Part II

Final Lessons

Introduction

Our final lessons will be left as free of words as possible. We use them but at the beginning of our practicing, and only to remind us that we seek to go beyond them. Let us turn to Him Who leads the way and makes our footsteps sure. To Him we leave these lessons, as to Him we give our lives henceforth.¹⁹⁴ For we would not return again to the belief in sin which made the world seem ugly and unsafe, attacking and destroying, dangerous in all its ways, and treacherous beyond the hope of trust and the escape from pain.

2. His is the only way to find the peace that God has given us. It is His way that everyone will travel in the end, because it is the ending God Himself appointed. In the dream of time it seems to be far off. And yet in truth it is already here; already serving us as gracious guidance in the way to go. Let us together follow in the way that truth points out to us. And let us be the leaders of our many brothers, who are seeking for the way, but find it not.

3. And to this purpose let us dedicate our minds, direction all our thoughts to serve the function of salvation. Unto us the aim is given to forgive the world. It is the goal that God has given us. It is His ending to the dream we seek, and not our own. For all that we forgive we will not fail to recognize as part of God Himself. And thus His memory is given back, completely and complete.

4. It is our function to remember Him on earth, as it is given us to be His Own completion in reality. So let us not forget our goal is shared, for it is that remembrance which contains the memory of God, and points the way to Him and to the Heaven of His peace. And shall we not forgive our brother, who can offer this to us? He is the way, the truth, and life that shows the way to us. In him resides salvation, offered us through our forgiveness, given unto him.

5. We will not end this year without the gift our Father promised to His holy Son. We are forgiven now, and we are saved from all the wrath we thought belonged to God and found it was a dream. We are restored to sanity, in which we understand that anger is insane, attack is mad, and vengeance merely foolish fantasy. We have been saved from wrath because we learned we were mistaken. Nothing more than that. And is a father angry at his son because he failed to understand the truth?¹⁹⁶

6. We come in honesty to God and say we did not understand, and ask Him to help us to learn His lessons through the voice of His Own Teacher. Would He hurt His Son? Or would He rush to answer him and say, “This is My Son, and all I have is his?”¹⁹⁷ Be certain He will answer thus, for these are His Own words to you. And more than that can no one ever have, for in these words is all there is and all that there will be throughout all time and in eternity.^[1]

Lesson 361

This Holy Instant Would I Give To You. Be You In Charge. For I Would Follow You, Certain That Your Direction Brings Me Peace.

And if I need a word to help me, He will give it to me. If I need a thought, that will He also give. And if I need but stillness and a tranquil, open mind, these are the gifts I will receive of Him. He is in charge by my request. And He will hear and answer me, because He speaks for God my Father and His holy Son.^[1].

[1]. A Course In Miracles Complete & Annotated Edition.

Footnote 194. In our practice periods, once we repeated the idea for the day and entered into a state of waiting for God, we are meant to be open to however the Holy Spirit wants to guide the practice period. This latter point will be expanded on in the instructions that follow the heading for the final lessons.

Footnote 196. In other words, God is not angry with us, because we were merely mistaken, just temporarily insane.

Footnote 197. God’s response to us is a combination of two Bible verses. The first is probably God’s announcement about Jesus in Matthew’s account of the baptism (though see also Luke 9:35 [RSV]). The second is the father’s statement to his eldest son in the parable of the prodigal son: “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine” (Luke 15:31 [KJV]). In the scene above, we come to God saying we did not understand and asking for His help in learning, yet we fear that we will receive His wrath instead. However, instead of hurting us, He rushes to answer, announcing (apparently publicly, given that He refers to us in the third person), “This is My Son, and all I have is his.”

Personal Notes:

This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, certain that Your direction brings me peace. I meditate on above prayer today, and in quiet I wait to hear my Father’s Voice. I pray for all my brothers and myself for continued guidance, wisdom, discernment, protection, and illumination, of The Way, The Truth, The Life, in Christ Jesus, Amen. Thank you for sharing with me. Walk in Love my friend!

God is Love

Love is God

I choose Love