2004-14-04-World Difficulties

Session

Opening

DANIEL (Nancy K): Greetings my friends, I am Daniel. I will lead us in prayer to start this night’s time of interaction on new levels

Father, Your unity is our goal. Unify this group tonight that the spiritual-oneness lights up the minds of these your beautiful children, enlightened by the grandeur of diversity, as we all progress to You. Amen.

Virginia: I really don’t know if this is Klarixiska, so I am just going to tell you what’s in my mind.

I have been seeing additional squirrels, but they have not been eating the drip system or the new lights I’ve put out. It dawned on me that I didn’t like catching them. This is number seven this week. I thought to myself what is going on then. How (why) do I catch them? I don‘t like moving them, and it was a reminder that if we don’t like what’s happening in our lives then we have to change our actions. If we (I) don’t want to catch any more squirrels, stop putting the cage out with bait. That is so silly.

This is just a wonderful lesson to me of changing my actions if I don’t like the consequences. I don’t know if that’s been my lesson today, or if that has been Klarixiska. I don’t know.

ABRAHAM (Bob D): Greetings to you my friends. Tonight I would like to share with you a progress report, as much to offer perspective and insight, as it is to share important information. I am Abraham. We are gathered here with you to share in this time of correction. Spiritual effort on your part is finding a corresponding effort from our side.

Lesson

The world is not in dire straights; rest easy on this one. Though difficult times seem to be upon you, much progress is being made in different areas of emphasis. Economically, more peoples on your planet are subsisting than previously, and though you see a disparity of wealth, and perhaps a personal level of insecurity in your own economics, many others in your world, though earning little, are earning more than they have before.

Though the world is politically volatile, the level of freedom is growing. Yes, this could be destabilized but, at the present time there is progress. Also, more people than ever before are engaging in the political process, not just in your corner of the world, but in many areas. This is a sign of increasing stability.

Advancements are on the horizon scientifically that will affect your health. Though I cannot speak directly to particular areas, rest assured that many findings are within reach for this generation that will revolutionize your outlook on life and peace of mind.

There are difficulties, and depending on the "winds of change" these outlooks could change. But take heart that the current pattern is not one to be despairing about, but one to be hopeful about.

In your own lives you are increasingly becoming agents of change. You have gained a measure of insight from this process and on differing levels have experimented with the incorporation of these insights in your life. You are becoming better people -- better in the sense that you are more capable than you were previously. Many of you are increasingly able to engage with others productively, to impart not only insight but a sense of uplift; such that people feel either enlightened or simply good for having engaged with you. I encourage your experimentation with these concepts, acknowledging that you will make mistakes in understanding, but you will increasingly, by your sincerity, progress toward being more effective righteousness re! commenders.

This hope is real and tangible to each of you. You each have an influence on this generation, however large or small. All productive efforts will influence the Supreme. And so I encourage you to be about the business of positive, progressive growth and realization. Your progress depends upon it and the progress of Urantia depends upon efforts such as yours.

I hope this sharing this evening underlines the importance of your inclusion in the universal family and the role that you play, in this place, at this time.

MINEARSIA (Nancy): I am Minearsia. We are grateful to Abraham for his formal presence with this group this evening, and for those words of progress, encouragement and hope. I will add but a paragraph to Abraham’s conversation, (so) that you may have the opportunity to also engage in this conversation with Abraham and with us.

My focus tonight regards hope. Abraham’s words were broad and were meant to provide hope in the knowledge that God’s plan is unfolding and that your planet Urantia is progressing. Yes, hope is also for you at a personal level. It is the personal aspect of hope I wish to underscore.

As all Urantians, you have your ups and downs, your days of personal trials and personal triumphs, nights of anxiety, where hope, while present, feels distant. My dear friends, my students, my children, God is very actively participating with you in your daily undertakings. God cares about your desires. God understands your loneliness at times—a terrible remnant of the rebellion that perseveres so strongly among you. God loves you each incredibly, dearly, and devotedly. Your importance to God is not just as some cog in a machine of impersonal correction to benefit the future but not you. But not you, God’s love is ever present and personal to you. God cares about your happiness, your joy, and your experience of life. Yes, there are struggles. Yes, they are necessary for growth; but this is not out of some perverse distortion of God, but rather an extreme, ever present, supportive love.

And so my friends I share these words to give you personal hope in the progress and meaning of living your own lives within the context of a progressing beloved planet.

Abraham and I open the floor to your thoughts and or questions.

Virginia: Thank you Minearisa; that was really very beautiful. I’m glad I am not a cog in a wheel. That was very interesting.

MINEARSIA: Yes my dear, it is my personal pleasure to be associated with such a courageous being as yourself and to participate in your growth and progression. My arms I wrap around you, my love to you. (Thank you)

Dialogue

LaReen: Abraham, welcome; it is so good to have you here tonight. It seems to me no matter how many times you hear that it’s the rebellion, there is still residue that keeps popping up -- that doubt. Give me some words of advice on how to keep it at bay.

Abraham: I assume you mean ridding yourself of doubt. (Yes) The first suggestion I would have is to turn yourself to the Father in stillness and allow that presence to work, to transform your mind. Invite the presence of Michael to transform you, as well.

Doubt, in and of itself, is not the negative feature, for honest doubting brings one toward an eventual recognition of truth. But the vast majority of doubt that we witness amongst mortals tends to be in one’s abilities, and in the possibility that things can change and be better in the circumstances of life. Recognizing its influence is actually a positive step. Being able to engage yourself aside from your doubt can be another positive realization.

As an example, one who doubts that they can run a six-minute mile can be defeated before they begin. But if you can choose to recognize this doubt and actually practice what it is that you would like to achieve, often times the doubt will dissolve. But this is actually accomplished through your reaching toward a higher possibility and recognizing that there is achievement possible and taking a faith leap to realize it.

On the track, it might be practice in running, conditioning with weights, stretching properly, and pushing yourself at times to see what’s possible. In the arena of spiritual growth, the faith leap is the trust in the Father to know what’s best for you, and acting on the impulses that see you achieving rather than the impulses that see you failing.

And there is always the chance that you will not be able to run a six-minute mile. But in the spiritual realm, spiritual limitations do not exist when one engages in the faith effort to overcome the various handicaps.

I hope this general discourse has provided some food for thought tonight my friend.

LaReen: As always, Abraham, it has helped tremendously. Thank you much.

ABRAHAM: You are welcome and it is always good to see your shining soul my friend.

Virginia: Abraham, your statement, that if we don’t believe in ourselves, we are defeated before we begin, reminds me of a quote that "no one rises to low expectancies or expectation." I feel like the high beam, high bar -- whatever it is when you pole vault -- has been raised really very high. And maybe that’s okay, so that we can continue to strive. Thank you.

ABRAHAM: Indeed, your image provides insight. Recognize that the bar, if placed properly, will never be placed higher than you can achieve, (but) more as an enticement to your advancement. If you feel at times that the bar is set to high, recognize that these expectations are not ours.

LaReen: Abraham, as we have done in the Wood Cross group, I would like to introduce Ron, (who) you probably already know.

Ron: How (are) you doing Abraham?

ABRAHAM: I’m doing well, my friend. I was present at your previous meeting and witnessed your energy and sharing. It is with delight and satisfaction that we witness you here. I hope that your growth, as a result, is put on a track that is satisfactory for you, and I look forward to your efforts (at) propelling into the high gear spiritual performances that you desire. Welcome.

Ron: Thank you Abraham. In the statement that our sister said about doubting, can it be said that it is a good thing? In the way that if she wasn’t thinking in higher spiritual thinking, then she would not doubt at all?

ABRAHAM: Indeed, your turn of the coin does provide a wonderful insight. The doubt is merely a signal, how one chooses to interpret the signal will define the measure of one’s success. Thank you for sharing.

Ron: Minearsia, I come across so many that I’ve talked to, the words keep coming to me "walking on egg shells." Why is it that so many feel like they have to walk on eggshells?

MINEARSIA: My friend, thank you for your insightful question. Certainly it is a case that many people do not believe that who they are, what they think, what they profess to believe, is okay. This reality results from many diverse reasons relating back, ultimately, to the fallout from the rebellion that has affected all of the structures of developing societies and families. Children are unfortunately raised with much criticism and lack of encouragement. Often parents and caregivers have reacted in unpredictable ways. These many, many threads create great contention and stress around disagreement and [differences in] perception where it need not be.

Part of the correction is to assist people in listening and hearing one another, engaging in ways that are respectful of one another’s differences, and learning to find value rather than fear from these differences. Sadly, differences are often met with fear about the correctness of one’s own perception, as well as, sometimes, physical fear. And so the great gift of God’s diversity is not seen and understood and sought. As people find the complementarity in diversity, this walking on egg-shells around one another, will be replaced with confidence and esteem. Did I correctly understand and respond to your observation and question my friend?

Ron: Yes Minearsia. If I can just take it one step further, why are so many of Father’s children feeling they have to walk on eggshells before Him?

MINEARSIA: My son, my friend, this, too, is a legacy of the rebellion and the mischaracterization of the Father. The dysfunction has lain out there for too long. While it is part of the natural evolution of a planet to begin with a religion of fear, this religion of fear should long ago have been corrected by the knowledge of God’s ever-present love and forgiveness.

But, too, I would bring you back to aspects of my previous answer, in that children often perceive and understand God in the same way that they have understood their original caregivers. And to the extent that these caregivers were not consistent, were not constant, were not ever loving, generous, gracious, and encouraging, then is this reality of God not fully revealed. And so do the remnants of this child’s understanding of caregivers carry over into their life. And they are afraid to be seen to be imperfect, to share their essence with Him who knows and so loves them.

It is our desire and our goal that these understandings -- these flawed understandings -- be replaced by knowledge of the great love and true goodness of our Father, that His children may feel free to share their being with Him who so loves them. In the correcting of the institutions of society and the family, may children be given the first experience of parents that are consistent, that they then can then apply to the Father as they grow in their ability to know Him and love Him.

Ron: Thank you Minearsia.

MINEARSIA: Yes. I am willing to address this further, if you desire, either now or in some other setting.

Ron: Well, if no one else minds and you don’t mind, in this process of misunderstanding who the Father is, through the parents or the caretakers, our minds become tainted, and through tainting, a lot of the time (it) becomes jaded. How do we correct either that within ourselves or the tainting and jading that we see in the minds of other brothers and sisters who are on the same journey but they don’t know it yet.

MINEARSIA: Question understood. The only relationship over which you have full control is your relationship with the Father. The steps to which Abraham referred, stillness with prayer, with the petition to our Father to say please let me know you, let me sit with you, reveal Yourself to me and guide me that I may become like You. These are part of the steps to understand the Father. But also for some is it important to go back and to understand one’s relationship with one’s own mortal parents, to love and forgive those aspects of those primary relationships in which one’s heart forgiveness is required. In the process of understanding and forgiv! ing are the shutters removed from windows to God so that God may be seen more clearly. Forgiveness is a necessary step in understanding God’s nature -- forgiveness of others, and most importantly, forgiveness of self. So this understanding must be extended to one’s self in the many situations of life in assisting others in knowing the love of God.

The greatest gift has to do with what you already know, to be of good cheer, to shine a light, to offer an ear, to offer a hand, but most of all to have faith in that other’s ability to undertake the journey that you already have. For often it is the belief in one’s self that is failing in many people. And so to offer your belief in the abilities of others is a wonderful gift; it can make the difference in someone wanting to make that reach. As you can see my answer to you is related to Abraham’s answer to LaReen.

Ron: Thank you, Minearsia; that helped a lot.

MINEARSIA: My great privilege to be of service to you.

Ron: Can I say hello to Daniel?

DANIEL: My friend, I am here of course and I have been with you this week, off and on, making my rounds, checking in on my students and friends. While we formally met only last week, as I suggested, you were already well known to me and I had made my rounds before. I have enjoyed interacting with you and look forward to formal contact through your own mind.

Ron: Thank you; I look forward to it myself.

DANIEL: Yes, my friend. Is there anyone else who desires to engage us this evening? (Pause)

My friends it has been a privilege to be among you. The broader Teaching Corps, including your personal teachers, the visiting teachers, and the many throngs of helpers, send their love to each of you, personally and individually. We cheer you on.

Now, as is your tradition, please stand and hold hands that the Father’s love may be shared among you through your physical touch.

Closing

Klarixiska requests the privilege of the closing prayer through Virginia, if she is so willing.

Virginia: Yes, Daniel.

KLARIXISKA: Father we would be as You, accepting the diversity of Your children, the Family of God. Help these, Your sons and daughters, to reach out to their siblings in acceptance that they may not walk on eggshells around them, that they might feel Your acceptance through these children that want to spread Your love. Amen

We thank You for the Teaching Mission; we thank You for the Correcting Time; we thank You that, indeed, You will have Your way on this planet. Give each one here hope for that ultimate end and perhaps even more, hope for their personal attainment; so that one day they will surely stand before You, our Parent, our Father, our God.