tribute to your magnitude and not your littleness." (Text-15.III.4.3-6) Littleness is merely another term for ego-body-identification. Magnitude is merely
another term for spirit-identification. This world that we live in was made (by us as Sons of God) to be a place where
we could be apart from God and identify with the ego (littleness). But we are being asked to let littleness go and accept
our magnitude instead. It is not easy to accept our magnitude and then keep it in awareness while walking
in a world of littleness, but this is the meaning of being in the world but not of it.
"I asked you earlier, 'Would you be hostage to the ego or host to God?' Let this question be asked
you by the Holy Spirit every time you make a decision. For every decision you make does answer this, and invites sorrow or
joy accordingly. When God gave Himself to you in your creation, He established you as host to Him forever. He has not left
you, and you have not left Him. All your attempts to deny His magnitude, and make His Son hostage to the ego, cannot make
little whom God has joined with Him. Every decision you make is for Heaven or for hell, and brings you the awareness of what
you decided for." (Text-15.III.5) It was pointed out to us in the Bible
that if we decide for (sow to) the flesh (littleness), we invite the experience of corruption. At the same time,
it made it clear that if we side with and decide for (sow to) spirit (magnitude), we would experience life everlasting. God established us in magnitude, sharing His Nature. When we side with littleness, we thus deny this
truth and invite our experience of corruption. Our decision brings our suffering, not God. Our terrible experiences in
this world are not "acts of God". They have been requested by our decision to hold to littleness, and thus guilt.
Our belief in our guilt calls on the world to bear witness to that guilt, for guilt calls for punishment. We, as sleeping
Sons of God, are responsible for our entire experience here! "The Holy Spirit can hold your magnitude, clean of all littleness,
clearly and in perfect safety in your mind, untouched by every little gift the world of littleness would offer you. But for
this, you cannot side against Him in what He wills for you. Decide for God through Him. For littleness, and the belief that
you can be content with littleness, are decisions you make about yourself. The power and the glory that lie in you from God
are for all who, like you, perceive themselves as little, and believe that littleness can be blown up into a sense of magnitude
that can content them. Neither give littleness, nor accept it. All honor is due the host of God. Your littleness deceives
you, but your magnitude is of Him Who dwells in you, and in Whom you dwell. Touch no one, then, with littleness in the Name
of Christ, eternal Host unto His Father." (Text-15.III.6)
Along the way that learning and forgiveness leads us, the perception of simplicity and clarity will come. They are some of
the gifts that we will find as we walk along our way. Complexity is of the ego (littleness). It thrives on asking questions
that have no meaningful answers and seeking answers that cannot be found. Simplicity and clarity are of the spirit (magnitude).
Within its light, questions, issues, and perplexities fade away to nothingness. Patience and trust can be our helpers
on our journey. "Holy child of God, when will you learn that only holiness can content you and give you peace? Remember
that you learn not for yourself alone, no more than I did. It is because I learned for you that you can learn of me. I would
but teach you what is yours, so that together we can replace the shabby littleness that binds the host of God to guilt and
weakness with the glad awareness of the glory that is in him. My birth in you is your awakening to grandeur."
(Text-15.III.9.1-5) |
|||||||||||
Enter supporting content here
| Unity of Brazosport |
 |
| 507 So. Brooks St, (Hwy 36), Brazoria, TX 77422 |
