Lesson 40. I am blessed as a Son of God.Today we will begin to assert some of the happy things to which you areentitled, being what you are. No long practice periods are required today, butvery frequent short ones are necessary. Once every ten minutes would be highlydesirable, and you are urged to attempt this schedule and to adhere to itwhenever possible. If you forget, try again. If there are long interruptions,try again. Whenever you remember, try again.You need not close your eyes for the exercise periods, although you willprobably find it more helpful if you do. However, you may be in a number ofsituations during the day when closing your eyes would not be feasible. Do notmiss a practice period because of this. You can practice quite well under anycircumstances, if you really want to.Today's exercises take little time and no effort. Repeat the idea for today, andthen add several of the attributes you associate with being a Son of God,applying them to yourself. One practice period might, for example, consist ofthe following:I am blessed as a Son of God. I am happy, peaceful, loving and contented.< Another might take this form:I am blessed as a Son of God I am calm, quiet, assured and confident.< If only a brief period is available, merely telling yourself that you areblessed as a Son of God will do.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volumeseries of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Lesson 40. "I am blessed as a Son of God."(1:1) "Today we will begin to assert some of the happy things to which you areentitled, being what you are."*In these early lessons, as we have previously discussed, Jesus makes it veryclear that our minds are split, part of which worships guilt and attackthoughts, while the other contains the memory of Who we truly are. Beginningwith this lesson and continuing for the next ten, Jesus gives our egos a respiteas he speaks almost exclusively about the other side -- "the happy things towhich you are entitled" -- our right minds." *(1:2-6) "No long practice periods are required today, but very frequent shortones are necessary. Once every ten minutes would be highly desirable, and youare urged to attempt this schedule and to adhere to it whenever possible. If youforget, try again. If there are long interruptions, try again. Whenever youremember, try again."*The exercises for today thus represent a departure from the previous onesbecause of the absence of a long exercise period. In addition, Jesus continueshis strong yet gentle urgings that we keep trying to remember -- as often aspossible each hour -- without making our forgetting into a sin. Quite obviouslyhe knows we will.The next paragraph is extremely important because it helps us recognize thatthese exercises must be applied <all> the time, whether we are meditating in aquiet room, or being about our busyness. <We do not have to close our eyes inorder to remember God and His Son>: *(2) "You need not close your eyes for the exercise periods, although you willprobably find it more helpful if you do. However, you may be in a number ofsituations during the day when closing your eyes would not be feasible. Do notmiss a practice period because of this. You can practice quite well under anycircumstances, if you really want to."*Thus, no matter where you are during the day -- driving your car, eating with afriend, quietly alone, busy at work -- you can remember today's lesson.*(3) "Today's exercises take little time and no effort. Repeat the idea fortoday, and then add several of the attributes you associate with being a Son ofGod, applying them to yourself. One practice period might, for example, consistof the following:I am blessed as a Son of God. I am happy, peaceful, loving and contented.Another might take this form:I am blessed as a Son of God I am calm, quiet, assured and confident.If only a brief period is available, merely telling yourself that you areblessed as a Son of God will do."*Jesus is asking us to take the general statement of our Identity and make itmore specific, thereby making it more personal to us. The lesson's final linereiterates how we do not need a quiet place or set time to remember.Underlying Jesus' teaching here is that we need time and place -- i.e., rituals-- as long as we identify with our bodies. But since Jesus' ultimate teaching isthat we are minds, weaning us of our dependency on externals is an importantstep toward our eventual identification with the mind: the source of ourblessedness, as well as the birthplace of our resistance to accepting Who wetruly are.*
Love and Blessings,
Lyn Johnson 719-369-1822
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