Where would I go but Heaven? What could be a substitute for happiness? What gift could I prefer before the peace of God? What treasure would I seek and find and keep that can compare with my Identity? And would I rather live with fear than love?
You are my goal, my Father. What but You could I desire to have? What way but that which leads to You could I desire to walk? And what except the memory of You could signify to me the end of dreams and futile substitutions for the truth? You are my only goal. Your Son would be as You created him. What way but this could I expect to recognize my Self, and be at one with my Identity?
✨ Summary & practice
You are my goal, my Father. Only You.
After tasting the silence where you have nothing to do (lesson 286), this lesson centers your entire being on one desire. In the curriculum, it is a moment of radical clarity. Where would you go, if not to Heaven? What substitute could there be for happiness? What gift could you prefer over God’s peace? What treasure would you seek that compares to your Identity? And would you live with fear rather than love? The questions are asked, and the answer is clear.
The central idea is that God is your only goal. Nothing else truly deserves your seeking. The Son wants to be as God created him, there is no other way to recognize his Self and be united with his Identity. The memory of God means the end of dreams and futile substitutes for truth. Why seek elsewhere when all is in Him? The way is clear, the goal is certain, and you need only follow.
This lesson builds upon the revelation of silence (286) and prepares for lessons 288–290 on forgiveness, the past, and present happiness. It echoes lesson 256 (God is the only goal), lesson 258 (let me remember my goal is God), and lesson 272 (how can illusions satisfy God’s Son?). Re-centering on God as the only goal simplifies everything and ends all distraction.
To practice this today, take a moment to ask your heart the lesson’s questions: 'Where would I go, if not to Heaven? What substitute for happiness? What gift would I prefer over God’s peace?' Listen to the answers that arise. Then, throughout the day, whenever you pursue any goal, big or small, ask: 'Does this goal lead me to God, or is it a distraction?' If it is a distraction, re-center. If it serves your return to God, pursue it with joy.
Your heart thirsts for God, whatever your mind may say. All your desires, deep down, are one disguised desire. Today, recognize this single desire and let it lead you home.
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