"What is the Word of God? ‘My Son
is pure and holy as Myself.’ And
thus did God become the Father of the Son He loves, for thus was he created”
(W-276.1.1-3).
“God keeps His promises; His
Son keeps his. In his creation did his
Father say, ‘You are beloved of Me and I
of you forever. Be you perfect as
Myself, for you can never be apart from Me.’ His Son remembers not that he replied ‘I
will,’ though in that promise he was born” (T-28.VI.6.3-6).
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In this world we hear many
voices. We hear voices from the past,
repeating in our heads, telling us that we are not good enough, that we can’t
possibly change, that we are just like our dead-beat dad, that we are fat, that
we are a sissy, etc. We hear the voices
of advertisers telling us that we will get a mate if we wear a certain cologne
or perfume, that we need to drive a certain type of car if we expect to be a
success, that we need to have the latest gadget if we want to be “plugged in,”
etc. We hear the voices of politicians
and the media. We hear the voices of our
religious leaders. All of the voices
that we hear resound and echo in our minds – telling us who we are and who we
should be.
All of these many voices are
actually one voice – the voice of the ego.
This is the voice of separation.
It is a voice of despair at
one extreme and grandiosity at the other. When we compare our sense of self with other
selves, we might think that they are better off than us; they are more
successful; they seem to be happier.
This makes us feel despair. We
also might think that we are better off than them; we see ourselves as more
successful and comparatively happier.
This leads to feelings of grandiosity.
Both feelings – despair or grandiosity – lead to a sense of separation.
In reality, there is not much
difference between grandiosity and despair.
As A Course in Miracles says in the section called “Grandeur
Versus Grandiosity”:
“Grandiosity is always a cover for despair. It is without hope because it is not
real. It is an attempt to counteract
your littleness, based on the belief that the littleness is real. Without this belief grandiosity is
meaningless, and you could not possibly want it” (T-9.VIII.2.1-4).
It is because of our belief
in our “littleness” and the despair that comes along with that belief that we
then come up with grandiosity as an attempt to “counteract” it. If we did not have this belief in littleness
there would be no need for grandiosity.
The Course’s remedy for both littleness and grandiosity is “grandeur.”
“Grandeur is of God, and only of Him. Therefore it is in you” (T-9.VIII.1.1-2).
We are God’s creation. We have
been imbued with the very grandeur of God.
The voice of the ego would have us forget this and believe in our
littleness. Because the belief in
littleness is hard to swallow we cover it up with a belief in our
grandiosity. Both of these beliefs are a
distortion of our true nature. The truth is that we are grand.
“If you are willing to look upon your grandeur you
cannot despair, and therefore you cannot want the ego. Your grandeur is God's answer to the ego,
because it is true. Littleness and
grandeur cannot coexist, nor is it possible for them to alternate. Littleness and grandiosity can and must
alternate, since both are untrue and are therefore on the same level”
(T-9.VIII.6.2-5).
We will continue to alternate
between littleness and grandiosity as long as we believe in them. But, once we look upon our grandeur and
accept it as the truth, the truth will overcome the lies of the ego. We will no longer believe in littleness or
grandiosity. And, it is the ending of
these beliefs that will allow us to see our essential oneness and equality with
all others. We are all equal in our grandeur.
We are all creations of God
and are all imbued with His
grandeur. There are no exceptions. The only difference is in our acceptance or
rejection of this one truth.
Each and every one of us is
the beloved of God. When Jesus emerged
from the water after his baptism by John, he heard the voice of God say, “You
are my beloved Son. With you I am well
pleased.” It is this that the Course calls “the Word of God.” The two quotes at the beginning of this post also give us this “Word.” I
encourage you to contemplate the following from Lesson 106 of the Workbook of
the Course for more on God’s Word. The purpose
of this lesson is to quiet the ego in you so that you can hear God’s Voice. When you finish I encourage you to journal
about the Word that you heard.
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Lesson 106:
Let me be still and listen to the
truth.
If you will lay aside the ego's voice, however loudly
it may seem to call; if you will not accept its petty gifts that give you
nothing that you really want; if you will listen with an open mind, that has
not told you what salvation is; then you will hear the mighty Voice of truth,
quiet in power, strong in stillness, and completely certain in Its messages.
Listen, and hear your Father speak to you through His
appointed Voice [the Holy Spirit], which silences the thunder of the
meaningless, and shows the way to peace to those who cannot see. Be still today and listen to the truth. Be not deceived by voices of the dead, which
tell you they have found the source of life and offer it to you for your
belief. Attend them not, but listen to
the truth.
Be not afraid today to circumvent the voices of the
world. Walk lightly past their
meaningless persuasion. Hear them
not. Be still today and listen to the
truth. Go past all things which do not
speak of Him Who holds your happiness within His Hand, held out to you in
welcome and in love. Hear only Him
today, and do not wait to reach Him longer.
Hear one Voice today.
Today the promise of God's Word is kept. Hear and be silent. He would speak to you. He comes with miracles a thousand times as
happy and as wonderful as those you ever dreamed or wished for in your dreams. His miracles are true. They will not fade when dreaming ends. They end the dream instead; and last forever,
for they come from God to His dear Son, whose other name is you. Prepare yourself for miracles today. Today allow your Father's ancient pledge to
you and all your brothers to be kept.
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