By Gonny 
Image you’re a devoted ACIM student. You do your daily lessons, you forgive, you practice seeing things differently. And then one morning…
your shoulder hurts. Let’s be more precise: a bursitis, says the doctor. Inflammation. Painful. Limiting.
The first thought that comes is: What does A Course in Miracles say about healing? ACIM says:
-“Healing is accomplished the instant the sufferer no longer sees any value in pain.”
-“Sickness is a defense against the truth.”
-“The cause of pain is always a wrong decision of the mind, not the body.”
Okay… so pain is a signal. It’s not the enemy.
It’s the echo of a choice, a choice made in the Mind to experience something through the lens of fear rather than love.
You sit with that.
You open yourself to insight.
You ask: What am I carrying?
You remember reading somewhere: “Shoulder pain often relates to carrying too much.”
And then… something shifts.
You begin to trace the pain back in time.
You see a younger version of yourself. A child.
Strong. Capable. Proudly doing everything alone.
Not because no one cared, but because, early on, you decided:
“I don’t need care. I can do it myself.”
You grew up with that belief.
You wore it like armor. You processed everything by yourself. You solved problems. You didn’t ask for help. Ever.
And so your shoulders carried it all.
The belief became a strategy.
The strategy became tension.
The tension became inflammation.
And finally, the inflammation became an invitation.
Happy you’ve found the answer….you reach phase two : You ask for help.
You pray. You listen. You hear the inner Voice say:
“See this differently..it is an illusion. You are not alone. You are perfect. You are the Son of God.”
You repeat the lessons. You mean them.
But… the pain?
Still there.
You meditate. You pray again.
You whisper: “Help me, Holy Spirit.”
You massage your shoulder. Maybe even sneak a pain pill.
You feel a bit sorry for yourself.
And again, you ask:
“Holy Spirit, please help me.”
That’s when something else shows up:
An article about acupuncture.
You pause. You smile. You wonder…
Could this be it? Could this be the answer I’ve been asking for?
You suddenly remember a story your ACIM teacher once shared:
The Man on the Roof
An old religious man was known for his devotion. He prayed every day, before meals and before bed.
One year, floods came to his town.
As the rain poured and the streets filled with water, he knelt and prayed: “Father, help me.”
Neighbors passed by in a rubber boat:
“Come with us!”
He shook his head: “No, God will save me.”
The waters rose. He climbed to the second floor.
Still praying.
A rescue team shouted from below.
He waved them away: “God will help me!”
Finally, he climbed to the roof.
A helicopter hovered.
“Take the rope!” they shouted.
“No thank you,” he said. “God will save me.”
Eventually, the waters swallowed the house.
The man drowned.
When he arrived in Heaven, he met an angel.
Frustrated, he asked:
“Why didn’t God save me?”
The angel sighed gently:
“He sent you a boat. He sent you a rescue team. He even sent a helicopter. Why didn’t you take His help?”
……….
And you start thinking : What If the Needle is the rope?
……….
And so here we are.
Could acupuncture, a simple, ancient tool, be the form in which help arrives?
Could this be the Holy Spirit answering your call, not through lightning or visions, but through something practical, humble, and oddly relaxing?
ACIM teaches us: Everything is from the same Source. Form is not the problem, the meaning we give it is.
If it brings peace, if it restores trust, if it feels loving, it may very well be part of the miracle.
“Let me not refuse the gift of love because it comes in a form I didn’t expect.”
You are still the Son of God.
Still whole. Still light.
But here in the dream, the Holy Spirit will use whatever form you can accept
even a tiny needle in a tired shoulder.
Receive the help,
if it feels right.
It might just be your rubber boat.
Or your helicopter.
Or your way back to peace.
With love and light,
G.