There are many powerful lessons in the A Course in Miracles Workbook. In total there are 365 daily lessons, yet on a cold February morning I experienced the power of lesson number 33, ‘I could see peace instead of this’. I was going about my business juggling the many hats I wear as a mother, physical therapist, writer, ect. The past few weeks I was wearing yet another hat, general contractor. We were in the middle of a basement renovation project. My father was graciously spending many hours framing and insulating and I was assisting coordinating the many subcontractors and requesting building inspections.
The project was going as smooth as could be expected, with the exception of a failed insulation and plumbing inspection. We remedied the issue and rescheduled the inspection. Determined to pass this time, I cleared my day to be available for the inspector so we could move on the promised land of sheetrock. The inspector called early in the morning, as I was driving my kids to school, and confirmed our appointment. He stated he would arrive between 11 and 1. I finished a few morning errands and arrived home promptly by 10:30. I planned to be waiting with bells on. I puttered around the house in an effort to pass the time. I frequently checked by phone and looked out the windows to scout out the inspector’s arrival. I was quietly reading a book when I thought I heard something. I rushed to the windows to scout out the situation and sure enough there was a town vehicle in my driveway. I went to grab a mask and go out to greet him. To my surprise, the car backed out of my driveway and left; I couldn’t believe my eyes!
My mind raced with possible scenarios to explain the bizarre event, had he got another call and left, had he tried to call and experienced technical difficulties? My ego started to flair in indignation, did he not even exercise the courtesy to knock at my door before he assumed I wasn’t home?!? As I was sorting through my thoughts, on my counter sat the large blue textbook, A Course in Miracles (ACIM). It was intentionally opened to the lesson I had practiced earlier that morning, Lesson 33: I could see peace instead of this. I had been practicing one lesson a day since the new year 2021. There have been a myriad of helpful concepts thus far, and I am only in the beginning. The past few lessons have had a recurring theme, to see things differently. My ego, in its own self-interest, has a way of perceiving a situation in a destructive manner. It makes assumptions. It tries to protect me by pointing the finger at another. This concept of looking at this a different way and choosing to see peace instead of a bizarre scenario in which surely I am the victim, has been life changing. I made a decision to see peace, to give the benefit of the doubt and acknowledge maybe I had missed something. Although not simple, I was able to work this concept with practice and repetition. When my mind went back there while I was explaining the situation to others, I interjected, I can see peace instead of this. Later in the day, the thought crept back in, why wouldn’t he knock? I paused and took a deep breath. Again I recited in my mind, I could see peace instead of this. The day continued. I accepted that I would have to wait until tomorrow to call the building department and figure out what happened. The peace from not losing my temper and justifying my position was authentically refreshing. I was at peace.
After dinner, my husband showed me an email he had received from the town, we had passed the inspection. Happy, but confused I tried to understand how that happened. I went down to the basement and there was a sticker confirming the information in the email. More trying to figure out what had happened. Had he come back? Was the sticker there all along? I came back to the peace. I felt salvation. I had achieved peace without the outcome in the manner which I preferred, yet there it was. We often view miracles as radical remission from cancer or life or death scenarios. Yes those are no doubt glorious evidence of Divine intervention. ACIM defines a miracle as a shift in perception from fear-based thinking to love-based thinking. As minute as this occurrence had been, in my opinion it counts as a miracle. I shifted my perception and stayed open to the possible of there being another way. Sometimes it seems as though the harder events I exhibit groundedness—perhaps even grace. And somehow the superficial ones, with little to no meaning, are the ones that fire me up. I didn’t take the bait this time, hallelujah!
