Lesson 316. All gifts I give my brothers are my own.
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Lesson 316. All gifts I give my brothers are my own.
(1) As every gift my brothers give is mine, so every gift I give belongs to me. Each one allows a past mistake to go, and leave no shadow on the holy mind my Father loves. His grace is given me in every gift a brother has received throughout all time, and past all time as well. My treasure house is full, and angels watch its open doors that not one gift is lost, and only more are added. Let me come to where my treasures are, and enter in where I am truly welcome and at home, among the gifts that God has given me.
(2) Father, I would accept Your gifts today. I do not recognize them. Yet I trust that You Who gave them will provide the means by which I can behold them, see their worth, and cherish only them as what I want.
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Below, is from Kenneth Wapnick's commentaries on this lesson, from "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles," which can be purchased at the following site: ~ M. Street.
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Lesson 316. "All gifts I give my brothers are my own."
My brothers and I are joined, and so the gifts of forgiveness given others through extension reinforces its presence in me -- God's Son is one.
(1:1-3) "As every gift my brothers give is mine, so every gift I give belongs to me. Each one allows a past mistake to go, and leave no shadow on the holy mind my Father loves. His grace is given me in every gift a brother has received throughout all time, and past all time as well."
By forgiving the sins we perceived in our brothers, we let go of the shadows they cast through projection: our attacks and grievances. They are thus forgotten as we gently remember the gifts our Father gave us.
(1:4-5) "My treasure house is full, and angels watch its open doors that not one gift is lost, and only more are added. Let me come to where my treasures are, and enter in where I am truly welcome and at home, among the gifts that God has given me."
My right mind is the "treasure house" in which God's gifts are found. When we seek for treasures in the world -- objects of specialness to delight us and give us happiness, peace, and pleasure -- we are saying God's treasure is not enough, nor is the Holy Spirit's Atonement. Again, it is not that we should feel guilty for seeking the treasured objects of specialness, but we do want to recognize what we are doing and why. Gratitude for the classrooms of our lives will inevitably follow, for they have provided the opportunities that enabled us finally to realize where our treasure is. The statement "let me come to where my treasures are" is clearly a prayer to our decision making selves: we are the ones who wandered into the ego's far country, and we are the ones who must choose to return. And we are glad and grateful to do so, as Heaven sings its song of gratitude.
(2) "Father, I would accept Your gifts today. I do not recognize them. Yet I trust that You Who gave them will provide the means by which I can behold them, see their worth, and cherish only them as what I want."
The means of true perception is forgiveness, which allows us to accept God's gift of love. Unless we give it, we shall never know we have received it. Therefore to deny His Love anywhere in the Sonship is to deny it in all, including ourselves. Yet to accept it in one accepts it in all, including ourselves. Thus Jesus encourages us to give as God gives -- without limit or constraint:
"Could any part of God be without His Love, and could any part of His Love be contained? God is your heritage, because His one gift is Himself. How can you give except like Him if you would know His gift to you? Give, then, without limit and without end, to learn how much He has given you. Your ability to accept Him depends on your willingness to give as He gives." (T-11.1.7:1-5).
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
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