Lesson 120: Review of Lessons 109 and 110

(109) I rest in God. God works in you and through you while you rest in Him in quiet and in perfect certainty. With Him doing the work, you know that it will be done perfectly. And as you rest in Him, you will therefore not be busily interfering with the work that is being done through you. Thus great amounts of time will be saved and not wasted.

(110) I am as God created me. Lay aside all sick illusions of who you think you are, and let your Father tell you Who you really are – not a body, but spirit in the state of grace forever.

Lesson 121: Forgiveness is the key to happiness.

One way or another, unforgiveness is the root cause behind every problem that you perceive. Unforgiveness leaves you with a dichotomy of ideas: afraid to go, afraid to stay; afraid to waken, afraid to go to sleep; terrified of darkness, yet more terrified at the approach of light. It leaves you thinking that fear and anger are the way, instead of love and peace. Forgiveness undoes all of that fear and anger and returns the mind to peace and to certainty. To a mind that is caught in a morass of unforgiveness and unhappiness, then, forgiveness is like an oasis in a desert. Drink plentifully!

Forgiveness is the key to happiness. Practice learning to give and receive forgiveness as follows:

• When you perceive that you are irritated by a brother’s actions, first realize that he may be responding to a projection of yours. You may have unwittingly projected attack or irritation onto your brother, and he is responding in kind. Your brother is your mirror in this world. Second, realize they do not know what they do, as Jesus says.

• Next, look for the light in him. It is there somewhere, perhaps a little gleam which you had not previously noticed?

• Let this little spark of light extend until it covers your brother. Now what you see is beautiful and good.

• Let this same light that covers your brother, expand to envelope you. It will join you with your brother and bless you both.

Many of our brothers are living their lives in the darkness. It is up to you, God's miracle workers, the enlightened ones, to help your brothers see the light and to know Who and Whose they are. Help them to know that they are worthy of everything they were created to be, and that with the Holy Spirit, they will receive all the Help they need to go home. The Holy Spirit delivering God's Word through you, the enlightened ones, are their hope. Fear and anger leave no room for love. Yet fear does not work as long as there is hope. Be that hope for your brothers, and simultaneously be it for yourself.

Lesson 122: Forgiveness offers everything I want.

Behind every appearance lies something that does not change. Appearances change, sometimes rapidly. This is true both physically and in more energetic or subtle perceptions. But the spirit within you does not change, having been created by God. Forgiveness is a way of looking past the appearances to the unchanging reality. It disregards the temporary picture of the ego’s mistakes and sees the eternal Son of God. Forgiveness is giving up all the reasons you have made for withholding love. The veil of all your judgments is lifted, and you behold something miraculous and indescribably beautiful.

“What you will remember then can never be described.”

(W-122.8:4)

When forgiveness has removed the blocks to the awareness of love’s presence, you see love everywhere. It is no wonder, then, that forgiveness offers everything you want. It brings happiness, a certainty of purpose, care and safety, peace, a gentleness that can never be hurt, a quietness that cannot be disturbed, the warmth of sure protection always, a deep abiding comfort, a rest so perfect it can never be upset, joy, abundance, and “a sense of worth and beauty that transcends the world." (W-122.1:2-6) When you see the changeless in the heart of change, distress instantly leaves your mind, because you no longer see a reason for it. It is gone. Forgiveness gives you all this and more.

Lesson 123: I thank my Father for His gifts to me.

Be thankful that you have come to gentler pathways and to smoother roads. There is no thought now of turning back, and no implacable resistance to the truth. A bit of wavering remains, some questions and some small objections and a little hesitance. Some missed opportunities have passed you by, but you can well be grateful for your gains today, which are far greater than you realize. Be glad your Father has not left you to yourself, nor let you wander in the dark alone, but has saved you from the self you thought you made to take the place of Him and His creation. You are as God created you!

In gratitude, lift your heart above despair, and raise your eyes, no longer looking downward to the dust. You must of course look at what is in front of you, but you must also allow the Holy Spirit to show you the bigger picture, and to realize that there is one. Your goal remains the same, to remember Him, and thus to remember your Self.

Give thanks that a Friend has come to speak the saving Word of God to you. His Word is soundless if it be not heard. An unheard word will not save the world. Thank you for hearing, for you become the messenger of His Word to the world. Your loving gifts will be given back to you a thousand and a hundred thousand more than they were given. By Him sharing them with you, they grow in power and in strength, until they fill the world with gladness and with gratitude. Receive His thanks and rise above the world, remembering your Father and your Self.

Lesson 124: Let me remember I am one with God.

Give thanks for your Identity in God. Give thanks that your home is safe, that protection is guaranteed in all that you do, and power and strength are available to you in all your undertakings. Being enlightened, being one with God, guarantees that you can fail in nothing. Everything you touch takes on a shining light that blesses and that heals and that extends throughout the universe.

At one with God and with the universe, you go your way rejoicing, with the thought that God Himself goes everywhere with you. Your mind is holy, and everything you see reflects the holiness within the mind at one with God and with itself. All errors disappear. Your shining footsteps point the way to truth, for God is your Companion as you walk the world a little while. And as you walk in holiness, those who come to follow will recognize the way because the light you carry stays behind, yet still remains with you as you walk onward.

As you see only the loving and the lovable, pain gives way to peace. The frantic, the sad, the distressed, the lonely and afraid, are restored to the tranquility and peace of mind in which they were created, because you saw it first within yourself! No miracle can ever be denied to those who know that they are one with God. You will see a transfiguration in the mirror your holiness holds out to you.

Lesson 125: In quiet I receive God’s Word today.

All we are asked to do is to be quiet, and in the silence to listen to His Word:

“Only be quiet. You will need no rule but this . . .” (W-125.9:1-2)

“Only be still and listen.” (W-125.9:3)

“His Voice awaits your silence, for His Word cannot be heard until your mind is quiet for a while, and meaningless desires have been still.” (W-125.6:2)

Lesson 126: All that I give is given to myself.

This idea, completely alien to the ego and the thinking of the world, is crucial to the thought reversal the learning of this course will bring about. If you believed this statement, there would be no problem in complete forgiveness. You would realize you can only give to, and forgive, yourself. And thus you would be more gracious and charitable in your choice of how you give to, and forgive, others.

Instead, what you have believed is that other people are apart from you and able to behave in ways which have no bearing on you, nor you on them. You have also believed that you can judge their behavior without it affecting your perception of yourself, and that their appeals for help are not related to you in any way. You have believed that to forgive another has no gain to you directly. You have believed that forgiveness is a gift to your brother, but hardly to yourself.

Thus does forgiveness appear to be basically unsound; a charitable whim, benevolent yet undeserved, a gift bestowed at times, at other times withheld. Yet you are being taught that forgiveness will offer you complete peace and happiness. How can forgiveness be apart from you on the one hand, and yet bring you peace on the other? The answer lies in the fact that:

“You do not understand forgiveness.”

(W-126:6:1)

Have you seen forgiveness as an indulgent gift, given to another who is undeserving, and requiring no correction in your own mind? With this perception of forgiveness, it cannot bring you peace of mind. With this perception, forgiveness has no power to effect any change in yourself or your brother.

However, your brothers are NOT APART from you, they are ONE WITH you. Their appeals for help are reflective of your own. Therefore you cannot condemn your brother without condemning yourself. Yet neither can you answer a brother’s call for help without also answering your own.