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Words will mean little now. We use them but as guides on which we do not
now depend. For now we seek direct experience of truth alone. The lessons
that remain are merely introductions to the times in which we leave the
world of pain, and go to enter peace. Now we begin to reach the goal this
course has set, and find the end toward which our practicing was always
geared.
Now we attempt to let the exercise be merely a beginning. For we wait in
quiet expectation for our God and Father. He has promised He will take the
final step Himself. And we are sure His promises are kept. We have come
far along the road, and now we wait for Him. We will continue spending
time with Him each morning and at night, as long as makes us happy. We
will not consider time a matter of duration now. We use as much as we will
need for the result that we desire. Nor will we forget our hourly
remembrance in between, calling to God when we have need of Him as we
are tempted to forget our goal.
We will continue with a central thought for all the days to come, and we
will use that thought to introduce our times of rest, and calm our minds at
need. Yet we will not content ourselves with simple practicing in the
remaining holy instants which conclude the year that we have given God.
We say some simple words of welcome, and expect our Father to reveal
Himself, as He has promised. We have called on Him, and He has promised
that His Son will not remain unanswered when he calls His Name.
Now do we come to Him with but His Word upon our minds and hearts,
and wait for Him to take the step to us that He has told us, through His
Voice, He would not fail to take when we invited Him. He has not left His
Son in all his madness, nor betrayed his trust in Him. Has not His
faithfulness earned Him the invitation that He seeks to make us happy? We
will offer it, and it will be accepted. So our times with Him will now be
spent. We say the words of invitation that His Voice suggests, and then we
wait for Him to come to us.
Now is the time of prophecy fulfilled. Now are all ancient promises upheld
and fully kept. No step remains for time to separate from its
accomplishment. For now we cannot fail. Sit silently and wait upon your
Father. He has willed to come to you when you have recognized it is your
will He do so. And you could have never come this far unless you saw,
however dimly, that it is your will.
I am so close to you we cannot fail. Father, we give these holy times to
You, in gratitude to Him Who taught us how to leave the world of sorrow in
exchange for its replacement, given us by You. We look not backward now.
We look ahead, and fix our eyes upon the journey's end. Accept these little
gifts of thanks from us, as through Christ's vision we behold a world beyond
the one we made, and take that world to be the full replacement of our own.
And now we wait in silence, unafraid and certain of Your coming. We have
sought to find our way by following the Guide You sent to us. We did not
know the way, but You did not forget us. And we know that You will not
forget us now. We ask but that Your ancient promises be kept which are
Your Will to keep. We will with You in asking this. The Father and the
Son, Whose holy Will created all that is, can fail in nothing. In this
certainty, we undertake these last few steps to You, and rest in confidence
upon Your Love, which will not fail the Son who calls to You.
And so we start upon the final part of this one holy year, which we have
spent together in the search for truth and God, Who is its one Creator. We
have found the way He chose for us, and made the choice to follow it as He
would have us go. His Hand has held us up. His Thoughts have lit the
darkness of our minds. His Love has called to us unceasingly since time
began.
We had a wish that God would fail to have the Son whom He created for
Himself. We wanted God to change Himself, and be what we would make
of Him. And we believed that our insane desires were the truth. Now we are
glad that this is all undone, and we no longer think illusions true. The
memory of God is shimmering across the wide horizons of our minds. A
moment more, and it will rise again. A moment more, and we who are
God's Sons are safely home, where He would have us be.
Now is the need for practice almost done. For in this final section, we will
come to understand that we need only call to God, and all temptations
disappear. Instead of words, we need but feel His Love. Instead of prayers,
we need but call His Name. Instead of judging, we need but be still and let
all things be healed. We will accept the way God's plan will end, as we
received the way it started. Now it is complete. This year has brought us to
eternity.
One further use for words we still retain. From time to time, instructions on
a theme of special relevance will intersperse our daily lessons and the
periods of wordless, deep experience which should come afterwards. These
special thoughts should be reviewed each day, each one of them to be
continued till the next is given you. They should be slowly read and thought
about a little while, preceding one of the holy and blessed instants in the
day. We give the first of these instructions now.
[[Category: Workbook II]]
Words will mean little now. We use them but as guides on which we do not
now depend. For now we seek direct experience of truth alone. The lessons
that remain are merely introductions to the times in which we leave the
world of pain, and go to enter peace. Now we begin to reach the goal this
course has set, and find the end toward which our practicing was always
geared.
Now we attempt to let the exercise be merely a beginning. For we wait in
quiet expectation for our God and Father. He has promised He will take the
final step Himself. And we are sure His promises are kept. We have come
far along the road, and now we wait for Him. We will continue spending
time with Him each morning and at night, as long as makes us happy. We
will not consider time a matter of duration now. We use as much as we will
need for the result that we desire. Nor will we forget our hourly
remembrance in between, calling to God when we have need of Him as we
are tempted to forget our goal.
We will continue with a central thought for all the days to come, and we
will use that thought to introduce our times of rest, and calm our minds at
need. Yet we will not content ourselves with simple practicing in the
remaining holy instants which conclude the year that we have given God.
We say some simple words of welcome, and expect our Father to reveal
Himself, as He has promised. We have called on Him, and He has promised
that His Son will not remain unanswered when he calls His Name.
Now do we come to Him with but His Word upon our minds and hearts,
and wait for Him to take the step to us that He has told us, through His
Voice, He would not fail to take when we invited Him. He has not left His
Son in all his madness, nor betrayed his trust in Him. Has not His
faithfulness earned Him the invitation that He seeks to make us happy? We
will offer it, and it will be accepted. So our times with Him will now be
spent. We say the words of invitation that His Voice suggests, and then we
wait for Him to come to us.
Now is the time of prophecy fulfilled. Now are all ancient promises upheld
and fully kept. No step remains for time to separate from its
accomplishment. For now we cannot fail. Sit silently and wait upon your
Father. He has willed to come to you when you have recognized it is your
will He do so. And you could have never come this far unless you saw,
however dimly, that it is your will.
I am so close to you we cannot fail. Father, we give these holy times to
You, in gratitude to Him Who taught us how to leave the world of sorrow in
exchange for its replacement, given us by You. We look not backward now.
We look ahead, and fix our eyes upon the journey's end. Accept these little
gifts of thanks from us, as through Christ's vision we behold a world beyond
the one we made, and take that world to be the full replacement of our own.
And now we wait in silence, unafraid and certain of Your coming. We have
sought to find our way by following the Guide You sent to us. We did not
know the way, but You did not forget us. And we know that You will not
forget us now. We ask but that Your ancient promises be kept which are
Your Will to keep. We will with You in asking this. The Father and the
Son, Whose holy Will created all that is, can fail in nothing. In this
certainty, we undertake these last few steps to You, and rest in confidence
upon Your Love, which will not fail the Son who calls to You.
And so we start upon the final part of this one holy year, which we have
spent together in the search for truth and God, Who is its one Creator. We
have found the way He chose for us, and made the choice to follow it as He
would have us go. His Hand has held us up. His Thoughts have lit the
darkness of our minds. His Love has called to us unceasingly since time
began.
We had a wish that God would fail to have the Son whom He created for
Himself. We wanted God to change Himself, and be what we would make
of Him. And we believed that our insane desires were the truth. Now we are
glad that this is all undone, and we no longer think illusions true. The
memory of God is shimmering across the wide horizons of our minds. A
moment more, and it will rise again. A moment more, and we who are
God's Sons are safely home, where He would have us be.
Now is the need for practice almost done. For in this final section, we will
come to understand that we need only call to God, and all temptations
disappear. Instead of words, we need but feel His Love. Instead of prayers,
we need but call His Name. Instead of judging, we need but be still and let
all things be healed. We will accept the way God's plan will end, as we
received the way it started. Now it is complete. This year has brought us to
eternity.
One further use for words we still retain. From time to time, instructions on
a theme of special relevance will intersperse our daily lessons and the
periods of wordless, deep experience which should come afterwards. These
special thoughts should be reviewed each day, each one of them to be
continued till the next is given you. They should be slowly read and thought
about a little while, preceding one of the holy and blessed instants in the
day. We give the first of these instructions now.
[[Category: Workbook II]]
