My thoughts* on Manual for Teachers (ACIM) #10 Gentleness means that fear is now impossible, and what could come to interfere with joy?

My comments are based on what I understand on the 20th of January 2025.

V. Joy

1. Joy is the inevitable result of gentleness.

²Gentleness means that fear is now impossible, and what could come to interfere with joy?

* I think of joy as existence knowing Father is in charge and all is well.

³The open hands of gentleness are always filled.

⁴The gentle have no pain.

⁵They cannot suffer.

⁶Why would they not be joyous?

⁷They are sure they are beloved and must be safe.

* They are sure that this is their TRUE Reality even as they experience whatever story line they agreed to here in the Universal Plan of Salvation.

⁸Joy goes with gentleness as surely as grief attends attack.

⁹God’s teachers trust in Him.

¹⁰And they are sure His Teacher goes before them, making sure no harm can come to them.

¹¹They hold His gifts and follow in His way, because God’s Voice directs them in all things.

* God’s Voice would be SPIRIT.

¹²Joy is their song of thanks.

* I like the poetic imagery of this. However, I question if it was truly what Jesus was getting at or if it was Helen’s desire to be poetic that brought it forth BECAUSE of the “error” in the next three statements.

* Christ is who we are unitedly. To speak of him as outside of that is showing the writers lean toward the teachings of Jesus that were socially acceptable in their time rather than the teachings of Jesus directly.

¹³And Christ looks down on them in thanks as well.

¹⁴His need of them is just as great as theirs of Him.

¹⁵How joyous it is to share the purpose of salvation!

* I suspect the message was that as Christ, in unison we have equality and need of one another equally by accepting our role in the Atonement.

* I propose, however, that fulfilling the need of the Atonement which releases us from a false belief in separation is NOT where JOY lies but in FATHER’s EXISTENCE ALONE. Otherwise, it would be lost when the Atonement fulfilled its purpose and no longer existed.

* Remember that it forgives what is impossible to have happened and is therefore not needed beyond the illusion it corrects.

(ACIM, M-4.V.1:1–15)

To Father be ALL Glory and Praise Given AS His Son, debi.