Lesson 81:
Review of Lesson 61: I am the light of the world,
and Lesson 62: Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world.
I got snippy with one of my band members the other day. We were rehearsing a song and he kept asking questions that I had already gone over and I could feel my frustration with him rising a bit. He’s an amazing man who takes A Course in Miracles to heart and puts it into practice in his life. He truly knows he is the light of the world and is dedicated to forgiveness as his function. I love him dearly, but he was trying my patience.
We got through rehearsal and the performance afterward and as I reflected on the day, I realized I had forgotten my function by being short with him. I texted him an apology and he replied that he had a rare case of the butterflies before our performance and was having trouble focusing. We had compassion for one another in that moment – we remembered our function. He forgave me for my snippiness, and I forgave myself and took it as a lesson on remembering who I really am, and I was grateful to him for fulfilling his function in that moment so I could learn.
This is how we roll in this world as students of the Course. Sometimes we’re the teacher, sometimes we’re the student – often in back-to-back moments. We are, indeed, the light of the world, but sometimes, when our light flickers or dims, we need the light of another to remind us who we are so we can get back to doing our own work to be God’s light and love in the world.
I am thankful for those who keep me on track, and thankful for others who have expressed gratitude when I have done the same for them. My friend helped me learn what forgiveness means and in doing so helped me shine away the shadow of fear.
As St. John of the Cross once wrote: “The soul is a candle that will burn away the darkness, only the glorious duties of love we will have.”
Photo by Andres F. Uran on Unsplash