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Dare to Be Happy
By Daniel Tipton*

VEILS OF COMPLEXITY

ACIM says that choices are easy when we realize that there really ever are only two choices in any situation, an act of love/communion or an act of fear/separation. So what makes choices seem so complicated sometimes? It's that pesky guilt again. That conflicting, self-defeating, ego-centric habit of ours to doubt that God has our best interests in mind. In lesson 133, it says:

 "And so we come to the criterion for choice which is the hardest to believe, because its obviousness is overlaid with many levels of obscurity. If you feel any guilt about your choice, you have allowed the ego's goals to come between the real alternatives, and thus you do not realize there are but two. And the alternative you think you chose seems fearful and too dangerous to be the nothingness it actually is".

Deep down, I think we are all pretty aware of the choice God would have us make in most situations. We even wear those bracelets that say "WWJD" (What Would Jesus Do). I actually find that question useful when I remember to use it. According to ACIM though, it is a no-brainer. Choose love. Yet, guilt is a hazy cloud that comes over us and makes us believe that there is another way, a more suitable answer. And what does this doubting cause? It causes stress. Stress comes from not trusting. We are told to trust our intuition from all kinds of sources in life and here we are being told again. The thing that separates us humans from the animals is our ability to feel compassion. We are compassionate by nature no matter how much some of us try to resist it. I believe this is what we should use to help us make these tough decisions.

Lesson 133 also says that:  

"Complexity is nothing but a screen of smoke which hides the very simple fact that no decision can be difficult."

Also in chapter 15 of the text:

"Complexity is of the ego and is nothing more than the ego's attempt to obscure the obvious."

Again, decisions are not as complex as we make them out to be. However, some of them may appear to be risky, dangerous, scary, or what have you. This perception should go away more and more as we study and practice ACIM, and continue to trust the source that has only our best interests in mind.

CONTINUED from NEWSLETTER

What do we do when there is a decision to make, yet it seems difficult? When guilt has entered, we know that the ego has a grip on us. This might be a time to let go of the thought for a while or to say a little prayer, asking for the clarity to see through that haze of guilt. Other times, we might even simply take a little leap of faith and experience how "bad" it really is, which will probably not be so bad and will definitely be a valuable lesson.

Guilt is the great dragon to be slain and has long effected many areas of my life. I have done things I didn't really want to do, stayed in relationships I didn't really want to stay in, and said things I didn't mean, all out of guilt. It is a great inhibitor to our progress and should be immediately addressed when and wherever possible. A simple prayer might do the trick. ACIM is only asking us to make a little shift in thinking that will lead to wondrous results. If we feel guilty, something in our thinking is wrong. We are making it more complicated than it is. May we remember to go with the decisions that have the backing of all the universe.

Blessings.

Daniel

*Daniel Tipton resides in Omaha, NE and is a member of the Course in Miracles Society. He is in his second year of the 2 year ACIM Ministerial Program offered by the Community Miracles Center and he is one of the founding members of the new Miracle Cell Men's Team. Daniel attended the 2011 Annual ACIM Conference in San Francisco and is currently working on a masters degree in Counseling at UNO. He will be assisting at the 2013 ACIM Conference which will be held in Chicago. More Conference Information here

Daniel Tipton

Course In Miracles Society
7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200
Omaha, NE 68114
800-771-5056
cims@jcim.net