Library of Christ Mind Teachings
ACIM Original Edition
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1 The idea for today combines two very powerful thoughts, both of major
importance. It also sets forth a cause and effect relationship which
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 His strength,
not your own, that gives you power. And it is His gift to you, rather
than your own, which offers vision to you.
2 God is indeed your strength. And what He gives is truly given. This
means that you can receive it any time and anywhere, wherever you are
and in whatever circumstances you find yourself. Your passage through
time and space is not random. You cannot but be in the right place at
the right time. Such is the strength of God. Such are His gifts.
3 We will have two three- to five-minute longer exercise 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.
4 Begin the practice period by repeating the idea for today slowly with
eyes open, looking about you. Then close your eyes and repeat the idea
again, quite slowly. After this, try to think of nothing except thoughts
which occur to you in relation to today’s idea. You might think, for
example:
5 Vision must be possible. God gives truly; or,
6 God’s gifts to me must be mine because He gave them to me.
7 Any thought that is clearly related to the idea is suitable. You may,
in fact, be astonished at the amount of course-related understanding
some of your own thoughts contain. Let them come without censoring
unless you realize 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.
8 Remember, though, that active searching for relevant thoughts is not
appropriate for today’s exercises. 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 closed, then open, and so on, than it is to strain in
order to find suitable thoughts.
9 There is no limit on the number of short practice periods which would
be most beneficial. The idea for the day is a beginning step in bringing
thoughts together and teaching you that we are studying a unified
thought system in which nothing is lacking that is needed, and nothing
is included that is contradictory or irrelevant.
10 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 it.