LESSON 192 I have a function God would have me fill.

1. 1It is your Father’s holy Will that you complete Himself, and that your Self shall be His sacred Son, forever pure as He, of love created and in love preserved, extending love, creating in its name, forever one with God and with your Self. 2Yet what can such a function mean within a world of envy, hatred and attack?

2. 1Therefore, you have a function in the world in its own terms. 2For who can understand a language far beyond his simple grasp? 3Forgiveness represents your function here. 4It is not God’s creation, for it is the means by which untruth can be undone. 5And who would pardon Heaven? 6Yet on earth, you need the means to let illusions go. 7Creation merely waits for your return to be acknowledged, not to be complete.

3. 1Creation cannot even be conceived of in the world. 2It has no meaning here. 3Forgiveness is the closest it can come to earth. 4For being Heaven-born, it has no form at all. 5Yet God created One Who has the power to translate in form the wholly form­less. 6What He makes are dreams, but of a kind so close to wak­ing that the light of day already shines in them, and eyes already opening behold the joyful sights their offerings contain.

4. 1Forgiveness gently looks upon all things unknown in Heaven, sees them disappear, and leaves the world a clean and unmarked slate on which the Word of God can now replace the senseless symbols written there before. 2Forgiveness is the means by which the fear of death is overcome, because it holds no fierce attraction now and guilt is gone. 3Forgiveness lets the body be perceived as what it is; a simple teaching aid, to be laid by when learning is complete, but hardly changing him who learns at all.

5. 1The mind without the body cannot make mistakes. 2It cannot think that it will die, nor be the prey of merciless attack. 3Anger becomes impossible, and where is terror then? 4What fears could still assail those who have lost the source of all attack, the core of anguish and the seat of fear? 5Only forgiveness can relieve the mind of thinking that the body is its home. 6Only forgiveness can restore the peace that God intended for His holy Son. 7Only for­giveness can persuade the Son to look again upon his holiness.

6. 1With anger gone, you will indeed perceive that, for Christ’s vision and the gift of sight, no sacrifice was asked, and only pain was lifted from a sick and tortured mind. 2Is this unwelcome? 3Is it to be feared? 4Or is it to be hoped for, met with thanks and joyously accepted? 5We are one, and therefore give up nothing. 6But we have indeed been given everything by God.

7. 1Yet do we need forgiveness to perceive that this is so. 2Without its kindly light we grope in darkness, using reason but to justify our rage and our attack. 3Our understanding is so limited that what we think we understand is but confusion born of error. 4We are lost in mists of shifting dreams and fearful thoughts, our eyes shut tight against the light; our minds engaged in worshipping what is not there.

8. 1Who can be born again in Christ but him who has forgiven everyone he sees or thinks of or imagines? 2Who could be set free while he imprisons anyone? 3A jailer is not free, for he is bound together with his prisoner. 4He must be sure that he does not escape, and so he spends his time in keeping watch on him. 5The bars that limit him become the world in which his jailer lives, along with him. 6And it is on his freedom that the way to liberty depends for both of them.

9. 1Therefore, hold no one prisoner. 2Release instead of bind, for thus are you made free. 3The way is simple. 4Every time you feel a stab of anger, realize you hold a sword above your head. 5And it will fall or be averted as you choose to be condemned or free. 6Thus does each one who seems to tempt you to be angry represent your savior from the prison house of death. 7And so you owe him thanks instead of pain.

10. 1Be merciful today. 2The Son of God deserves your mercy. 3It is he who asks that you accept the way to freedom now. 4Deny him not. 5His Father’s Love for him belongs to you. 6Your function here on earth is only to forgive him, that you may accept him back as your Identity. 7He is as God created him. 8And you are what he is. 9Forgive him now his sins, and you will see that you are one with him.