A Course in Miracles,
Lesson 192 I have a function God would have me fill.
Forgiveness represents your function here.
Forgiveness is not God's creation.
Forgiveness is the means by which untruth can be undone.
And who would pardon heaven?
Here on earth you need the means to let illusions go.
Say to yourself,
Say in your mind,
I have a function God would have me fill.
Forgiveness represents my function here.
Forgiveness is not God's creation.
Forgiveness is the means by which untruth can be undone.
Forgiveness gently looks upon all things unknown in heaven.
Forgiveness sees these things disappear,
And leaves the world a clean and unmarked slate on which the Word of God can now replace the senseless symbols written there before.
Forgiveness is the means by which the fear of death is overcome,
Because forgiveness holds no fierce attraction now,
And guilt is gone.
Forgiveness lets the body be perceived as what it is,
A simple teaching aid to be laid down when learning is complete,
Hardly changing the one who learns at all.
I have a function God would have me fill.
The mind without the body cannot make mistakes.
The mind without the body cannot think that it will die.
The mind without the body cannot be the prey of merciless attack.
Without the body,
Anger becomes impossible.
Where is terror then?
Fears could still assail those who have lost their body,
The body which is the source of all attack,
The core of anguish,
And the seed of fear.
Only forgiveness can relieve the mind of thinking that the body is its home.
Only forgiveness can restore the peace that God intended for His holy child.
Only forgiveness can persuade the child to look again upon their holiness.
Without the kindly light of forgiveness,
We grope in darkness,
Using reason to justify our rage,
To justify our attack.
Our understanding is so limited that what we think we understand is but confusion born of error.
We are lost in mists of shifting dreams and fearful thoughts.
Our eyes are shut tight against the light.
Our minds are engaged in worshiping what is not there.
Who can be born again in Christ but those who have forgiven everyone they see,
Everyone they think of,
Or everyone they imagine?
Say to yourself again,
I have a function God would have me fill.
Forgiveness represents my function here.
I have a function God would have me fill.
Forgiveness is not God's creation.
Forgiveness is the means by which untruth can be undone.
The mind without the body cannot make mistakes.
The mind without the body cannot think that it will die.
The way is simple.
Every time you feel a stab of anger,
Realize you hold a sword above your head,
And the sword will fall or be averted as you choose to be condemned or you choose to be free.
Thus,
Each one who seems to tempt you to be angry represents your savior from the prison house of death.
So you owe them thanks instead of pain.
I have a function God would have me fill.
Forgiveness represents my function here.
Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Therein lies the peace of God.
