Re: IA´s Journal
The Healed Relationship
The holy relationship is the expression of the holy instantin living in this world. Like everything about salvation, the holy instant is apractical device, witnessed to by its results. The holy instant never fails.The experience of it is always felt. Yet without expression it is not remembered. The holy relationship is a constant reminder of the experience in which the relationship is a constant reminder of the unholy relationship is a continuing hymn of hate i praise of its maker, so is the holy relationship a happy song of praise to the Rendeemer of relationships. The holy relationship,a major step toward the perception of the real world, is learned. It is the old, unholy relationship, transfomed and seen anew. The holy relationship is a phenomenal teaching accomplishment. In all its aspects, as it begins, deveops and becomens accomplished, it represents the revesal of the unholyrelationship. Be comforted in this; the only difficult phase is the beginning. For here, the goal of the realtionship is abruptly shifted to the exact opposite of what it was. This is the first, result of offering the relationshipto the Holy Spirit, to use for His purposes. This invitation is acceptedimmediately, and the Holy Spirit wastes no time in introducing the practicalresults of asking Him to enter. At once His goal replaces yours. This isaccomplished very rapidly, but it makes the relationship seem disturbed,disjunctive and even quite distressing. The reason is quite clear. For therelationship as it is is out of line with its own goal, and clearly unsuited tothe purpose that has been accepted for it. In its unholy condition, your goalwas all that seemed to give it meaning. Now it seems to make no sense. Manyrelationships have been broken off at this point, and the pursuit of the oldgoal re-established in another relationship. For once the unholy relationshiphas accepted the goal of holiness, it can never again be what it was. Thetemptation of the ego becomes extremly intense, with this shift of goals. Forthe relationship has not as yet been changed sufficiently to make its formergoal completely without attraction, amd ots strictire os ”threatened” by therecognition of its inappropriateness for meeting its new purpose. The conflictbetween the goal and the structure of the relationship is so apparant that theycannot coexist. Yet now the goal will not be changed. Set firmly in the unholyrelationship, there is no course except to change the relationship to fit thegoal. Until this happy solution is seen and accepted as the only way out of theconflict, the relationship may seem to be severly strained. It would not bekinder to shift the goal more slowly, for the contrast would be obscured, andthe ego given time to reninterpret each slow step according to its liking. Onlya radical shift in purpose could induce a complete change of mind about whatthe whole relationship is for. As this change develops and is finallyaccomplished, it grows increasingly beneficent and joyous. But at thebeginning, the situation is experienced as very precarious. A relationship,undertaken by two individuals for their unholy purposes, suddenly has holinessfor its goal. As these two contemplate their relationship from the poÃ♥nt ofview of this new purpose, they are inevitably appalled. Their perception of therelationship may even become quite disorganized. And yet, the former organizationof their perception no longer serves the purpose they have agreed to meet. Thisis the time for faith. You let this goal be set for you. That was an act offaith. Do not abandon faith, now that the rewards of faith are beingintroduced. If you believed the Holy Spirit was there to accept therelationship, why would you now not still believe that He is there to purifywhat He has taken under His guidance? Have faith in your brother in what butseems to be a trying time. The goal is set. And your relationship has sanity asits purpose. For now you find yourself in an insane relationship, recognized assuch in the light of its goal. Now the ego conusels thus; substitute for thisanother relationship to which your former goal was quite approoriate. You canescape from your distress only by getting rid of your brother. You need notpart entirely if you choose not to do so. But you must exclude major areas offantasy form each other, to save your sanity. Hear not this now! Have faith inHim Who answered you? He heard. Has He not been very explicit in His answer? Youare not now wholly insane. Can you deny that He has given you a most explicitstatement? Now He asks for faith a little longer, evenin bewilderment. For thiswill go, and you will see this justification for your faith emerge, to bringyou shining conviction. Abandon Him not now, nor one another. This relationshiphas been reborn as holy. Accept with gladness what you do not understand, andlet it be explained to you as you perceive its purpose work in it to make itholy. You will find many opportunities to blame your brother for the ”failure”of your relationship, for it will seem at times to have no purpose. A sense ofaimlessness will come to haunt you, and to remind you of all the ways you oncesought for satisfaction and thought you found it. Forget not now the misery youreally found, and do not breath life into your failing ego. For yourrelationship has not been disrupted. It has been saved. You are very new in theways of salvation, and think you have lost your way. Your way is lost, butthink not this is loss. In your newness, remember that you have started again,together. And take your brother´s hand, to walk together along a road far morefamiliar than you now believe. Is it not certain that you will remember a goalunchanged throughout eternity? For you have chosen but the goal of God, fromwhich your true intent was never absent. Throughout the Sonship is the song offreedom heard, in joyous echo of your choice. You have joined with many in theholy instant, and they have joined with you. Think not your choice will leaveyou confortless, for God Himself has blessed your holy relationship. Join inHis blessing, and withhold not yours upon it. For all it needs now is yourblessing, that you may see that in it rests salvation. Condemn salvation not,for it has come to you. And relationship in which all the Sonship is togetherblessed. You undertook, together, to invite the Holy Spirit into yourrelationship. He could not have entered otherwise. Although you may have mademany mistakes since then, you have also made enormous efforts to help Him doHis work. And he has not been lacking in appreciation for all you have done forHim. Nor does He see the mistakes at all. Have you been similarly grateful toyour brother? Have you consistently appreciated the good efforts, andoverlooked mistakes? Or has your appreciation flickered and grown dim in whatseemed to be the light of the mistakes? Perhaps you are now entering upon acompaign to blame him for the discomfort of the situation in which you findyourself. And by this lack of thanks and gratitude you made yourself unable toexpress the holy instant, and thus lose sight of it. The experince of aninstant, however compelling it may be, is easily forgotten if you allow time toclose over it. It must be kept shining and gracious in your awareness of time,but not concealed within it. The instant remains. But where are you? To givethanks to one another is no appreciate the holy instant, and thus enable itsresults to be accpeted and shared. To attack your brother is not to lose theinstant, but to make it powerless in its effects. You have received the holyinstant, but you may have established a condition in which you cannot use it.As a result, you do not realize that it is with you still. And by cuttingyourself off from its expression, you have denied yourself its benefit. You reinforcethis every time you attack your brother, for the attack must blind you toyourself. And it is impossible to deny yourself, and to recognize what has beengiven and recived by you. You and your brother stand together in the holypresence of truth itself. Here is the goal, together with you. Think you notthe goal itself will gladly arrange the means for its accoplishment? It is justthis same discrepancy between the purpose that has been accepted and the meansas they stand now which seems to make you suffer, but which makes Heaven glad.If Heaven were outside you, you could not share in its gladness. Yet because itis within, the gladness, too, is yours. You are joined in purpose, but remainstill separate and divided on the means. Yet the goal is fixed, firm andunalterable, and the means will surely fall in place because the goal is sure.And you will share the gladness of the Sonship that it is so. As you begin torecongize and accept the gifts you have so freely given to your brother, youwill also accept the effects of the holy instant and use them to correct allyour mistakes and free you from their results. And learning this, you will have also learnedhow to release all the Sonship, and offer it in gladness and thanksgiving toHim Who gave you your release, and Who would extend it through you.
Love
Core Affirmation: I am loved and I am worthy,
I am safe and I am free.
I am powerfully protected.
I am master of my body and ruler of my mind.
By Robert Bruce
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