What do we value more: ego or Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is the way in which God’s Will is done on earth as it is in Heaven. Both Heaven and earth are in you, because the call of both is in your mind. The Voice for God comes from your own altars to Him. These altars are not things; they are devotions. Yet you have other devotions now. Your divided devotion has given you the two voices, and you must choose at which altar you want to serve. The call you answer now is an evaluation because it is a decision. The decision is very simple. It is made on the basis of which call is worth more to you. T-5.II.8: 4 - 12

A Course in Miracles . Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition. 

This passage in ACIM points out again that we have a split mind. Part of our mind serves the earth of the ego and part of our mind serves Spirit in Heaven. We are reminded again that we have a choice which part of our mind we will utilize for service. This choice is based on which part of our mind we prize more.

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. This worth and dignity does not arise from the ego but from the Spirit.

Today, it is suggested that we reflect on our choice. What has greater value to us: the ego or Spirit?

Body or soul? Ego or Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is your Guide in choosing. He is in the part of your mind that always speaks for the right choice, because He speaks for God. He is your remaining communication with God, which you can interrupt but cannot destroy. T-5.II.8: 1 - 3

A Course in Miracles . Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition. 

We can choose to listen or not to listen. It is our choice: ego or Spirit?

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. UUs teach that people are free to choose which voice they want to listen to. However, UUs also affirm and promote that we should use our freedom responsibly. What does “responsible” mean? We can respond to the voice of the ego or the voice of Spirit. The choice is between our body and our soul.

Today, we recognize and acknowledge that we are not victims but have a choice to which voice we listen to, prize, and act on. At any given decision point what will we choose?

What does it profit a person: the whole world or the soul?

 

Peace is stronger than war because it heals. War is division, not increase. No one gains from strife. What profiteth it a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? If you listen to the wrong voice you have lost sight of your soul. You cannot lose it, but you can not know it. It is therefore “lost” to you until you choose right. T-5.II.7:8 - 13

A Course in Miracles . Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition. 

The ego is a powerful seducer. It fills us with desire, fear, guilt, anger, arrogance and we lose sight of our soul. What does it profit a person if they gain the whole world but lose their soul?

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the search for truth and meaning. This truth and meaning is not to be found in the world of the ego. Is truth and meaning to be found in war? Many believe this is so and yet suffering, turmoil, guilt, and sadness arise. We yearn for peace but don’t know where to find it. Peace is to be found in unconditional love and joining not in conditional love and divisiveness.

Today, it is suggested that we reflect on what we truly want: war or peace, conditional love or unconditional love, the idols of the ego or  the fruits of Spirit?

The Voice of peace.

The Voice of the Holy Spirit does not command, because It is incapable of arrogance. It does not demand, because It does not seek control. It does not overcome, because It does not attack. It merely reminds. It is compelling only because of what It reminds you of. It brings to your mind the other way, remaining quiet even in the midst of the turmoil you may make. The Voice for God is always quiet, because It speaks of peace. T-5.II.7: 1 - 7

A Course in Miracles . Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition. 

The Holy Spirit speaks to us quietly, so quietly it is easy to overlook, ignore, deny, be oblivious. Most of us think the ego world which is an illusion is all there is. This belief contributes to depression, anxiety, resentment, grievance, and guilt. If a person wants peace, it would help to listen for the soft voice of Spirit.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the search for truth and meaning and we can add, peace. Where is truth and meaning and peace to be found? It is not in the world of the ego but rather in Spirit. The world of ego is the world of conditional love while the world of Spirit is unconditional love. 

Today, it is suggested that we consider that we have a choice to listen to the temptations of the ego or the voice of Spirit. We can know the difference because ego will bring distress and Spirit will bring peace.

We have the freedom to choose the ego or Spirit.

The Holy Spirit calls you both to remember and to forget. You have chosen to be in a state of opposition in which opposites are possible. As a result, there are choices you must make. In the holy state the will is free, so that its creative power is unlimited and choice is meaningless. Freedom to choose is the same power as freedom to create, but its application is different. Choosing depends on a split mind. The Holy Spirit is one way of choosing. God did not leave His children comfortless, even though they chose to leave Him. The voice they put in their minds was not the Voice for His Will, for which the Holy Spirit speaks. T-5.II.6: 1 - 9

A Course in Miracles . Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition. 

After the separation we became aware of the power to choose. We can choose the world of the ego or the world of Spirit. The choice is our willfulness or God’s will. We can choose between conditional love and unconditional love. The ego constantly tempts us to choose conditional love.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Is truth and meaning to be found in the world of the ego or the world of Spirit? It is our choice.

Today, be aware of our freedom to choose where we will look for love, in the conditional world of the ego, or the unconditional world of Spirit. We have simply to ask ourselves, “What would love have me do?”

We are part of something tremendously bigger than our single self.

God is not in you in a literal sense; you are part of Him. When you chose to leave Him He gave you a Voice to speak for Him because He could no longer share His knowledge with you without hindrance. Direct communication was broken because you had made another voice. T-5.II.5: 5 - 7

A Course in Miracles . Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition. 

God is not in us, but rather we are part of God. We are a drop of the ocean. When we separated ourselves from the ocean it became harder to be aware of the All from which we separated. We had made what we think is another voice, the voice of the ego. The voice of the ego is lonely and feels its deficiency, its inadequacy. We yearn to return to the All from which we have separated ourselves. If we call upon the Holy Spirit, the Spirit will help us find our way back home.

In Unitarian Universalism we know the inherent worth and digntiy of every drop of the ocean and we engage in a search for the truth and meaning of the All of which we are a part.

Today, rest quietly and know that we are part of something temendously bigger than our single self and pray for the Holy Spirit’s comforting guidence. Turn our willfulness over to the will of God.

The choice between conditional love and unconditional love.

God does not guide, because He can share only perfect knowledge. Guidance is evaluative, because it implies there is a right way and also a wrong way, one to be chosen and the other to be avoided. By choosing one you give up the other. The choice for the Holy Spirit is the choice for God. T-5.II.5: 1 - 4

A Course in Miracles . Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition. 

Most people don’t realize they have a choice: to follow the way of the ego or to follow the way of the Holy Spirit. The way of the ego is about conditional love and the way of the Holy Spirit is about unconditional love. If we choose unconditional love we have chosen the way of the Holy Spirit which leads us to the Atonement which is the healing of the separation. If we choose the way of the ego, we remain in the hell of separation and divisiveness..

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. This search requires choices between conditional love and unconditional love, between the ego and the Holy Spirit. One choice brings us pain and distress, and the other brings us peace and joy.

Today, knowing that we have a choice between conditional love and unconditional love, we can choose what love would have us do or follow our own willfulness.