February 14, 2012
We have no need to fear or defend ourselves against our dreams. They do not threaten us in any way. Our only mistake is that we thought they were real! It seems so simple, yet we still place our trust in those dreams that seem so real. They take so many forms in our minds. And they appear to change before our very eyes. They may first startle us and we fear them. Nest we get used to them and they become friendly and act the way we expect the, to. And then they change again and let us down or fail us in some unexpected way. They fail us because we place our trust in them without fully understanding them.
We make up the rules of what something is. We place our expectations on it and think that it is as we perceive and will act as we perceive. Then, all of a sudden, it does something completely unexpected that startles us that we don’t like. Then we get used to that new characteristic and enjoy that. And then pretty soon it fails us again and doesn’t act the way we thought it should. The Course uses the example of a Jack-in-the-box. It is a box that plays music. We like turning the crank and making it play the little ditty. Then the lid unexpectedly flies open and a clown pops up at us. Once we understand this is the way the Jack-in-the-box works, we enjoy the surprise as we never quite know when it will pop open, but we know what to expect and enjoy the surprise. Then the mechanism breaks and we are disappointed in the toy, get frustrated with it, or get hurt on it. It’s still no more than a toy.
Our dreams and our idols are just like a toy. We make up the rules for them. They play out on the screen of our mind as we wish them to. As we get used to those dreams and idols, we place our trust in them and trust them to always act the same. Then we throw something else in the mix and the dream changes for us in some unexpected way. We thought our dream was reality and truth, but it let us down. But that dream is nothing ore than an illusion playing out on the screen of our mind.
What would happen if we changed our focus? Truth and reality are always present no matter how mistaken our thoughts may be at the moment. Our dreams may be in the forefront of our mind, but Truth is always there behind it. Let the focus our perception shift to look past the dream to the Truth behind it. All of a sudden understanding of our experiences clears and we begin to perceive with the eyes of Spirit. Spirit’s understanding is there for the asking. We only need be willing to ask to see the Truth behind the illusion, the dream, and the idol. Take that moment, step back, observe your illusion on the screen of your mind, and see beyond to the reality of God and Spirit. Forgiveness is the recognition of the dream, the illusion. Let it be recognized for what it is. The light of reality will shine through.
Recent Comments