Lesson 23 ~ I escape the "world" by giving up thoughts which are not Love.

The only way out of the world of illusions, is to give up all thought which is not Love. God's Way cannot fail.  Every thought I have makes up some segment of the world I see.  Nothing in the "world" needs to change, because the world was created by my thought.  Change my thoughts and I change the "world."

Every thought that is not Love is some form of fear:  anger, sadness, rage, annoyance, impatience, anxiety, boredom.  'Behind every small sigh is a world of rage.'  The cause of the world I see is my original thought of separation from God.  Yet, to Awaken, I must begin with small steps.  I believe I am in this world, so it would be foolish to pretend it does not exist for me.  Someday, this world will disappear, but right now it is central in my mind. God works Gently with my sick mind.  There is no point in lamenting the world.  There is no point in trying to change the world.  The world is incapable of change because it is merely an effect of my thought.  I am the cause of this world.  My thoughts created the world and my mind seemed to project it outside of me.  The "world" is an effect of my thought.  God's work with me starts at the cause ~ my thoughts.  When my thoughts change, the "world" will change.

The world I see is a fearful, angry, vengeful world.  It is a world created to show me my apparent separation from God.  Everything in it is a witness to ~ or symbol of ~ that separation.  Everything I seem to see or perceive in the world is a picture to me of my own thoughts. I call this "sight."  Yet, is 'fantasy' not a better word for such a process, and 'hallucination' a more appropriate term for the results?  I seem to "see" the world I have made, but I do not yet understand myself as the maker.

God's Vision holds a replacement for everything I think I see now.   Even in the dream-world, Loveliness can Light my images and transform them.

I am not trapped in the world because I can change its cause (my thought).  This change requires that first, cause must be identified (my thought of separation) and then let go, so God can replace it with Love.  In fact, what God Wills has already been accomplished. It is up to me when I am willing to Awaken to this Reality.

Five times today look around slowly and repeat today's idea.  Then close my eyes and devote a minute to searching my mind for as many fear thoughts that occur to me.  As each one crosses my mind, say:

"I escape the world I see by giving up this thought of fear (anger, sadness, grief, hate, annoyance, etc)."

Then dismiss the thought and go on.  Be sure to include both my thoughts of fear and those seemingly directed toward me.  They are one and the same.