[Please note: ACIM passages quoted in this article reference the Foundation for Inner Peace (FIP) Edition.]
In my “Teachers of God” blog, I mentioned that I would be making the ten characteristics the focus of my practice for the following ten weeks. So far, it’s been a wonderful experience.
The first week I practiced with trust and enjoyed it so much that I decided to continue for another week. Now, after two weeks, I find that my trust has actually been increasing! Although it makes sense, I somehow hadn’t foreseen this result.
I started first with the comments from the first section on trust, adapting them to be more personal; for instance, my first day of trust practice was:
I have trust in the world, because I have learned that it is not governed by the laws the world made up. I trust that it is governed by a Power that is in me but not of me. I trust that this Power keeps all things safe. (M-4.I.1:4-6)
As the days have gone by, I have applied trust to Workbook lessons and to readings we are doing for the Text Reading Program. I am finding that both the lessons and the readings are more meaningful done in this way. Actually, I am discovering that so much of what I read anywhere in the Course can be worded to include the idea of trust and then practiced. Here are a few examples:I trust you, Jesus, as my devoted elder brother. I trust that, as I turn more and more often to you for guidance instead of to the ego and experience the results, my trust in you will increase. (Based on T-4.VI.3:1-2)
I trust that you are in me, Holy Spirit, in a very literal sense. I trust that, if I listen, I will hear You call me back to where I was before and will be again. (Based on T-5.II.3:7-8)
I will lay all judgment down today, and choose to trust You, Holy Spirit and Your judgment of everyone and everything. Thus will I rise up unburdened, and walk lightly on, without a care. (Based on M-10.5)
Now my Manual students want to join me in this, so we're going to start all together next week, back at the first characteristic--trust. Even though I have been practicing with trust for two weeks now, I feel as if I could practice it forever, so I'm looking forward to another week with it. I'm also glad to be joining with others in this practice. I hope that you will join us. I have a picture of all of us--in our different locations and circumstances--practicing the characteristics together, learning to become those truly kind and good people Jesus talks of and the devoted teachers he needs!With love to all of you,
Mary Anne
