2014-10-14-Nature of Free Will Dignity
Lightline #456
Contents
• 1 Heading
o 1.1 Topic: Free Will Dignity
o 1.2 Group: Lightline TeaM
• 2 Facilitators
o 2.1 Teacher: Michael
o 2.2 TR: JL
• 3 Session
o 3.1 Opening
o 3.2 Lesson
o 3.3 Dialogue
o 3.4 Closing
Topic: Free Will Dignity
Group: Lightline TeaM
Facilitators
Teacher: Michael
TR: JL
Session
Opening
Dear Michael and Mother Spirit, once again we gather together to share our company and invite you to be with us. We do treasure these times so much, and they help us keep in touch with your presence right within us. They re-assure us that you are so close, you hear the thoughts we send to you, and you respond.
This is the great glory of being your children, knowing that we have such wonderful parents. You remind us that in our very human lives, caught up in the events that come our way–sometimes willy-nilly whether we want them to or not–we are in an enormous shared adventure. The other folks we share our lives with are the most important, the most valuable reality to us. This keeps us from getting too ‘thingy’–with too much stuff all around. Other folks, these “walking infinities” as you call us, are what we can see in each other’s eyes. They are what most truly give infinite value in our souls. This is that marvelous company of whom God is the originator, each one of us. So for all these reminders we do thank you, even for those adventure that get a little rough at times. Amen.
Lesson
MICHAEL: Good evening. This is Michael and yes, Mother Spirit and I are very well aware of the enormous adventures you are caught up in, because we share them with you. We too are called upon to stretch ourselves and keep open to all this enormous, cosmic adventure happening all around us. You too are a co-creator, as are we. You too are evolving, and involved in, being part of the reality that you experience, even unavoidably. Your awareness is something you grow as you realize how much you yourselves are the big determining factor in what happens to you.
The nature of free will dignity
This is why we call you a creature of free-will dignity. It is a well-earned individual dignity, because you were raised by the authority of others, your own parents, and the community and culture in which you grew up. You were a relatively tiny, powerless human being to start out with, totally dependent upon others.
This is the starting point of all human beings. You grow inwardly as you get some sense of yourself, as you develop an ego-consciousness of who you think you are. This is so rudely disrupted at times as others let you know who they think you are, yet this is the give-and-take that adds to your soul wealth. You do have opportunities to express yourselves and exercise this will of yours. It is very special that you understand the dignity this gives you.
This means that you are not just some kind of highly intelligent animal only re-acting to what is inside and outside you. Your personality has the possibility of choice, and yes, at first, it is only possible. But then, by exercising your will, choosing very consciously what you yourself can contribute to your own life, this is your self-control. You see what you are capable of; and then take responsibility for that action by being able-to-respond to what is happening next. Thus you literally earn your well-earned dignity I mentioned above.
You are not just some chess piece being moved around by some unfathomable gods or dogma that you must sacrifice your spiritual self to. You yourself have choice to the degree that you can develop it. Here it is so important, as your Urantia Book states, you realize your life is not only what is happening inside you with this living body you have, it is also your relationship to all that is not you. This is all your family and friends, the whole culture in which you live, and this world you are living on–this particular day. This is your life, all these relationships with all that is not you.
If you are open to making your decisions in all self-consciousness of the responsibility implied, you can also realize the old advice: Know yourself. Know what you want. Know what you are determining to do. Make your choices and then, most importantly, stay open to the results. Grow your ability to respond to what happens the next moment after you choose. This is what gives you that living quality of an adequate response, moment-by- moment, even in a very–as you say–hairy situation when there is just no way of determining what is going to happen next. Suddenly you are caught up in forces beyond your control. You just have to go along with things for a while, and you need to keep up.
Staying open, tuned in, and responding with curiosity
So grow your ability to respond moment-by-moment and stay open to a fast changing situation. Know yourself moment-by-moment to keep your choices open. This is that free-will dignity you are capable of, and it has to be earned. There is no stepping outside of your life, try as you might. There is no escaping your own subjectivity except by this dictum of know yourself.
Know what you are contributing. Know what you want to do. What would be your ideal life?–even if you can’t do it yet. You may be caught up in great circumstances surrounding you; or even with your own nature that’s gotten you into bad habits and unhealthy ways of living. You’ve tried, but you just can’t change yourself overnight.
Still, have the courage to be open to what is the next best step, even if you can’t take it yet. Keep it in your mind, for this is the way to freedom. This is the way to earn your self-dignity. It is what you recognize in each other as genuine character. Think of all your wonderful friends who, even with a great deal of life behind them, are still open, open to you and open to others. They’re pretty much in touch with their own soul wealth of experience, and this is their character you can recognize.
This is a person’s wonderful ability to share God’s very essence, because the essence of creative spirit is the ability to share what you have. So welcome with enormous grace what is offered you. No false humility here. Welcome and receive with an open heart and graciousness what is offered to you. Let others share their lives with you.
Caught up in trying times; keeping the faith
This is especially true with those of you who are going through trying times, especially economic times concerning the physical necessities of life–food and shelter and a good job, good work. Even under the stress and anxiety of not knowing what is going to happen tomorrow, keep meditating, keep praying to stay in touch. Stay healthy, even if you are deprived of good work for a while. Keep “working out” on yourself–physically, mentally and spiritually. Have the courage to extend yourself, to keep healthy in all these dimensions of you.
All these things contribute to that dignity you can earn because they go both ways. You have that terrible saying: Nothing is free. Yet, my children, your whole life is given to you. Your “free” will gives you the ability to choose to earn things, especially your own health. Your openness to those around you helps them too share whatever it is, even hardship. This is what gives everyone their nobility of character, that wonderful dignity they are capable of earning.
See the blessing that you are required to be involved, because it is this very involvement that is the stuff of life. It is only a childish or adolescent notion of having the power that could give you an ability to stand outside of a responsible life and exercise your whims. Rather, the very things that get you down to the nitty-gritty–as you say–even at its most grittiness–and still keep your head about you, still stay open and be responsible, still welcome those others in your life and to be there for them: this is what really fills your soul.
In these hard times, not only in your own life and in your neighborhoods, but also worldwide, there are great battles going on between different cultures. As the human world becomes smaller with your modern communications, people are ever more able to be in touch with everything else that is happening. This purely physical/electronic world soul is coming into being. So again: in the midst of all of this: Know yourself.
Know what you are contributing and how it is affecting yourself and everyone else. This is the real stuff of life and, as I said, it is an ironic blessing perhaps that you are not removed, because any seeming removal from your involvement is only a terrible, terrible illusion. It is your willingness to keep living and keep making decisions that keep adding to your soul.
Be honest and intimate with your whole being—heart, mind, and soul
My dear ones, let this be the substance of your meditation, this thankfulness to our Father that we are involved. As hard as it may be sometimes, as much as you might wish you could step outside your own life, the fact is that you are inextricably bound up in it because so much of it is your choice–or even lack of your choosing–both.
This is truly what you are involved in, so we thank our Father for our very natures, the kind of personal beings we are. We are all spiritual beings who are co-creating our own reality, encountering everyone else doing the same.
Now if you have any questions or comments on this evening’s lessons, or anything else, I certainly welcome you to come forward and share it with the rest of us. Well, my dear ones, let me close this evening’s session. Tonight I wanted to address again that often childish or adolescent notion of some kind of pure power, being able to stand outside of life and control others as if they were totally apart from you.
Remember that what you are experiencing, even if it seems so objective and out there, that whole world is partly your co-creation in how you are taking it; and with what degree of hard-earned freedom, or not.
Sometimes the only way to change what seems like a terrible situation is to change yourself. This is the great adventure. This is the great experiment you are involved in day to day. Now we welcome that, and thank our Father for setting up reality, personal reality this way.
Dialogue
MICHAEL: Mother Spirit and I wish you a fond good evening. Be in her love and be in my peace. Good evening.
Student #1: Yes, Michael, this is –. I just wanted to thank you for that lesson tonight. It has given me a lot to think about, as I’ve had some changes happening. So I will look for all the positive reasons for them. Know yourself and all you are creating; then experiment
MICHAEL: : Yes, my son. As I said: it is knowing yourself and knowing what you yourself are co-creating. What part are you playing in this life of yours? Sometimes–to be perfectly honest with you–sometimes it calls for an experiment. You have to try things in order to see what works, and what doesn’t. Then be thankful for that, either way.
Student #1: That is a wake-up call, that we are actually creating our own reality.
MICHAEL: : Yes, and to be thankful that you cannot just nonchalantly stand outside your own life. You have to work on it from the inside-out.
Student #1: There is a lot of work I need to do, that is for sure.
MICHAEL: : That is why Mother Spirit and I are both very grateful that these lessons are transcribed and put into writing, so you can read them over and over again. Sometimes you have to chew on them a bit to see what we are about.
1. student #1: Let them sink in. Sometimes it takes a couple times before they get through the thickness of my brain here–try to reach my brain.
Closing
MICHAEL: : Right. This is where that wonderful expression comes in: Deep calls to deep, and deeply responds. So be of good cheer.
Student #1: I will. Thank you. Thank you again, Michael.
MICHAEL: : You are very welcome, my son. Thank you all for tuning in. Until next time, good night.
