Lesson 48. There is nothing to fear.
The idea for today simply states a fact. It is not a fact to those who believe
in illusions, but illusions are not facts. In truth there is nothing to fear. It
is very easy to recognize this. But it is very difficult to recognize it for
those who want illusions to be true.
Today's practice periods will be very short, very simple and very frequent.
Merely repeat the idea as often as possible. You can use it with your eyes open
at any time and in any situation. It is strongly recommended, however, that you
take a minute or so whenever possible to close your eyes and repeat the idea
slowly to yourself several times. It is particularly important that you use the
idea immediately, should anything disturb your peace of mind.
The presence of fear is a sure sign that you are trusting in your own strength.
The awareness that there is nothing to fear shows that somewhere in your mind,
though not necessarily in a place you recognize as yet, you have remembered God,
and let His strength take the place of your weakness. The instant you are
willing to do this there is indeed nothing to fear.
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The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volume
series of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"
which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street
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Lesson 48. "There is nothing to fear."
*Lesson 48 is nice, short, and sweet: "There is nothing to fear." If God is the
strength in which we trust, nothing in this world could ever make us afraid. The
basis of fear is the principle that guilt demands punishment. If I am afraid, it
is because I first see myself as guilty and weak. If I choose Jesus as the
source of my strength, I am not weak or separated, and therefore not guilty. If
I am not guilty, there can be no projected belief that I will be punished.
Without such belief, there can be no fear. Again, it is the same process, all
the time. If I want to live without fear, I must live without guilt. If I want
to live without guilt, I need Jesus to help me look at it.*
(1) "The idea for today simply states a fact. It is not a fact to those who
believe in illusions, but illusions are not facts. In truth there is nothing to
fear. It is very easy to recognize this. But it is very difficult to recognize
it for those who want illusions to be true."
*As the text says, the only fact is God: "God is not symbolic; He is Fact"
(T-3.1.8:2). The "fact" -- "There is nothing to fear" -- is really a reflection
of God's reality. The state of fear's absence corrects the ego's fundamental
thought that fear is punishment for our sin. It is this illusory fear you have
to look at. You want illusions to be true because <you> are an illusion, and you
want <you> -- your individual identity -- to be true. What makes it difficult to
have an anxiety-free day is your not wanting today's lesson to be true. If it
were, <you> are not true.*
(2) "Today's practice periods will be very short, very simple and very frequent.
Merely repeat the idea as often as possible. You can use it with your eyes open
at any time and in any situation. It is strongly recommended, however, that you
take a minute or so whenever possible to close your eyes and repeat the idea
slowly to yourself several times. It is particularly important that you use the
idea immediately, should anything disturb your peace of mind."
*We can see over and over again, in just about every lesson, that Jesus is
telling us to practice this thought in our everyday lives, and to bring him our
concerns. In this day's exercise he is asking us to apply the thought throughout
the day, <as often as possible>. Moreover, he once again urges us -- "It is
particularly important" -- to think of the idea whenever we are disturbed; in
other words, to bring the darkness of our upset to the light of his thought of
love, a thought that by its presence dispels the darkness of fear.*
(3) "The presence of fear is a sure sign that you are trusting in your own
strength. The awareness that there is nothing to fear shows that somewhere in
your mind, though not necessarily in a place you recognize as yet, you have
remembered God, and let His strength take the place of your weakness. The
instant you are willing to do this there is indeed nothing to fear."
*When we find ourselves becoming fearful in any of the forms that fear takes --
and sometimes it may not even be fear; it could be anger, depression, or sadness
-- it is because we chose the ego once again; in effect, telling Jesus or the
Holy Spirit to get lost. The wrong-minded decision is the problem, and accepting
the Correction is the solution. This simplicity of A Course in Miracles -- one
problem, one solution (W-pI.79-80) --is what makes it such a powerful and
effective spiritual tool.*
