THE GIFTS OF GOD — Sondra Ray — Markus Ray on A Course in Miracles Sondra Ray & Markus Ray

It is the LIGHT which shines away the darkness. What is held secret and obscure in our minds, based on shame and fear and guilt, can be shined away by the Light of True Forgiveness. The Light of Love is Forgiveness in this dimension. The sentinels of guilt keep our shame secret. We carry the past mistakes as "records of wrongdoing." But it is time for us to LET GO of these shadows that have no real substance other than that which we give to them. Bring the LIGHT of Guiltlessness to these shadows of "guilt." Keeping them hidden does not serve our Communication with God. For only the truly Innocent can be communicated. The Light of Love is the only thing worth communicating. All else is a “break down" of communication. Why keep these shadows alive in our MIND? Let them be dissolved by the Light of Holy Reason that shines away the darkness in our memories.

Can we enter into the Circle of Atonement in the quiet of God's eternal Love for us? The message is always the same: God's Son is only guiltless. There is no guilt in the true Mind of God that is ours to use. We were created in this Mind of God, and only Innocence and Joy abide in the holiness of this Mind, of which ours is a part. Who could condemn with guilt Whom God has blessed in His purity? We enter into the circle of the Atonement when we choose to see our brother's sinlessness, and our own. There is no "sin" that we were taught by "false religious theology." We can distinguish the pure message of the Christ to restore us to the awareness of our Innocence, which has always been within us to awaken. Escaping from all pain depends on us freeing ourselves through the Atonement from all forms of guilt we have thought was "real."

We are already absolved of any mistakes we made. But we do have to practice forgiving others, especially if we are prone to holding onto grievances. Love holds no grievances, and mistakes anyone made do not affect at all the Love God has for them. So who are we to withhold our Love to them, based on our grievances. Keeping "records of wrongdoing" puts us in a quagmire of the past, and prevents us from receiving the Atonement for ourselves. Atonement is for ALL for ALL situations, or not for anyone at all. We have to make the decision to forgive fully, and this is seeing that the "errors" had no "effects" on the Reality of Who we are, and What we are divinely doing here.

Only the Guiltless are Free. And only Guiltlessness is our reality. Guilt is an illusion. But this fact does not stop us from projecting guilt onto us and others. We believe the false is "true," and attack based on this "guilt" is justified. We decide each second between "guilt" or "guiltlessness." Our INNOCENCE is our REALITY. How would we step into this Awareness unequivocally? Our Innocence is guaranteed by our Creator. Our Atonement is the end of all guilt, but we have to make a decision with the Holy Spirit to accept it. God's Will for us is perfect happiness, and this would require the decision for "Guiltlessness" for us to align our will with God's Will.

There is a simplicity of Truth. What we pursue to bring us "happiness" too often brings us disappointment or even despair. "Pursuit of happiness" is our divine right, yet these pursuits can lead to "nothing." We make palaces, golden crowns, and royal robes out of nothing. We are fooled by appearances. These appearances too often disintegrate into dust, leaving us with the perishable. The simple beauty of Everything is the stillness of the Peace of God. There is something beyond materiality that is a Gift of God to us. Happiness is here now. Perfect happiness is God's Will for us. Can we receive it and claim the Truth as our own? The Holy Spirit helps us to make this one decision.

Can we really learn anything from the ego when the final result of the ego's thought system is conflict, sickness, and death? These results are "nothing" according to the Holy Spirit. Truth will correct all errors in our Minds when we ask Him to liberate us from our mistakes. We have one decision to make: to turn our minds over the the Holy Spirit for His directions. The logic of the ego's world leads to "nothing." We do not see this, therefore we need the Holy Spirit's correction which is a condition for learning. We first must learn the system we are using is in error, and be willing to give that up. Then we can be shown the Simplicity of Truth, which is the true Love of God that created us.