God’s peace and joy are yours. Today we will accept them, knowing they
belong to us. And we will try to understand these gifts increase as we
receive them. They are not like to the gifts the world can give, in
which the giver loses as he gives the gift; the taker is the richer by
his loss. These are not gifts, but bargains made with guilt.
The truly given gift entails no loss. It is impossible that one can gain
because another loses. This implies a limit and an insufficiency. No
gift is given thus. Such “gifts” are but a bid for a more valuable
return; a loan with interest to be paid in full; a temporary lending,
meant to be a pledge of debt to be repaid with more than was received by
him who took the gift.
This strange distortion of what giving means pervades all levels of the
world you see. It strips all meaning from the gifts you give, and leaves
you nothing in the ones you take. A major learning goal this course has
set is to reverse your view of giving, so you can receive. Forgiving has
become a source of fear, and so you would avoid the only means by which
you can receive.
Accept God’s peace and joy, and you will learn a different way of
looking at a gift. God’s gifts will never lessen when they are given
away. They but increase thereby. As Heaven’s peace and joy intensify
when you accept them as God’s gift to you, so does the joy of your
Creator grow when you accept His joy and peace as yours.
True giving is creation. It extends the limitless to the unlimited,
eternity to timelessness, and love unto itself. It adds to all that is
complete already, not in simple terms of adding more, for that implies
that it was less before. It adds by letting what cannot contain itself
fulfill its aim of giving everything it has away, securing it forever
for itself.
Today accept God’s peace and joy as yours. Let Him complete Himself as
He defines completion. You will understand that what completes Him must
complete His Son as well. He cannot give through loss. No more can you.
Receive His gift of joy and peace today, and He will thank you for your
gift to Him.
Today our practice periods will start a little differently. Begin
today by thinking of those brothers who have been denied by you the
peace and joy that are their right under the equal laws of God. Here you
denied them to yourself. And here you must return to claim them as your
own. Think of your “enemies” a little while, and tell each one as he
occurs to you:
“My brother, peace and joy I offer you,
That I may have God’s peace and joy as mine.”
Thus you prepare yourself to recognize God’s gifts to you, and let your
mind be free of all that would prevent success today. Now are you ready
to accept the gift of peace and joy which God has given you. Now are you
ready to experience the joy and peace you have denied yourself. Now you
can say, “God’s peace and joy are mine,” for you have given what you
would receive.
You must succeed today if you prepare your mind as we suggest, for you
have let all bars to peace and joy be lifted up, and what is yours can
come to you at last. So tell yourself “God’s peace and joy are mine,”
and close your eyes a while, and let His Voice assure you that the words
you speak are true.
Spend your five minutes thus with Him each time you can today, but do
not think that less is worthless when you cannot give Him more. At least
remember hourly to say the words which call on Him to give you what He
wills to give, and wills you to receive.
Determine not to interfere today with what He wills. And if a brother
seems to tempt you to deny God’s gift to him, see it as but another
chance to let yourself receive the gifts of God as yours. Then bless your
brother thankfully, and say:
“My brother, peace and joy I offer you,
That I may have God’s peace and joy as mine.”