"In gentle laughter does the Holy Spirit perceive the cause, and looks not to effects. How else could He correct your error, who have overlooked the cause entirely? He bids you bring each terrible effect to Him that you may look together on its foolish cause and laugh with Him a while. *You* judge effects, but *He* has judged their cause. And by His judgment are effects removed. Perhaps you come in tears. But hear Him say, 'My brother, holy Son of God, behold your idle dream, in which this could occur.' And you will leave the holy instant with your laughter and your brother's joined with His."
—ACIM T-27.VIII.9
Imagine a child comes to you, upset, saying, look what I did! In their hand is something that is broken. Something that you can see has little value, in that it is not needed for daily survival, or even for happiness, nothing is lost in losing this thing, and you as an adult, with your broader perspective can see this. And you are not mad at this child. You have no thought to punish this child.
You could laugh. You could say, “oh dear, that's ok.” And help the child to see that it's fine. Maybe it's not even really broken. Maybe there is another one just like it. Maybe it's time to be done with that and move to something else. You can laugh together when you both see how UNIMPORTANT it all is.
God sees us and all our little and big follies this way. And he sees none as any bigger than another! We judge the effects, the things we see, the results, but God judges only the cause, and knows that there is ONLY EVER ONE CAUSE for any pain or suffering! Separation. That is the only cause. And if, with every problem, we bring it to Him, and give it to Him, and bring ourselves back to God, we are healed. That's salvation.
He also says that he knows we might come to him in tears, as that child, but he is sure we will leave, together, laughing! Following the pain, the sorrow, the hurt, leads us away from God. Bringing our pain, sorrow and hurt to God relieves us of the burden, trading it for forgiveness and lets us walk away from it with God, laughing. Like two friends sharing a joke. “How did I not see that?? How did I take *that* so seriously??” “ I know, humans have been doing that one for a long time. It gets me every time. “
I feel this light! It makes so much sense. When I was in the 40 Day Transformation Program with Lisa Natoli for the first time, I thought, how can she talk of such big stuff and then laugh??? I get it now!! It's not laughing like making fun of something or a joke at anyone's expense, not at all.....it's laughing because I can see how Light this all is, I can see right through it, and I laugh in that marvelling way....how could I not see this before?? I laugh because I feel tickled by the whole idea and by the discovery and by what I can now SEE!!!
Bring God ALL your concerns. NONE of them has an incurable cause. NONE of them is any worse or better than any other. And NONE of them need be carried one moment longer. Your time at the altar is a holy instant. That time when you are only looking up to God. And in that holy instant everything can be changed. A single lesson can be learned. And you are free.
But, not to worry, he also promises that the Holy Spirit will repeat this lesson until it is learned. I teach this way. I tell my students, I am telling you a lot of things, but I will keep repeating them or reminding you or re-teaching them until you understand. No pressure. We can take a day or a lifetime. It doesn't matter. There is no time, anyway.
I hope this feels good. I hope you get a sense of what I have glimpsed today. I hope you have a glorious holy instant today!!!!