The idea for today combines two very powerful thoughts, both of major
importance. It also sets forth a cause and effect relationship which explains
why you cannot fail in your efforts to achieve the goal of the course. You will
see because it is the Will of God. It is His strength, not your own, that gives
you power. And it is His gift to you, rather than your own, which offers vision
to you.
God is indeed your strength. And what He gives is truly given. This means that
you can receive it any time and anywhere, wherever you are and in whatever
circumstances you find yourself. Your passage through time and space is not
random. You cannot but be in the right place at the right time. Such is the
strength of God. Such are His gifts.
We will have two three-to-five-minute longer exercise periods today, one as soon
as possible after you wake, and another as close as possible to the time you go
to sleep. It is better, however, to wait until you can sit quietly by yourself
at a time when you feel ready than it is to be concerned with the time as such.
Begin the practice period by repeating the idea for today slowly, with eyes
open, looking about you. Then close your eyes and repeat the idea again, quite
slowly. After this, try to think of nothing except thoughts which occur to you
in relation to today's idea. You might think, for example:
"Vision must be possible. God gives truly,"
Or,
"God's gifts to me must be mine, because He gave them to me."
Whatever thought that is clearly related to
the idea itself is suitable. You may, in fact, be astonished at the amount of course related
understanding some of your own thoughts contain. Let them come without censoring
unless you realize your mind is merely wandering, and you have let obviously
irrelevant thoughts intrude. You may also reach a point where no thoughts at all
seem to come to mind. If such interferences occur, open your eyes and repeat the thought once
more while looking slowly about; close your eyes, repeat the idea once more, and
then continue to look for related thoughts in your mind.
Remember, though that active searching is not appropriate for today's
exercises. Try merely to step back and let the thoughts come. If you find this
difficult, it is better to spend the practice period alternating between slow
repetitions of the idea with eyes open, then closed, then open, and so on, than
it is to strain in order to find suitable thoughts.
There is no limit on the number of short practice periods which would be most
beneficial. The idea for the day is a beginning step in bringing thoughts
together and teaching you that what you are studying is a unified thought system
in which nothing is lacking that is needed, and nothing is included that is
contradictory or irrelevant.
The more often you repeat the idea during the day, the more often you will be
reminding yourself that the goal of the course is important to you, and that you
have not forgotten it.
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