Lesson 98: “I will accept my part in God’s plan for salvation.”

The Core Teaching

This lesson is about identity and purpose.

The ego’s central lie is: “You are on your own, and you must make up your own purpose.” It tells you that your value comes from what you achieve, how others see you, how much you control, how safe you can make yourself in a dangerous world. Underneath all its strategies, the ego is terrified that you might remember the truth:

• You are not a separate, struggling self.
• You are an extension of God’s Love.
• Your true function is to remember and extend that Love.

This lesson says there is already a plan for salvation—a plan for waking up from fear and returning to peace—and you have a part in it. You don’t have to invent it. You only have to accept it.

What is the ego trying to hide?

1. *That you are innocent.*

The ego depends on guilt. If you believe you are guilty, you will expect punishment, fear God, and stay away from the Light that would free you. The ego constantly whispers, “You’re not good enough. You’ve failed. You’re too messed up to be truly loved.”

2. *That you are safe in God.*

If you knew you were truly safe, the ego’s entire world of defenses, comparisons, and competition would fall apart. The ego’s identity is built on danger and scarcity. It needs you to believe: “I must protect myself. I must defend. I must attack or be attacked.”

3. *That your will and God’s Will are the same.*

The ego insists there is a conflict between what God wants and what you want. It paints God as demanding, restrictive, or punishing. But the Course says God’s Will for you is perfect happiness, and your deepest will is exactly that. If you knew this, you would gladly accept your part in His plan.

4. *That your part is essential and already given.*

The ego says you are either insignificant or burdened with impossible responsibility. Either way, you’re stuck in fear. The truth is: your part is gentle, joyful, and perfectly suited to you. It’s not about doing something heroic in form; it’s about allowing Love to flow through you in whatever situation you are in.

What is the Holy Spirit revealing?

The Holy Spirit is the Voice for God in your mind, the memory of Truth. In this lesson, He reveals:

• **You have a holy function:** to forgive, to release illusions, to see innocence where the ego sees guilt.
• **You are not alone:** your part is joined with everyone else’s in one shared purpose.
• **You are guided:** you don’t have to figure out the plan; you only need to be willing.
• **Your peace is tied to accepting your function:** you will not rest until you accept that you are here to remember Love and extend it.

“I will accept my part in God’s plan for salvation” is really a way of saying:

I choose to remember what I am and why I am here.

I choose to let Love, not fear, define my purpose.

Applied to Daily Life

Let’s bring this into very ordinary situations.

1. Relationships

Suppose you’re in a tense relationship—partner, family, friend, or colleague. The ego’s plan is:

• Prove you’re right.
• Protect yourself from being hurt.
• Get them to change so you can feel safe.

God’s plan for salvation, as the Holy Spirit gives it, is:

• Let this relationship become a classroom for forgiveness.
• Use every conflict as an opportunity to see your shared innocence.
• Ask: “What is this really for? Am I here to win, or to remember Love?”

In a heated argument, you might silently say:

“I will accept my part in God’s plan for salvation.

My part here is not to attack or defend, but to remember we are both innocent in truth.”

You may still speak firmly, set boundaries, or walk away if needed, but the inner purpose shifts from attack to healing.

2. Work and Career

At work, the ego’s plan is:

• Get ahead.
• Protect your image.
• Compete and compare.

God’s plan is:

• Let your work be a place where you practice kindness, honesty, and non-judgment.
• See your co-workers as brothers, not rivals.
• Let the Holy Spirit guide your decisions, not fear of loss or desire for specialness.

You might pause before a meeting and say:

“I will accept my part in God’s plan for salvation.

My part today is to bring peace into this room, to listen, to be fair, to remember we share the same interests in truth.”

The form of your work may not change, but the content—the purpose in your mind—becomes healing rather than ego reinforcement.

3. Illness

When the body is sick, the ego’s plan is:

• Panic.
• Identify completely with the body.
• Use illness to prove you’re a victim of the world.

God’s plan does not deny the experience of illness, but it gently reinterprets it:

• You are not a body; you are still as God created you.
• This can be used to deepen trust, surrender, and compassion.
• Your value and holiness are unchanged by any bodily condition.

You might say:

“I will accept my part in God’s plan for salvation.

Even in this illness, my part is to remember I am Spirit, and to let this situation be used for healing my mind of fear.”

You still take medicine, see doctors, and care for the body, but you do it from a place of peace rather than despair.

4. Anxiety and Daily Stress

When anxiety arises, the ego’s plan is:

• Obsess over possible dangers.
• Try to control everything.
• Blame yourself for not being “strong enough.”

God’s plan is:

• Let anxiety be a signal that you have chosen the ego’s purpose again.
• Gently return to your true function: to trust, to forgive, to remember Love.
• Ask for help: “Holy Spirit, reinterpret this for me.”

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

“I will accept my part in God’s plan for salvation.

My part is not to solve everything alone, but to let You guide my mind back to peace.”

Overcoming Resistance

This lesson can stir up resistance because it touches the core of the ego’s identity.

Common fears:

1. *“If I accept God’s plan, I’ll lose myself.”*

The ego says: “Your specialness, your uniqueness, your ambitions—these will be taken away.”

The truth: What you lose is only what hurts you. Your real Self, your true joy and creativity, are released, not taken.

2. *“God’s plan will demand sacrifice.”*

The ego imagines God as asking for suffering. The Course is very clear: God does not demand sacrifice. What feels like “sacrifice” is only the letting go of illusions that never brought you real happiness.

3. *“I don’t know what my part is, and that scares me.”*

You are not asked to define your part, only to accept that you have one and to be willing to be shown. Your part is revealed moment by moment in the form of inner nudges, gentle guidance, and opportunities to forgive.

4. *“I’m not worthy to have a holy function.”*

The ego uses guilt to convince you that you are too flawed to be part of God’s plan. But your part is not based on your past. It is based on what you are in truth: God’s beloved Son, still innocent.

If you feel resistance, you can simply say:

“Holy Spirit, I am afraid of Your plan.

Please help me see that it is gentle, loving, and already aligned with my deepest will.”

Your honesty is enough. You are not judged for your fear; you are lovingly met in it.

Today’s Practice (Lesson 98)

Here is a simple way to practice this lesson today, in the spirit of the Workbook:

1. Morning Quiet Time (10–15 minutes)

• Sit comfortably and close your eyes.
• Gently repeat the idea:

*“I will accept my part in God’s plan for salvation.”*

• Let the words sink in. You might also say:

“I am willing to be shown my part today. I do not need to understand it; I only need to accept it.”

• Spend a few minutes in quiet. If thoughts come, let them pass like clouds. Each time you notice you are distracted, softly return to the idea.

2. Hourly Reminders

At the top of each hour (or as often as you remember):

• Pause for a brief moment.
• Say silently:

*“I will accept my part in God’s plan for salvation.”*

• Add, if you like:

“Let this next hour be used for Your purpose, not the ego’s.”

This keeps reorienting your mind away from fear and back to your true function.

3. Using It in Situations

Whenever you feel:

• Upset
• Anxious
• Angry
• Guilty
• Confused

Pause and say:

“I will accept my part in God’s plan for salvation.

This situation can serve that plan. Show me how.”

Then listen inwardly. You may feel a gentle shift, a softening, a new way of seeing the person or event.

4. Evening Reflection

Before sleep:

• Review your day gently.
• Notice where you remembered your part and where you forgot.
• Without judgment, say:

“Where I forgot, I now choose again. I accept my part in God’s plan for salvation.”

Let the day be given back to the Holy Spirit for reinterpretation.

Comparable ACIM Lessons

This lesson is closely connected with several others:

• **Lesson 65: “My only function is the one God gave me.”**

Both lessons emphasize that your true function is not self-made, but given by God. Lesson 98 deepens your willingness to accept that function.

• **Lesson 71: “Only God’s plan for salvation will work.”**

Lesson 71 contrasts the ego’s many plans with God’s single, simple plan. Lesson 98 moves from recognizing God’s plan to personally accepting your part in it.

• **Lesson 72: “Holding grievances is an attack on God’s plan for salvation.”**

Grievances are the ego’s way of refusing your function. Lesson 98 invites you to release grievances by accepting your role in healing, not in judging.

• **Lesson 94: “I am as God created me.”**

Your part in God’s plan rests on this truth. You can accept a holy function only because you are a holy Self.

• **Lesson 100: “My part is essential to God’s plan for salvation.”**

Lesson 98 and 100 are like companions: 98 focuses on acceptance, 100 emphasizes the importance and irreplaceability of your part.

Closing Thought

You are not asked to carry the world on your shoulders. You are only asked to accept that you have a gentle, loving part in a plan that cannot fail. Each time you say, “I will accept my part in God’s plan for salvation,” you are stepping a little closer to remembering who you really are.

Rest in that willingness today. The Holy Spirit will do the rest.