Work Miracles As Easily As A Child
I would like to share a little story with you. It is a story about how easily children are able to understand and apply inner peace to their lives, if only taught how. They can be an example to us all. There is no order of difficulty in miracles when it comes to solving problems…
Each night at bedtime, I tuck in both of my children and even though they are now 12 and 13 years old, we still go through the “tuck in” process. This is the time we have set aside to spend together in quiet prayer and discussion of spiritual things.
To begin, I lie down beside them in bed, and gently rub their back or head while we say a prayer together and then I present a daily lesson to them from A Course In Miracles. This is our “church time” and the whole process usually only takes about 10 minutes per child. I have to repeat this process twice, because I have a daughter and a son who sleep in separate rooms.
A couple nights ago, I came home from a late night at work and they were both already in bed. So I took off my coat and shoes and immediately went to tuck in my 13-year-old daughter, and discovered that she was angry and frustrated with her brother. Since I had been at work all evening, I had no idea why. I listened patiently as she explained to me how her brother Sam had stepped on her foot, which had a broken toe on it already, so it really hurt and he seemed un-remorseful. Also, he would not let her hold his pet hamster… and so on and so forth – the list went on.
When she was finished, I launched into the evening prayer, and afterwards, our discussion went as follows:
Me: The lesson for tonight is “Truth will correct all errors in my mind. And I will rest in Him Who is my Self.” (Workbook Lesson 107 ACIM)
Honey, do you know what errors need correcting in your mind?
Miranda: No. What are they?
Me: All your painful thoughts about the world. All the things you think, that are causing you to not be at peace. And when you let these thoughts go, the truth will come to replace them. Do you know what the truth is?
Miranda: No. What is it?
Me: That you rest in God. And you are One Self, at one with all He created and that includes your brother. Now. I would like you to do something for me. Focus on the sensation of my fingers massaging your scalp. Does that feel good?
Miranda: Yes.
Me: Okay. Now I want you to empty your mind of all the thoughts that are causing you to not feel peaceful. For just a second, forget about everything you just told me earlier. Focus on my fingers massaging your scalp and the deep feeling of peace you get from not thinking about what causes you to feel upset. How do you feel?
Miranda: Really good. I feel quiet and at peace.
Me: Good. Okay. Now, I want you to notice that nothing at all has changed in your surroundings from the time you were not at peace (just a moment ago) until now, when you are at total peace. You are still here, warm in bed and being loved by me. Nothing else at all has changed, except your mind. You have decided you do not want any thoughts that are not peaceful and you have let them all go. Does it feel good to be in this state of peace?
Miranda: Yes.
Me: Okay. Now I want you to ask yourself why you would ever decide against your peace to begin with? Why would you ever choose to be in any other state of mind? Because clearly, your state of mind is completely within your control, is it not?
Miranda: Yes. And it feels amazing to have this power.
Me: Right?! So now I want you to close your eyes, (because I see that you are staring up at the ceiling and a person sleeps best when their eyes are closed), and I want you to remember to keep your mind at peace and gently fall asleep like this. Wouldn’t that be nice? To peacefully fall asleep, resting in God instead of lying here stewing about things that are already past and gone? You are safe and healed and whole – right now. Nothing at all is happening to you here in the present moment except resting in peace, in God.
Miranda: Yes. I can do that. I can keep my thoughts at peace like this. It feels so good to rest in God. Goodnight mama, I love you.
Me: Goodnight honey. I love you too.
Then I moved into my 12-year-old sons bedroom, to repeat the lesson, only to find him in a similar state of mind. He was upset because earlier that night his sister had refused to share some things with him, and she had been teasing him… and so on and so forth – the list went on. So I repeated the exact same process with him as I had done with Miranda, and the result was exactly the same. He calmed down and relaxed into a loving state of peace.
And therein lies the miracle. It is a miracle every time we choose the peace of forgiveness over conflict in our mind. It is a miracle to look past what bothers us about the world and simply drop our case against it.
I am by no means a perfect mother. I get upset with my children and raise my voice and sometimes even decide punishment is in order. None of which sounds very peaceful! However, once in a while, I myself choose peace instead of conflict and decide to listen to the Inner Voice of the Holy Spirit instead. I made a choice that night to nottry and solve all the little conflicts between the kids (as I was initially tempted to do). Instead, I decided to bypass that step altogether. I offered only a single solution; choose peace instead of conflict.
So, how does this apply to us? We can do this for ourselves. We can “correct all errors in our mind and rest in Him Who is our Self.” You may need a little help, like my kids did. Perhaps you should start out by massaging your own scalp, or by grabbing your pet and sitting down with them on your lap; do something, anythingto focus your mind on something pleasant to get the thought process started. Then very quietly decide you do not like how you feel and consciously choose to let those thoughts go. Ask yourself why you would ever want to feel anything less than total peace?
The bottom line is, everyone’s problems are real to them, but no problem is more difficult to heal with a miracle than another. Accept peace as a child does. Be as a child and simply rest in God, knowing the truth has corrected all errors in your mind. In this way, we are able to forgive the world and catapult ourselves forward into enlightenment and deep inner peace.
And when you change your mind about the world, the world will change.