Using the Teachings

I've come to see how it doesn't matter how much I read, how much knowledge I have--the important question is--do I turn it into wisdom by making it my own? Do I find out for myself what is true, instead of mindlessly believing? This applies even to the magnificent angel lessons. Do I do practice the exercises? Do I put Truth first?

Each day I have many things I have to do, many things I want to do, and these all take up time. I make it a point to make time to sit with my school lessons each day, to do some quiet contemplations, some writing, some meditation. The other day some friends invited me to go out with them, and this time happened to be the time I had set aside for my spiritual practices--the only extra time I had that day. So the question for me was, do I use that time going out with friends or going in with my spiritual contemplation.

I was able to notice what was happening in my thinking. The very idea of going "out" was significant. My thinking was saying--I can't disappoint my friends, or they won't like me; I need go "out" and have fun. In the end, I decided to go against that thinking. I decided to stay in and go Inward.

I was glad I did. I felt a calm come over me. I saw how often I do something to please other people, but leave myself unpleased. I saw the ego trying to assert itself, trying to give me orders. I saw that often I do things to avoid facing my inner pain. I saw that I only have to, as I have read in the lessons, be pleasing onto God. That is all. I wound up doing just what I wanted to do all the time--stay home with myself and read my new lesson.