LESSON 133. I will not value what is valueless.
Today’s lesson begins with the idea that, today, we will be focused on practical application. In the Gentle Healing Curriculum, we have attempted to bring such practicality to our practice of all the ACIM workbook lessons. As we read last week in Hebrews, it is in the practice of what we have learned that spiritual maturity is gained.
We will focus today on the inherent selfishness of the ego. The ego always thinks of ‘me’ and ‘mine.’ Spirit, on the other hand, thinks only of purpose and wholeness. It has a broad perspective, and ‘me’ is completely unimportant.
Dropping selfishness is challenging. The ego is extremely protective of it. Yet, if you are to know the heart of truth, selfishness must be let go. This lesson, used practically, helps us to let go of that selfishness.
You must have noticed that when the thinking mind chatters, it chatters about “me.” When meaning is assigned it is related to how this person or event affects “me.” What is valued, is valued, because it in someway relates to “me.”
These “me” thoughts actually serve to narrow our vision. These “me” thoughts are inherently thoughts of separation. They are the thoughts that divide “me” from you and that create conflict (let “me” get mine before you get yours). Because these “me” thoughts are grounded in the idea of separation (or duality), they are necessarily thoughts of lack and limitation. If there is a finite amount of anything, I will lose it if given away. In this set up, if you gain, I must lose—unless you are someone with whom I am in special relationship (a spouse, a child, etc.). Then I may perceive your gain as an extension of my own.
Let us note that you will find these thoughts in the mind, and, you will find that it is these “me” thoughts, or selfish thoughts that, by default, direct your decision making and actions.
We practice letting go of selfish motivation as part of the process of letting go of the belief in the ego self (“me”) as who we are. We begin first by looking to see where I am trying to find the benefit to me in each situation and to manipulate the situation so that, that benefit is gained.
Today’s lesson tells us, “Each choice you make brings everything to you or nothing. Therefore, if you learn the tests by which you can distinguish everything from nothing, you will make the better choice.” So let’s look at the practical “tests” given in this lesson:
- “if you choose a thing that will not last forever, what you chose is valueless.”
- “if you choose to take a thing away from someone else, you will have nothing left.”
- “If you feel any guilt about your choice, you have allowed the ego’s goals to come between the real alternatives (the valuable and the valueless).”
It is important to see your choice in any situation as one between ego or heaven and then make that choice using the above criteria.
