*ACIM Lesson 353*

*“My eyes, my tongue, my hands, my feet today

Have but one purpose; to be given Christ

To use to bless the world with miracles.”*

I. The Core Teaching

This lesson is about purpose. It tells us that our body and our day are not neutral. They are always serving one of two teachers: the ego or the Holy Spirit (the Voice for Christ in our mind). The body itself is not the problem; the purpose we give it is what matters.

What the ego is trying to hide

The ego wants you to believe:

1. *You are a body.*

A separate, vulnerable, aging, fragile self that can be hurt and can die.

2. *You are on your own.*

You must protect yourself, defend yourself, and get your own needs met in competition with others.

3. *Your senses report the truth.*

What your eyes see, your ears hear, your body feels—this, the ego says, is reality. Pain is real. Conflict is real. Loss is real. Separation is real.

4. *Your function is survival, defense, and judgment.*

The ego uses the body to:

• Attack (with words, actions, withdrawal, or coldness)
• Defend (justify, blame, explain, accuse)
• Separate (compare, compete, feel superior or inferior)

The ego is trying to hide one simple, radiant fact: *You are not a body. You are the Christ Self—pure spirit, one with God and with all your brothers and sisters.* If this were remembered, the ego would disappear.

So it keeps you busy with:

• Fear about the body
• Anxiety about the future
• Resentment about the past
• Constant evaluation of who is right and who is wrong

All of this keeps your attention away from the quiet, gentle truth within.

What the Holy Spirit is revealing

The Holy Spirit takes what the ego made (the body, the world of perception) and gives it a new purpose. He does not ask you to deny that you seem to have a body or that you appear to live in a world. Instead, He asks you to *let these things be used for healing*.

In this lesson, you say:

“My eyes, my tongue, my hands, my feet today

Have but one purpose; to be given Christ

To use to bless the world with miracles.”

This means:

• **My eyes** are not for judging, comparing, or condemning.

They are for recognizing innocence, for seeing calls for love instead of attacks, for seeing opportunities to bless.

• **My tongue** (my words) is not for criticism, gossip, or self-attack.

It is for speaking kindness, comfort, and truth—or for remaining lovingly silent when words would wound.

• **My hands** are not for grasping, controlling, or defending.

They are for helping, serving, and extending gentleness.

• **My feet** (my movements, my choices, where I go) are not for chasing ego goals.

They are for going where I can be truly helpful, where I can bring peace.

The Holy Spirit reveals that *your true purpose is to bless. And every time you choose to bless instead of judge, you are allowing a miracle to occur. A miracle, in ACIM, is simply a shift from fear to love, from ego perception to Christ vision*.

So this lesson is really a quiet, powerful decision:

“Today, let everything I do be used for love.”

II. Applied to Daily Life

Let’s bring this into very ordinary situations.

1. Relationships

Suppose you feel hurt by a partner, friend, or family member. The ego says:

• “Look what they did to you.”
• “You must protect yourself.”
• “They are wrong; you are right.”

If your eyes belong to the ego, you will see only their faults. If your tongue belongs to the ego, you will attack or withdraw. If your hands and feet belong to the ego, you will act from defense or punishment.

Now apply the lesson:

• **Eyes**: “Holy Spirit, let my eyes be used by Christ. Show me their fear, their call for love, not their guilt.”
• **Tongue**: “Use my words only to bless. If I speak, let it be honest but kind. If I am not ready to be kind, help me be silent instead of cruel.”
• **Hands/Feet**: “Guide my actions. Maybe I give a gentle touch, or I step away peacefully for a time, without attack.”

You may still set boundaries or say “no,” but the purpose shifts from punishment to peace. That shift is the miracle.

2. Work

At work, the ego uses your body to:

• Compete
• Impress
• Defend your image
• Worry about status, money, recognition

With this lesson, you invite a new purpose:

• **Eyes**: “Let me see co-workers as brothers, not rivals.”
• **Tongue**: “Let my words encourage, clarify, and support rather than complain or tear down.”
• **Hands**: “Let my work be done with integrity and willingness, as an offering of peace.”
• **Feet**: “Guide me where I can be most helpful today—maybe to speak up, maybe to listen, maybe to quietly do what needs to be done.”

Work becomes a classroom for forgiveness instead of a battlefield.

3. Illness

When the body is sick or in pain, the ego says:

• “You *are* this body, and it is failing you.”
• “You are weak, unlucky, or guilty.”

The Holy Spirit does not deny your experience of pain. Instead, He gently shifts the purpose of the body even in illness:

• “Let my eyes see that I am still spirit, even if the body is weak.”
• “Let my tongue speak kindly to myself and others, not in self-pity or bitterness.”
• “Let my hands and feet be used as far as they can be, to extend love—perhaps a smile, a message, a prayer, a quiet presence.”

Illness becomes another opportunity to remember: I am not this body. I am still as God created me. The body may limit what you can do, but it cannot limit the love you are.

4. Anxiety and daily stress

In traffic, in lines, with bills, with deadlines—the ego uses the body to:

• Tense up
• React
• Complain
• Attack (even just in thought)

With this lesson, you pause and say:

• “Holy Spirit, these eyes are Yours. Show me the person in the other car as my brother, not my enemy.”
• “These words are Yours. Help me speak calmly, or not at all, instead of venting anger.”
• “These hands and feet are Yours. Let me move more slowly, more mindfully, as an instrument of peace.”

Even small moments—waiting at a red light, answering an email, washing dishes—become holy instants when you remember your purpose is to bless.

III. Overcoming Resistance

This lesson can feel threatening to the ego for several reasons:

1. *Fear of losing individuality*

The ego whispers, “If I give my body to Christ, I’ll lose myself. I’ll be weak, passive, or taken advantage of.”

In truth, you do not lose yourself; you find your real Self—the Self that cannot be harmed.

2. *Attachment to judgment*

The ego enjoys judging. It feels powerful when it decides who is good or bad.

To say, “My eyes are for blessing, not judging,” feels like giving up a weapon. And it is. But what you gain is peace.

3. *Fear that love will not protect you*

The ego believes only attack and defense keep you safe.

The Holy Spirit teaches that love is your safety, because it aligns you with your true power: the power of God in you.

4. *Doubt about miracles*

You may think, “My day is too ordinary. How can my simple actions be ‘miracles’?”

A miracle is not about drama. It is about a shift in purpose. A gentle word instead of a harsh one is a miracle. A kind thought instead of a bitter one is a miracle.

If you feel resistance, you can say:

“Holy Spirit, I am afraid to give You everything.

I am afraid to let my body serve only love.

Please meet me where I am.

Take only what I am ready to give,

and gently prepare me to give You more.”

You are not asked to be perfect today. You are asked to be willing.

IV. Today’s Practice

Here is a simple way to practice Lesson 353 throughout the day.

1. Morning (5–10 minutes)

• Sit quietly and close your eyes.
• Slowly repeat the idea:

“My eyes, my tongue, my hands, my feet today

Have but one purpose; to be given Christ

To use to bless the world with miracles.”

• Then, in your own words, say something like:
• “Jesus, Holy Spirit, I give You my body today.

Use my seeing, my speaking, my actions, and my movements

only for blessing.

Let me remember, again and again, that my purpose is to love.”

• Sit a few moments in silence, simply willing to be used for peace.

2. During the day (frequent short pauses)

Whenever you remember—especially:

• Before a conversation
• When you feel upset
• When making a decision
• When you notice tension in your body

Silently say:

• “Holy Spirit, these eyes are Yours. Let me see with love.”
• “These words are Yours. Let me speak only to bless.”
• “These hands and feet are Yours. Guide what I do and where I go.”

You can shorten it to:

“Use me to bless.”

or

“Let me be a miracle-worker now.”

3. When you feel triggered

If you feel anger, fear, or hurt:

1. Pause. Take a breath.

2. Acknowledge honestly: “I am tempted to use my body for attack or defense.”

3. Then say:

• “Holy Spirit, I give You this moment.

I want to use my eyes, my tongue, my hands, my feet

only for blessing.

Help me see this differently.”

Even if you still feel upset, your willingness opens the door to a miracle.

4. Evening reflection

Before sleep, briefly review your day:

• Notice times you remembered to give your body to Christ.
• Thank yourself. This strengthens the habit.
• Notice times you forgot and used it for judgment or fear.
• Do not condemn yourself. Simply say:

“I was mistaken there. Holy Spirit, reinterpret that moment for me.

Let it be used for healing now.”

V. Comparable ACIM Lessons

This lesson is closely connected to several others:

• **Lesson 61: “I am the light of the world.”**

Lesson 353 shows how that light is expressed—through your eyes, words, actions, and movements.

• **Lesson 64: “Let me not forget my function.”**

Your function is forgiveness and blessing. Lesson 353 is a practical way to remember that function all day.

• **Lesson 109: “I rest in God.”**

When you let Christ use your body, you stop trying to manage everything yourself. This brings deep inner rest.

• **Lesson 151: “All things are echoes of the Voice for God.”**

As you give your senses to Christ, you begin to hear the echo of God’s Voice in every situation.

• **Lesson 184: “The Name of God is my inheritance.”**

You remember that your true identity is not the body, but the Christ Self that uses the body only for love.

• **Lesson 294: “My body is a wholly neutral thing.”**

Lesson 353 shows how a neutral body becomes holy when its purpose is given to Christ.

VI. Closing Thought

Today you are not asked to be flawless. You are simply invited to let your day be used for love. Each time you remember—just for a moment—to let your eyes, your words, your actions serve blessing instead of judgment, you are allowing a miracle.

You are not alone in this. Christ walks with you, gentle and sure, turning every ordinary moment into a doorway to peace.