Lesson 304: Let not my world obscure the sight of Christ.

For the past several weeks, I keep coming back to this five-step formulation of the utter simplicity of salvation. I often sit back and run these steps through my mind, rehearsing them, and then when the drama begins, when the director says “Action,” I am ready.

1. When I find myself experiencing fear and pain, I say to myself, “This certainly seems fearful, but it is not so. In my mind there are only two states, one is the state of mind of the peace of God, and this state is the only one real; the other state is one of ear and conflict, and it has no source in reality.”

2. Further, I make it very concrete by using the metaphor of seeing: When I look out at the world, what I see mirrors, either the state of mind of fear, or the state of mind of peace. What I see, then, is seen through, either the eyes of the ego, or the eyes of Christ.

3. Since this is all going on only in my mind, I have the power, I have the responsibility, to choose the eyes through which I see. I remind myself that what I am seeing through the eyes of the ego is not real, and in fact, no longer exists. What I see through the eyes of Christ is real and loving and eternal.

4. Now, it is just a matter of asking for help to let go of, relinquish, forgive that which is not real, so that I can shift from the false state of mind to the true. It is simply an action of the mind.

5. Finally, if I do not immediately experience forgiveness in the next moment, and sometimes I do with a warm wave of gratitude, then I trust that I am God’s beloved Son, and the lag time will soon pass, and I will soon see again with the eyes of Christ, mirroring the peace of God.

Remembering these lines in my daily drama, I was astonished and grateful to read Jesus’ words today in Lesson 304, Let not my world obscure the sight of Christ.

I can obscure my holy sight, if I intrude my world upon it. Nor can I behold the holy sights Christ looks upon, unless it is His vision that I use. Perception is a mirror, not a fact. And what I look on is my state of mind, reflected outward. I would bless the world by looking on it through the eyes of Christ. And I will look upon the certain signs that all my sins have been forgiven me.

You lead me from the darkness to the light; from sin to holiness. Let me forgive, and thus receive salvation for the world. It is Your gift, my Father, given me to offer to Your holy Son, that he may find again the memory of You, and of Your Son as You created him.

To obscuremeans to hide, or veil meaning. Seeing through the eyes of the ego presents a world that veils the truth of what I am, what we are, and when one of us sees truly, it is a gift to all our brothers.

Hidden in the prose version of this lesson is a special gift from Jesus, the lesson in the sheer poetry of blank verse, meaning ten syllables per line in a particular pattern called iambs, slack STRESS. Try scanning the lines to find the rhythm, for example: chris TINE.

Let not my world obscure the sight of Christ

I can obscure my holy sight, if I
intrude my world upon it. Nor can I
behold the holy sights Christ looks upon,
unless it is His vision that I use.
Perception is a mirror, not a fact.
And what I look on is my state of mind,
reflected outward. I would bless the world
by looking on it through the eyes of Christ.
And I will look upon the certain signs
that all my sins have been forgiven me.

You lead me from the darkness to the light;
from sin to holiness. Let me forgive,
and thus receive salvation for the world.
It is Your gift, my Father, given me
to offer to Your holy Son, that he
may find again the memory of You,
and of Your Son as You created him.

Here you go:



let NOT my WORLD ob SCURE the SIGHT of CHRIST

i CAN ob SCURE my HO ly SIGHT, if I

You can practice scanning the rest of the lines.

in trude my world up on it. Nor can I

4. be hold the ho ly sights CHRIST LOOKS up on,

un less it is His vis ion that I use.

Per cep tion is a mir ror, not a fact.

And what I look on is my state of mind,

re flect ed out ward. I would bless the world

by look ing on it through the eyes of Christ.

And I will look upon the cer tain signs

that all my sins have been for giv en me.

12. YOU LEAD me from the dark ness to the light;

from sin to hol i ness. Let me for give,

and thus re ceive sal va tion for the world.

It is Your gift, my Fath er, giv en me

to of fer to Your ho ly Son, that he

may find a gain the mem or y of You,

and of Your Son as You cre at ed him.

In lines 4 and 12, Jesus breaks the pattern to emphasize His meaning by using a particular pattern called spondees, STRESS STRESS.

In the Workbook from Lesson 98 to 365, Jesus’ lessons are all in blank verse, and in the Text, from Chapter 26 to 31 His chapters are in blank verse, the rhythm of the universe.

I express my gratitude for Jesus’ Course in Miracles in this poem of blank verse.

Jesus speaks and Helen scribes, precisely,
so that not one syllable goes astray,
marching stately across the pages in
blank verse, the rhythm of the universe.