AYIGTG: Lesson #190; I choose the joy of God instead of pain.

HEAVEN or HELL. Which do we choose? The choice is ALWAYS ours. LIFE or DEATH. These are also functions of our consciousness. The fact that pain is a choice we make is not always so apparent. It is easy to feel like a "victim" of pain—something that "just happens to us beyond our control."  But our sub-conscious mind is in control. And this we are not always aware of how it is affecting us. But the fact is our mind, conscious or sub-conscious, is always manufacturing effects. If the effect is "pain," we can be sure our minds are off, and need the miracles of self-correction. This is what these Lessons in ACIM are: corrections of our mind, introduced by the Holy Spirit. The question is, do we really want to make these deep corrections. Only you would know that for yourself.