One Morning, One Mind, One Lesson

In A Course in Miracles (ACIM), one of the core teachings is that the body is a learning device, and the mind, along with it, is the Classroom. Life is THE lesson. Each moment, no matter how wholesome or unwholesome, is an opportunity to observe, to question, and to learn.

This morning was one of those moments. Nothing extraordinary happened—but something quietly clicked. A small but meaningful insight arose when I became aware of a relentless stream of thoughts running in my mind after I awoke and was still lying in bed. It was about work the day before, as well as other happenings. One thought triggered another, and soon I was caught in a familiar mental loop: tasks, reminders, conversations. It was like a movie playing on its own.

Then I caught myself: Why am I entertaining all of this? These thoughts weren’t intentional. They just appeared. And that’s what the unguarded mind does—it drifts. Often into the past or the future, seldom into the Now.

As I stayed present with that realization, I noticed something deeper beneath the surface. The content of my thoughts was about work—but the feeling driving them was fear. Fear of forgetting something important. Fear of not doing enough. Fear of failure. Fear of not rising up to expectations. It was quiet, but persistent.

Then a deeper insight formed: we often say that attachment is the cause of suffering. But perhaps even before attachment, there is fear. We cling to things not only because we desire them, but because we’re afraid of what life would feel like without them. Afraid of loss, of uncertainty, of the unknown.

This reminded me of a key message from ACIM:
Fear and love are the only emotions of which we are capable, where fear is a call for love. Fear isn’t the opposite of love—it’s a call toward it.

     “For fear is a call for love, in unconscious recognition of what has been denied.”

And when I questioned deeper, it became obvious to me that this is the truth.
“Why do I fear forgetting? Because I care. Why do I fear not doing enough? Because I want to do things well. Why do I fear letting go? Because I love what I’m holding on to.” Therein lies attachment.

In a mundane way, it made sense – isn’t it always our first instinct to grasp at anything deemed safe when we feel that we are at a loss or on the verge of loss?

So perhaps fear isn’t something to fight or reject. It’s something to notice, to learn from. It’s the voice of a conditioned mind, reaching for peace the only way it knows how. And once we recognize that, we can gently guide it back to the truth.

Lesson 160 of ACIM quotes: “Fear is a stranger here.”
Fear doesn’t belong to who we truly are—it arises from the illusion of Separation. But each time we see it for what it is, we step a little closer to remembering. We return to the classroom. We learn again.

And in that learning, we move from fear… called back to love and being gentle with What is.

We are all students in this classroom - so may we welcome each moment as a chance to remember who we truly are. 

In grace,
Yvonne Loh
29 July 2025