One of the challenges I have with in balancing A Course In Miracles with my knowledge of the standard works is the element of time. Time is a phenomenon that is given to man and prepared for man to work out his repentance and receive his inheritance from God through our Redeemer Jesus Christ. ACIM speaks of it being removed from all things because it is part of the illusion. I suspect that I do not understand some of the concepts of time relative to eternity and heaven. Obviously I do not have direct, conscious experience with it. I can see where without the truths from the latter day revelations that it could be quite easy to think that our existence is simply taken up into one whole consciousness.

I believe that we already are one with each other and with God even in our physically separated states. We simply need to wake to this truth. Alignment with His commandments allows us to recognize this because it allows the Holy Ghost to present Himself to us and testify of these truths. Without this obedience, which is basically taking care of ourselves and each other, we are trapped by the adversary and/or our ego and are unable to recognize who we truly are.

I sometimes feel that I am being tripped up or mislead by ACIM because of the way the words read, and yet, I feel impressed by the Holy Spirit (which is the same as the Holy Ghost, just a different name) to back up and remember who is being taught to initially and why. As with the standard works, I am realizing that I need to take what I do understand and implement it as truth and wait on the Lord and the Holy Spirit to decide when I am prepared to learn the deeper things.

Delay of understanding may also be necessary so that I can have the opportunity to have my faith tried or tested as the scriptures speak of to see if I will do those things that I do understand and walk a little bit into the dark by living the principles I am being taught. This is how I have had to walk in all other things pertaining to the gospel of Jesus Christ, so there is no reason to give up on that process with A Course In Miracles since I am finding so many things that are validated to my heart by the Holy Ghost within its pages.

I also have to admit that even though I “like” the page on Facebook for ACIM and will read what they post I am not real happy about what I read or see from there because I am hearing the interpretation of ACIM by those who do not know the fullness of the gospel as taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It sorrows me to think of such a wonderful work not being a part of our regular study as Christians as well. For anyone who truly is familiar with the standard works, meaning the Bible, Book of Mormon, and other latter-day scripture would find much to enlighten their understanding within ACIM, in my opinion.

I am in the process of recovering from the shock of living in this sphere since my daughters’ death. I have to remind myself how “illusionary” and “unreal” this world really is. I believe too, that our emotions and psyche need to be allowed to go through the process of grief and witness for itself what the possibility of a place of loss might be like so that we might have compassion and empathy for others. I do not believe that to understand what the world really is would put us in a position of not having pain but would rather give us the possibility of understanding the true purpose and meaning of pain and the growth one has as one processes through it psychologically, knowing that it truly has no capacity to kill us since we truly are immortal beings. In other words, I believe that through the power of the Holy Ghost our sorrows and pain can be used to glorify God and edify mankind.

I really want to discuss the course sentence by sentence, from an LDS point of view. I hope to do it on my blog talk radio show, Courage To Be God’s Daughter. Like the scriptures, one cannot claim to know the full meaning but one can open a discussion to offer possibilities of its meaning and let the Holy Ghost do its work for both those who testify of these things and those who are willing to give room for the possibilities to grow into the fruit of greater awareness and witness of God’s love. This beautiful process allows us to know our Heavenly Father better and to know ourselves in the process.

I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true and that we have living apostles and a Prophet upon the earth today to guide us. I also know that the Holy Ghost will direct each of us as we seek to understand Heavenly Father’s will for us. This brings me great comfort and joy, along with the sorrow for those who do not take part in this blessing. The witness of God’s love and the patience of Jesus Christ and their unwillingness to force anyone to receive that which they are not willing to receive turns even this sorrow in to joy.

It is my prayer that we may come to know Him and accept our place before Him, in Jesus name, amen.