Welcome to Active Meditation.
A Course in Miracles,
Lesson 42.
God is my strength.
Vision is God's gift.
The idea for today combines two very powerful thoughts,
Both of major importance.
It also sets forth a cause and effect relationship that explains why you cannot fail in your efforts to achieve the goal of the Course.
You will see because it is the will of God.
It is God's strength,
Not your own,
That gives you power.
And it is God's gift,
Rather than your own,
That offers vision to you.
God is indeed your strength,
And what God gives is truly given.
This means that you can receive it anytime and anywhere,
Wherever you are,
And in whatever circumstance you find yourself.
Your passage through time and space is not at random.
You cannot but be in the right place at the right time.
Such is the strength of God.
Such are God's gifts.
We will have two three to five minute practice periods today.
One as soon as possible after you wake,
And another as close as possible to the time you go to sleep.
It is better,
However,
To wait until you can sit quietly by yourself.
At a time when you feel ready than it is to be concerned with the time as such.
Begin these practice periods by repeating the idea for today.
Slowly,
With your eyes open,
Looking about you.
Then,
Close your eyes and repeat the idea again,
Even slower than before.
After this,
Try to think of nothing.
Accept thoughts that occur to you in relation to the idea for the day.
You might think,
For example,
Vision must be possible.
God gives truly.
Or,
God's gifts to me must be mine because God gave them to me.
Any thought that is clearly related to the idea for today is suitable.
You may in fact be astonished at the amount of Course-related understanding some of your thoughts contain.
Let them come without censoring.
Unless you find your mind is merely wandering and you have let obviously irrelevant thoughts intrude.
You may also reach a point where no thoughts at all seem to come to mind.
If such interferences occur,
Open your eyes and repeat the thought once more,
While looking slowly about.
Close your eyes.
Repeat the idea once more and then continue to look for related thoughts in your mind.
Let's practice.
Open your eyes.
Look about you.
Slowly.
Say to yourself.
Repeat in your mind.
Vision must be possible.
God gives truly.
Close your eyes.
Repeat again in your mind.
Vision must be possible.
God gives truly.
Now spend some time observing thoughts.
Thoughts that are related to the possibility of vision and God's gift.
I'll be silent while you do this.
I'll be silent while you do this.
I'll be silent while you do this.
I'll be silent while you do this.
Remember,
However,
That active searching for relevant thoughts is not appropriate for today's exercise.
Try merely to step back and let the thoughts come.
If you find this difficult,
It is better to spend the practice period alternating.
Between slow repetitions of the idea with eyes open,
Then with eyes closed,
Than it is to strain to find suitable thoughts.
Let's practice again.
Open your eyes.
Slowly.
Look around.
Repeat in your mind several times.
God's gift to me must be mine because God gave them to me.
Close your eyes.
Repeat again in your mind.
God's gift to me must be mine because God gave them to me.
Now,
Witness your thoughts,
Thoughts that are related to the gifts that God has given you.
Now,
Witness your thoughts,
Thoughts that are related to the gifts that God has given you.
Open your eyes.
Repeat to yourself,
God is my strength.
Vision is the gift.
Close your eyes.
Say to yourself,
God is my strength.
Vision is the gift.
Resume observing your thoughts.
There is no limit on the number of short practice periods that would be beneficial today.
The idea for the day is a beginning step in bringing thoughts together and teaching you that you are studying a unified thought system in which nothing is lacking that is needed,
And nothing is included that is contradictory or irrelevant.
The more often you repeat the idea during the day,
The more often you will be reminding yourself that the goal of the course is important to you,
And that you have not forgotten.
God is my strength.
Vision is the gift.
The idea for the day is a beginning step in bringing thoughts together and teaching you that you are studying a unified thought system in which nothing is included that is irrelevant to you,
And that you have not forgotten.
The idea for the day is a beginning step in bringing thoughts together and teaching you that you are studying a unified thought system in which nothing is included that is irrelevant to you,
And that you have not forgotten.
God is my strength.
Vision is the gift.
Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
And then lies the peace of God.
