February 15th 2014 Lesson 333
Part II Introduction
We will continue spending time with God each morning and night and at each waking hour, using all future lessons as introductions to the times in which we leave the world of pain, and go to enter peace, calling to God when we have need of Him as we are tempted to forget our goal. During these holy times, we will say some simple words of welcome, and expect our Father to reveal Himself to us, as He has promised that He would when we invited Him.
This is how our times with Him will now be spent: we say the words of invitation that His Voice suggests, and then we wait for Him to come to us. Sit silently and wait upon your Father. He has willed to come to you when you have recognized it is your will He do so. We need only call to God, and all temptations disappear. Instead of words, we need but feel His Love. Instead of prayers, we need but call His Name. Instead of judging, we need but be still and let all things be healed.
Our lessons will now be preceded by a theme of special relevance that we should review before each lesson until another is given us. They should be slowly read and thought about a little while, preceding one of the holy times we sit in silence and wait for God to reveal Himself to us. The next of these special thoughts follow and are relevant to lessons 331 - 340:12. What Is the Ego?
The ego is idolatry; the sign of a limited and separated self, born in a body, doomed to suffer and to end its life in death. It is the "will" that sees the Will of God as enemy, and takes a form in which it is denied. The ego is the "proof" that strength is weak and love is fearful, life is really death, and what opposes God alone is true.
The ego is insane. In fear it stands beyond the Everywhere, apart from All, in separation from the Infinite. In its insanity it thinks it has become a victor over God Himself. And in its terrible autonomy it "sees" the Will of God has been destroyed. It dreams of punishment, and trembles at the figures in its dreams; its enemies, who seek to murder it before it can ensure its safety by attacking them.
The Son of God is egoless. What can he know of madness and the death of God, when he abides in Him? What can he know of sorrow and of suffering, when he lives in eternal joy? What can he know of fear and punishment, of sin and guilt, of hatred and attack, when all there is surrounding him is everlasting peace, forever conflict-free and undisturbed, in deepest silence and tranquility?
To know reality is not to see the ego and its thoughts, its works, its acts, its laws and its beliefs, its dreams, its hopes, its plans for its salvation, and the cost belief in it entails. In suffering, the price for faith in it is so immense that crucifixion of the Son of God is offered daily at its darkened shrine, and blood must flow before the altar where its sickly followers prepare to die.
Yet will one lily of forgiveness change the darkness into light; the altar to illusions to the shrine of Life Itself. And peace will be restored forever to the holy minds which God created as His Son, His dwelling place, His joy, His love, completely His, completely one with Him.
Lesson 333
Forgiveness ends the dream of conflict here.
- Conflict must be resolved. It cannot be evaded, set aside, denied, disguised, seen somewhere else, called by another name, or hidden by deceit of any kind, if it would be escaped. It must be seen exactly as it is, where it is thought to be, in the reality which has been given it, and with the purpose that the mind accorded it. For only then are its defenses lifted, and the truth can shine upon it as it disappears.
- Invitation Prayer: Father, forgiveness is the light You chose to shine away all conflict and all doubt, and light the way for our return to You. No light but this can end our evil dream. No light but this can save the world. For this alone will never fail in anything, being Your gift to Your beloved Son.
Insights/comments:
- So, the way out of conflict is not to run away from it, or hide, or deny it, but to face it squarely, objectively, honestly, recognizing it for what it is—a call for love from someone in pain—and forgive it. All attack comes from a place of pain and the inability or unwillingness to honestly face that pain, and therein lies the source of all conflict. We all have had the experience of someone strongly overreacting to something we said or did to such an extent that we recognize that their reaction is not really about us, but something that we triggered in them. In such situations, if we are happy, in a good mood, having a great day, etc, we are more likely to be compassionate, understanding, forgiving, and instead of responding likewise, as we perhaps would if we were having a bad day or in an angry mood, we may instead respond by asking: “What’s really going on with you, I can see that you're in some kind of pain?” Such a response shines more light on the pain that they are feeling, the source of their overreaction, giving them the opportunity to see it more clearly and directly and begin the process of resolving it. Every encounter we have is really an opportunity to remember that Life is the process of evolving us by removing the facade of what we think we are, so we can realize that we really are divine children of Love, and we can facilitate our evolution by responding more and more with forgiveness. Our challenge is to recognize, regardless off our mood, the pain in every situation that we notice conflict arising and shine the light of forgiveness on it.
I and my Creator are One. 
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