A Course in Miracles,
Lesson 190 I choose the love of God instead of pain.
Pain is a wrong perspective.
If God is real,
There is no pain.
If pain is real,
There is no God.
Vengeance is not a part of love.
It is your thoughts alone that cause you pain.
Nothing external to your mind can hurt or injure you in any way.
There is no cause beyond yourself that can reach down and bring oppression.
No one but yourself affects you.
There is nothing in the world that has the power to make you ill or make you sad or weak
or frail.
It is you who have the power to dominate all things you see by merely recognizing what
you are.
My holy brothers and sisters,
Think of this a while.
The world you see does nothing.
It has no effects at all.
It merely represents your thoughts.
A world will change entirely as you elect to change your mind,
As you choose the joy
of God as what you really want.
Your higher self is radiant in this holy joy,
Unchanged,
Unchanging,
Unchangeable,
Forever and forever.
Pain is the thought of evil taking form and working havoc in your holy mind.
Pain is the ransom you have gladly paid not to be free.
In pain is God denied the child he loves.
In pain does not fear appear to triumph over love.
In pain does time replace eternity and heaven.
The world becomes a cruel and a bitter place,
A place where sorrow rules,
A place where
little joys give way before the onslaught of the savage pain,
The pain that waits to
end all joy in misery.
Lay down your arms and come without defense into the quiet place where heaven's peace
holds all things still at last.
Lay down all thoughts of danger and fear.
No attack enter with you.
Lay down the cruel sword of judgment that you hold against your throat.
Put aside the withering assaults with which you seek to hide your holiness.
Here will you understand there is no pain.
Here does the joy of God belong to you.
This is the day when it is given you to realize the lesson that contains all of salvation's
power.
The lesson is this.
Pain is illusion.
Joy is reality.
Pain is sleep.
Joy is awakening.
Pain is deception.
Joy alone is truth.
So again we make the only choice that can ever be made.
We choose between illusions and the truth.
We choose between pain and joy.
We choose between hell and heaven.
Let our gratitude to our teacher fill our hearts as we are free to choose our joy instead
of pain.
We are free to choose our holiness in place of sin.
We are free to choose the peace of God instead of conflict.
We are free to choose the light of heaven for the darkness of the world.
I choose the joy of God instead of pain.
Pain is sleep.
Joy is awakening.
Pain is deception.
Joy alone is truth.
If God is real,
There is no pain.
If pain is real,
There is no God.
It is your thoughts alone that cause you pain.
Nothing external to your mind can hurt or injure you in any way.
No one but yourself affects you.
It is you who have the power to dominate all things you see by merely recognizing what
you are.
I choose the joy of God instead of pain.
Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.
