Taking
Jesus' Hand: Exchanging Our Gifts for His, Part IV
By Kenneth Wapnick
(Excerpted from pp. 238-240 of Volume
One (All Are Called) of the two-volume work entitled
The
Message of A Course in Miracles, by Kenneth Wapnick,
copyright 1997 by the Foundation
for A Course in Miracles.
Reproduced here with permission.)
We continue now with the previous passage from the text:The ego's way is not mine, but it is also not yours. The Holy Spirit has one direction for all minds, and the one He taught me is yours. Let us not lose sight of His direction through illusions, for only illusions of another direction can obscure the one for which God's Voice speaks in all of us. Never accord the ego the power to interfere with the journey. It has none, because the journey is the way to what is true. Leave all illusions behind, and reach beyond all attempts of the ego to hold you back. I go before you because I am beyond the ego. Reach, therefore, for my hand because you want to transcend the ego. My strength will never be wanting, and if you choose to share it you will do so. I give it willingly and gladly, because I need you as much as you need me (T-8.V.6).Taking Jesus' hand means that at last we are choosing to reconsider our original decision, realizing that in that ontological instant we were wrong and the Holy Spirit was right. Taking the hand of our loving elder brother (T-1.11.3:7-8), represents the change of mind that recognizes that the ego's tale of sin, guilt, and fear is simply not true: there is no sin because the Son of God can never separate from his Creator and Source. And without sin there is no need to defend against it, this defense being the foundation of the world's existence and sustenance. Remove the need for the world, which is its cause, and the world disappears into the nothingness from which it came (M- 13.1:2):[The world] will remain no longer than the thought that gave it birth is cherished. When the thought of separation has been changed to one of true forgiveness, will the world be seen in quite another light; and one which leads to truth, where all the world must disappear and all its errors vanish (W-pII.3.1:3-4).The world will end in an illusion, as it began .... The world will end when its thought system has been completely reversed .... The world will end in joy, because it is a place of sorrow. When joy has come, the purpose of the world has gone. The world will end in peace, because it is a place of war. When peace has come, what is the purpose of the world? The world will end in laughter, because it is a place of tears. Where there is laughter, who can longer weep? And only complete forgiveness brings all this to bless the world. In blessing it departs, for it will not end as it began (M-14.1:2; 4:1; 5:1-8).
<= Back to Jesus' Hand, Part I
Miracle Studies Navigation Table