For the past 30 years, A Course in Miracles (ACIM) has been a profound influence on how I live. ACIM’s most important teaching is that we each have only one thing to choose:
- We can choose to spread fear.
- Or we can choose to spread love.
And a second teaching: if we choose fear, we just need to choose love the next time.
Everything else follows from those choices.
People have been telling you your entire life that you should be afraid, that you are at risk in this world. To be afraid of people with different skin colors. Different cultures. Different religions. Different political leanings. Different ways of loving. And if you look at the world, you’ll see proof that those fears are real.
But the alternative is also true: love is stronger than fear; people of different colors, religions, cultures, beliefs, and genders are not to be feared, but are instead fellow human beings. If you look at the world, you’ll see proof of love being supreme.
Which is true? ACIM would say only the loving vision is real, and even then it’s only a dream we’ve created out of our beliefs. But if you believe in fear, it isn’t going to help you to tell you that fear isn’t real, at least not yet.
It’s a matter of focus and what you pay attention to. When given a choice of news items, rather than go for the ones that foster fear, instead notice the life-affirming ones, that ones that tell of human beings being kind and loving, generous and helpful. It can take a little while to change the habits of a lifetime, but stick with it.
Choose love this time, instead of fear. Choose to believe in love, and to see love, and to spread love.
The reward is heaven.
