2020-05-09. A Lesson in Effort and Struggles
Urantia, May 9, 2020.
Teacher: The Beloved One.
Subject: “A Lesson in Effort and Struggles.”
Message received by Lytske.
The Beloved One: “Today’s lesson is on the effort and struggle that mortals go through on this first plane of eternal life, that is, if they choose to live on and attain a measure of faith, which will allow them to live eternally. In the first place there needs to be hope and trust developing that there is more to life then ‘meets the eye’. There needs to be an awareness that there is ‘something greater’ than themselves. It is a sense of belief at first which eventually will evolve into faith. These are all matters of the heart.
“One can believe with the mind, but faith is an affair of the heart. Between faith and belief is the inner effort and struggle. Believe is a dogmatic and fundamentalist approach to life. An adherence to certain laws and doctrines. Faith is born in the heart of the individual believer. No one can give faith to another person, because it is completely personal. It cannot be loaned or lost. Faith, once awakened needs to grow, it needs to be nurtured with daily thoughts and prayers. It is like flexing a faith-muscle in order for it to grow stronger.
“All this entails effort and struggle, because faith demands honesty with oneself and sincerity in dealing with others. There is never any outside coercion involved. They are the dictates of an awakened and conscientious mind in the mortal, who by faith, is answering the clarion call from the Divine Spark within, to become perfect even as the Father in Heaven is perfect. Outer perfection is secondary to inner perfection. The inner reflects the outer and vice versa.
“Once having started out, and answering the faintest flicker of hope of a life following this mortal life, that little flicker can grow and become brighter until it bursts forth into the flame of faith, through the trials of effort and struggle. All the while that Inner Pilot, given to each thinking mortal capable of choice and decision making, struggles mightily to have It’s Still Small Voice heard, which can only be done if the human takes the time to sit in the Silence to commune with this Fragment from God.
“The struggle between the ‘lower animal’ mind starts in earnest when the ‘higher’ mind is beginning to get ‘into gear’ and desires to take over, as it will be-influence everything the mortal thinks and does, in order to reach higher and higher. Slowly, stone by tiny stone, a spiritual counter-part is being born in the human soul, the speed depending on the dedication given through effort and struggle to maintain and strengthen that connection with the God-Fragment within and the active participation and cooperation there-with.
“Slowly, so very slowly, the mortal is made into the image of God, which reflects in the outer through yielding the fruits of the spirit in loving service, forgiveness and acceptance of all others as brothers and sisters on the same path to attain the eternal Creator on Paradise.”
