Let me not forget my function.
1. Today’s idea is simply another way of saying: “Lead me not into temptation.” I
²The purpose of the world you see is to obscure your function of forgiveness and to offer you justification for forgetting it.
³It is the temptation to abandon God and His Son by adopting a physical appearance.
⁴This is what the body’s eyes behold. II
2. Nothing the body’s eyes seem to see can be anything but a form of temptation, for this was the body’s inherent purpose.
²Yet we have learned that the Holy Spirit has another use for all the illusions you have made, and therefore He sees another purpose in them.
³To the Holy Spirit, the world is a place where you learn to forgive yourself for what you think are your sins. III
⁴Under this new perception, the physical appearance of temptation becomes the spiritual recognition of salvation. IV
3. Our recent lessons have told you that your function here is to be the light of the world—a function God has given you.
²It is only the ego’s arrogance that leads you to question this, and only its fears that make you believe you are unworthy of the task God Himself has entrusted to you.
³The salvation of the world depends on your forgiveness, for that is how the Son of God escapes all illusions—and therefore, all temptation.
⁴And that Son of God is you. V
4. Only by fulfilling the function God gave you will you be happy.
²And this is because your function is to be happy, using the means that make happiness inevitable.
³There is no other way.
⁴Therefore, every time you choose whether or not to fulfill your function, you are really choosing whether or not to be happy. VI
5. Let us remember this today.
²Let us do so in the morning, at night, and throughout the day as well.
³Prepare yourself in advance for all the decisions you will make today by remembering that each one is really very simple.
⁴Each will lead to either happiness or unhappiness.
⁵How can a decision so simple be difficult to make?
6. Do not let the form of the decision deceive you.
²The complexity of the form does not imply complexity of content.
³It is impossible that any decision on earth have a content different from this one simple choice. VII
⁴This is the only choice the Holy Spirit sees.
⁵Therefore, it is the only choice that exists.
7. Let us then practice these thoughts today:
²Let me not forget my function.
³Let me not try to substitute mine for the one God gave me.
⁴I want to forgive, and be happy.
⁵Spend at least ten to fifteen minutes once today reflecting on this, with your eyes closed.
⁶Thoughts related to these will come to your mind to support you, if you remember how crucial your function is—to you, and to the world.
8. In your frequent applications of today’s idea throughout the day, spend several minutes reviewing these thoughts, and then think about them and nothing else.
²This may be difficult at first, especially since you have not yet mastered the mental discipline it requires.
³You may need to repeat often: “Let me not forget my function” to help you focus.
9. The shorter practice sessions are to be done in two different ways.
²At times, do the exercises with your eyes closed, trying to focus on the thoughts you are using.
³At other times, keep your eyes open after reviewing the thoughts, and then look slowly around you without focusing on anything in particular, and say to yourself:
⁴This is the world I am to save.
I Matthew 6:13: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory forever and ever.”
To fall into temptation is nothing more than to betray yourself by adopting a role that does not belong to you and turning away from your true essence. It is to assume a false identity, a mask that conceals what you really are. The result is always predictable: suffering, confusion, and unrest, for you are trying to be something you are not.
Imagine that you are like a tool designed for a specific purpose. When it is used according to its design, everything flows naturally and efficiently. In the same way, you were created by Love in His likeness, with a single function: to love. In this world of illusions, that function unfolds by loving what is real and forgiving what is not. When you love and forgive, you fulfill your purpose; the result is harmony, peace, and a deep inner satisfaction.
But when you succumb to the temptation to act outside your purpose—when you attempt to attack, judge, or cling to illusions—you will inevitably experience discomfort and conflict. You are simply not designed for that. Always remember your purpose: to love and forgive. Everything else is temptation, a detour that can only lead to suffering.
Review your past experiences and you will have to acknowledge that this logic applies relentlessly. Every time you have strayed from your function of loving and forgiving, the result has been the same: pain, conflict, and a sense of emptiness. On the other hand, when you have chosen to love and forgive, you have found peace and fulfillment. Experience itself is the most compelling evidence of this immutable truth.
II The purpose of what our eyes see, in the form of physical appearance, is to provide an excuse to justify our attacks. The images our eyes perceive shout at us: “Don’t you see this is real? You must protect yourself from it! Attack it or it will destroy you!”
III However, the Holy Spirit tells you: “Forgive it, let it go, it is not real. What you are seeing are your own ‘sins,’ those you believe you have committed, and since you despise them, you project them outside yourself, and that is where you see them. Those sins are imaginary, the threats you believe you see are imaginary as well, and the very body that seems to suffer them is nothing but an illusion of yourself in your holy mind.”
Of course, this seems “incredible” because your mind can only “believe” in illusions. Your mind was not created to believe but to create—and this is not a play on words but the truth. Yet you will never be able to “believe” it; that is what you are. It may be helpful to grow accustomed to the idea that, with your limited mind, you will never be able to “believe” in the truth—and that is so for the simple reason that your mind is not limited. Believing that it is, is merely another belief.
Relax, pray, and trust in the Voice of the Holy Spirit. That is all you need to do. Follow His guidance, forgive, and you will see how the world around you changes by itself and begins to shine. You do not need to believe this either; simply do it and open your eyes.
IV This means that, since you are dreaming—and will continue to do so until the world disappears—you will see the story of your own salvation unfold within your dream as well: images that are nothing more than symbols of your desires and fears.
What else could your salvation, the Atonement, and the miracles be but a happy story within a dark dream? You, Son of God, do not deal in stories; you remain perfect, whole, and complete, just as God created you in eternity.
V Realize that the incessant inner dialogue with which you are always chattering to yourself is precisely the voice of your ego. Those thoughts you cannot stop are the ones that “mean nothing,” as you have learned in previous Lessons. In truth, that is the only thing you need to forgive, the only thing you need to let go of without giving it importance.
Also realize that your thoughts are one thing, and the awareness of those thoughts is another. Both are illusory, but they belong to different orders. You can identify with your thoughts and rush into action, but you can also identify with the part of your mind that is aware of those contents. When you do this, you in some way “step back,” move away from them, and disengage from their dictates. One could say that in this way you free yourself a little from compulsive thinking and its demands. Meditation is nothing more than that—but nothing less.
Therefore, when your ego tries to convince you that seeing yourself as “the light of the world” is madness, pay it no mind. Understand that the ego is simply fulfilling its function flawlessly, for that is why it appeared in your mind: to persuade you that you are indeed separate from God. Let it fulfill its function, and you calmly devote yourself to yours, which is the one God Himself assigned to you.
VI To truly accept this, only a bit of honesty is required—nothing more. Briefly review the story of your life and try to remember those moments when you felt joy in your heart and peace in your mind. Your past will confirm that you reached that state in moments of forgiveness and Atonement with the world. But you need not go that far; forgive now, and the present will confirm it just as surely. And if you keep forgiving, your future will also, without doubt, be joyous and peaceful.
VII At times, you may feel a bit overwhelmed having to choose between two options that appear before you, both of a strongly negative nature: “to condemn or to forgive.” It may help you to interpret forgiveness in a more positive way.
You can also view that duality in terms of “to suffer or to celebrate,” for ultimately, to forgive is to celebrate the truth; it is the joyful celebration that you are innocent, invulnerable, and loved by God—and if you are, then so is everything you behold.
Forgiveness is not an act of condescension or sacrifice, but a celebration of truth. Each time you choose to forgive, you are remembering that love is the only reality and that the illusions of separation and conflict hold no power over you. In forgiving, you not only free yourself, but also radiate light all around you, contributing to the healing of the one mind we all share.
Remember that your function is not to change the world, but to change your perception of the world, for what sense does it make to change illusions? In doing so, you are fulfilling your role as the savior of the world, bringing peace to all minds through your forgiveness. And in that act of love, you find the happiness and peace that are your natural inheritance.
So when you face a situation that challenges you, remember who you are and why you are here. You are the light of the world, and your forgiveness is the means through which that light shines. Choose to forgive, choose to be happy, and let the world see the glory of God through you.