*ACIM Lesson 226*

“My home awaits me. I will hasten there.”

The Core Teaching

This lesson is about remembering where you truly belong. It tells you that you are not at home in this world of change, conflict, aging, loss, and death. Your true home is in God—pure love, pure peace, pure safety. The lesson is not asking you to die or leave your body; it is inviting you to shift your identity from the ego’s fearful story to the truth of your spirit.

When you say, “My home awaits me,” you are acknowledging:

• I am not what I seem to be here.
• I am not limited to this body, this personality, this history.
• I come from Love and remain in Love, even if I have forgotten.

And when you say, “I will hasten there,” you are choosing willingness. You are saying, “I won’t delay my peace any longer. I won’t postpone my joy. I am ready to remember.”

What is the ego trying to hide?

The ego’s central lie is: You are separate and alone, and this world is your only reality.

To keep this lie intact, the ego:

1. *Makes the world seem like home.*

It tells you:

• “If you just get the right partner, the right job, the right body, the right bank account, then you’ll finally be safe and happy.”
• It tries to convince you that comfort here is the best you can hope for.

2. *Equates “home” with a body and a story.*

It says:

• “This body is you.”
• “Your past defines you.”
• “Your mistakes are who you are.”

3. *Makes God seem distant or threatening.*

The ego whispers:

• “If you go back to God, you’ll lose everything you love.”
• “God will judge you for what you’ve done.”
• “You’ll be punished, not welcomed.”

Underneath all this, the ego is hiding a very simple truth: You are still as God created you—innocent, loved, and safe. If you truly knew that, the ego would vanish. Its entire existence depends on you believing you are guilty, separate, and vulnerable.

What is the Holy Spirit revealing?

The Holy Spirit, the Voice for God in your mind, gently reveals:

1. *You never left your home in God.*

Your “separation” is like a dream. You seem to be wandering in a strange land, but your real Self is still at rest in God. The Holy Spirit keeps reminding you:

• “This is not your home.”
• “You are dreaming of exile, but you remain in Heaven.”

2. *Home is a state of mind, not a place.*

You don’t have to go anywhere. You don’t have to die. You don’t have to change your life circumstances first.

Home is the inner awareness:

• “I am safe in God now.”
• “I am loved now.”
• “I am innocent now.”

3. *You are welcome, not condemned.*

The Holy Spirit says:

• “You are not guilty. You are mistaken, not sinful.”
• “You are always welcome to come home in your awareness, no matter what you think you’ve done.”

So this lesson is a turning of the mind. You are saying:

“I will not invest my hope in this world’s promises. I will not pretend that this is where I belong. I choose to remember my true home in God, and I choose it now.”

Applied to Daily Life

In Relationships

Suppose you’re in a relationship filled with tension, misunderstandings, or neediness. The ego tells you:

• “If this person changes, I’ll finally be at peace.”
• “If they leave me, I’ll be destroyed.”

From this lesson’s perspective, your peace does not depend on another person’s behavior. Your home is not in their approval, attention, or affection. Your home is in God’s Love, which is constant.

So when you feel hurt, jealous, or abandoned, you might say internally:

• “My home awaits me. I will hasten there.”
• “I am not homeless because of what this person says or does. My home is in God, and I can rest there now.”

This doesn’t mean you stay in unhealthy situations. It means your decisions are guided by peace, not panic. You can set boundaries or even leave a relationship, but you do it from a sense of inner safety, not from fear that you are losing your home.

At Work

At work, you may feel pressure, competition, or fear of failure. The ego says:

• “Your worth is your performance.”
• “Your home is your status, your title, your success.”

This lesson invites you to remember:

• “I am not at home in this world of endless striving.”
• “My true security does not come from my job.”

So when you’re anxious about a deadline or your boss’s opinion, pause and say:

• “My home awaits me. I will hasten there.”
• “I choose to remember that my value is given by God, not by this job. I can bring peace *into* this situation because I am not dependent on it for my identity.”

Ironically, when you remember this, you often work more calmly, clearly, and effectively, because you’re not trying to prove your worth.

In Illness

Illness can make the body feel like a prison. The ego says:

• “You *are* this sick body.”
• “You are at the mercy of the world.”

This lesson doesn’t ask you to deny symptoms or avoid treatment. It asks you to gently loosen the belief that the body is your home. You might say:

• “This body is a temporary learning device, not my Self.”
• “My home awaits me. I will hasten there in my mind, even while I care for this body.”

You can receive medical help, take medicine, rest—and at the same time remember:

• “My spirit is untouched. My true Self is safe in God.”

This inner shift brings comfort and often softens fear and resistance, even if the body’s condition is unchanged.

In Anxiety and Daily Stress

When you feel overwhelmed by bills, news, family issues, or personal worries, the ego insists:

• “This world is all there is, and it’s dangerous.”

This lesson offers a different anchor:

• “I am not at home in chaos. My home is peace.”

In a moment of stress, you might pause and breathe:

• “My home awaits me. I will hasten there.”
• “I choose to remember that beneath all appearances, I rest in God.”

You’re not escaping responsibility; you’re returning to a calmer mind from which you can respond more wisely.

Overcoming Resistance

This lesson can feel challenging for several reasons:

1. *Fear of losing what you love.*

You may think, “If I admit this world isn’t my home, will I lose my relationships, my pleasures, my life?”

The Course reassures you: what is real and loving is never taken from you. You are not being asked to give up love, only illusions of love that hurt you.

2. *Fear of God.*

Many carry a hidden fear that God is angry or punishing. So “going home” can sound like facing a terrifying judge.

The Holy Spirit gently corrects this: God is Love, not a threat. To “hasten home” is to hasten to comfort, not to punishment.

3. *Attachment to the ego’s identity.*

The ego says, “Without your story, who will you be? Without your grievances, your roles, your struggles, what’s left?”

What’s left is peace, joy, and a Self that cannot be hurt. But to the ego, that feels like annihilation. So resistance shows up as boredom, distraction, skepticism, or even anger at the lesson.

If you notice resistance, don’t judge it. Just notice and say:

• “Part of me is afraid of going home. That’s okay. I am willing to be gently led.”
• “Holy Spirit, help me see this differently. Show me that going home is safe.”

You are not asked to force belief. You are asked to offer a little willingness.

Today’s Practice

Here is a simple way to practice Lesson 226 today:

1. Morning Quiet Time (5–15 minutes)

• Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and take a few slow, gentle breaths.
• Say slowly, with intention:

*“My home awaits me. I will hasten there.”*

• Let the words sink in.
• Imagine a soft, loving Presence within you—like a warm light or a quiet, safe room in your mind. This is a symbol of your true home.
• Silently say:
• “I am willing to remember where I truly belong.”
• “Holy Spirit, lead me home in my awareness today.”
• Rest in stillness for a few minutes. If thoughts come, let them pass like clouds. Keep returning gently to the idea:

*“My home awaits me. I will hasten there.”*

2. Short Practice Periods During the Day

Several times today—especially when you feel stressed, upset, or tempted to blame—pause for 10–30 seconds and say inwardly:

• “I feel lost right now, but my home awaits me.”
• “I will hasten there by choosing peace instead of this.”

You might add:

• “This situation is not my home. Peace is my home.”

Use any upsetting moment as a reminder that you have forgotten your home—and that you can remember again, right now.

3. In Specific Situations

• **In conflict:**

“My home awaits me. I will hasten there, instead of defending my ego.”

• **In fear or anxiety:**

“Fear is not my home. Love is my home. I choose to remember.”

• **In physical discomfort:**

“This body is not my home. My spirit rests in God.”

4. Evening Reflection

Before sleep, take a minute to review your day:

• Notice any moments when you remembered your true home, even briefly.
• Thank yourself for your willingness.
• If there were times you forgot and got lost in fear or anger, simply say:

“I was mistaken about where my home is. I forgive myself. My home still awaits me, unchanged.”

End with:

*“My home awaits me. I will hasten there.”*

Comparable ACIM Lessons

This lesson is closely related to several others:

• **Lesson 182: “I will be still an instant and go home.”**

Very similar theme: home as an inner state of stillness and peace.

• **Lesson 199: “I am not a body. I am free.”**

Both lessons loosen the belief that your home is in a body and in the world.

• **Lesson 200: “There is no peace except the peace of God.”**

Reinforces that true peace cannot be found in the world’s changing forms.

• **Lesson 224: “God is my Father, and He loves His Son.”**

This establishes the loving relationship that makes “home” safe and welcoming.

• **Lesson 185: “I want the peace of God.”**

Choosing the peace of God is the same as choosing to remember your true home.

These lessons together form a gentle pathway: from recognizing your true identity, to wanting peace, to realizing that peace is your home in God.

Closing Thought

You have never truly been homeless, no matter how lost or alone you have felt. Your home in God has been kept for you, unchanged and undisturbed. Today you are simply turning toward it, with a little more willingness, a little more trust.

“My home awaits me. I will hasten there.”

Let this be your quiet promise to yourself today. Every small step you take toward peace is a step toward remembering who you really are.