I seek only what truly belongs to me.I
1. Today’s idea continues the thought that joy and peace are not idle dreams.
²You are entitled to them because of what you are.
³They come from God, Who cannot fail to give you what He wills.
⁴But there must be a place made ready to receive His Gifts.
⁵For His Gifts are not welcomed by a mind that has instead accepted the gifts it made for itself, to take the place of His.
2. Today we would set aside all the foolish gifts we gave ourselves, and place upon the holy altar—where God’s Gifts belong—those very gifts that are truly ours. II
²These are the gifts that truly belong to us.
³These are the gifts we inherited before time was, and that will still be ours when time has passed into eternity.
⁴These are the gifts that dwell within us now, for they are timeless.
⁵And we do not need to wait to have them.
⁶They are ours today.
⁷And so we choose them now, knowing that in doing so we simply join our will with what God wills, and recognize that His Will and ours are One.
3. Our longer practice periods today—the five minutes each hour we dedicate to the truth for our salvation—should begin with this:
²I seek only what truly belongs to me.
³Joy and peace are my inheritance.
⁴Then set aside all worldly conflicts that offer other gifts and other goals—gifts and goals that witness to illusions and are found only in a world of dreams.
4. Today we let all that go, and seek instead what is truly ours by asking to recognize what God has given.
²We clear a sacred space in our minds today before His altar, where His Gifts of peace and joy are welcomed, and where we come to find what He has given us.
³We come in confidence today, knowing that what truly belongs to us is what He gives.
⁴And we will want for nothing else, for nothing else truly belongs to us.
5. Thus, today we clear the way for Him, simply by acknowledging that His Will has already been fulfilled, and that joy and peace belong to us as His eternal Gifts.
²We will not let them slip from our awareness during the time between our practice periods of seeking where He placed them.
³To do so, we will bring this reminder to mind as often as we can:
⁴I seek only what truly belongs to me.
⁵The only things I want are God’s Gifts of joy and peace.
I I seek only what I truly am.
This Lesson speaks of how the mind can focus in two opposite directions in its search for what it so deeply longs for. One of these is outward, into an imaginary realm it calls the world, where it has projected its supposed lacks onto symbols it calls “things” or “circumstances,” and which this Course calls “symbols.”
The other direction is inward, into itself, to find the reality of its own Being.
II This is the most important part of today’s Lesson.
You may sincerely say that you seek the gifts God gave you, but in truth you do not seek them; rather, you search for them among all those things you have gathered for yourself and that now clutter your mind. “My God,” you ask, “where could those gifts that they say God gave me possibly be? Surely they must be somewhere—but there are just so many things here!”
Do you really believe you must search for God’s Gifts? Do you think He hides from you the things He gives you? The truth is you do not have to search for anything; you only need to let go of all that you have been accumulating in your mind because you thought it would make you happy. But realize that these are not objects, but ideas; the material things that may come to mind are nothing more than “idols,” physical symbols to which you attributed the underlying ideas you were truly seeking. Those things, places, circumstances, or even people, merely represented your own deep longings, which, if you reflect a little, you will have no difficulty identifying.
Anything you imagine and find attractive is an idol to you; it is what the world offers so that you may find the joy and peace you so greatly desire. The list is nearly endless. The first things that may come to mind are likely physical—beautiful clothes, delicious food, a comfortable home, or a body that attracts you. But to that list you may also add more abstract things, such as a spectacular sunrise, inspiring music, social prestige, greater intelligence, or romantic love… And also included are those spiritual qualities you believe would make you a better person, which, indeed, they would—virtues such as kindness, patience, generosity, or even trust.
Notice how, without realizing it, you have built a pyramid with a base grounded in the coarser things—those you might be ashamed of—and with upper levels increasingly abstract.
The world has the lower ones for sale; the higher ones you search for within yourself, and there are many that you find in between. But all of them share one thing: you desire them because you believe you do not have them and that you need them.
But do you truly believe that God created His Son to concern himself with such things?
You do not need to search for anything—not even for the gifts God has given you. Jesus, in truth, does not want you to search for them; He wants you to find them. He tells you to seek them only to draw your attention, to make you realize that you already have them, that all of this is already within you. Notice how He speaks of “recognizing what God has given us.”
What is imperative is that you stop searching for anything else, because you would only be wasting your time and the little energy you believe you have. That is why He exhorts you to clear “a holy place.”
Do not be distressed, and do not blame yourself when you find yourself searching for something you think you need and want, even that distressing problem that torments you or someone you love.
Forgive yourself, but become fully aware that you are losing direction and wasting time in this world of illusions.
You need nothing—except perhaps a miracle for yourself that brings you this understanding. You need nothing! Well, perhaps only a little faith.
Be at peace.