1999-12-12. Gratitude
Nashville #81
Topic: Gratitude
Group: Nashville TeaM
Teacher: Ham
TR: Rebecca
Opening
Ham: Greetings, children, I am Ham and I am thankful that this gathering could take place this evening. This is an important time in your lives and I am feeling that these gathering are necessary for you all. This evening, we shall discuss once again how gratitude is an essential part of living a God-filled life.
Lesson
We have spoken about the difference between having happiness and not having happiness as being linked to finding gratitude in your lives. Many times the young and immature spirit has no concept of gratitude and it is easy then for this young soul to focus on what is missing and to long for things that are not present. It is the young and immature who lusts after many things in life – material wealth, physical pleasures, physical adornments, things that they do not have in the present moment. The young and immature sees life through eyes of dissatisfaction.
But with wisdom and maturity the still young spirit begins to be grateful for what is now, what is present, what is part of reality. Many young people, especially young female persons, are dissatisfied with their appearance, with their bodies. And this is sad to see for all physical bodies are beautiful and it is only the clouded mind which sees ugliness where there is beauty.
Today it is raining. It is the wise person who sees the rain and feels its bounty and understands how precious it is and wonderful. The immature person sees the rain and curses it. Yet, how childish is this to curse the beauty and bounty of God.
You can have many misfortunes, many problems, but only by looking for the things you can be grateful for will the problems have perspective in your life. Everyone has ups and downs, good times of plenty, times of scarcity, and sadness. But, take a moment to look at your hands, what a wondrous gift are your hands, how beautiful and graceful are your movements, how wonderful it is to be able type on a computer, make music, stroke a child’s hair or a loved one’s brow. How wonderful it is to have hands that can work, hands that can create. Be grateful for such a wondrous gift. Be grateful to have shelter on a rainy evening, be grateful to have friendship and love and encouragement.
How wonderful it is to be a child of God and how often do you take it for granted? Are you really grateful enough to have eternal life? When you know that this life is but a blink of the eye in your long eternal existence, then how small are the little problems and irritations that come with living? It is a measure of the person as to how problems are dealt with. To a person who is growing in the spirit and becoming larger in their souls, then problems in daily life are becoming smaller. It is the small person, the one’s whose souls are shrunk inside, who are overcome by the daily aggravations and the sorrows and problems of living. When you are tempted to be irritated, worried, stressed by all the myriad little problems that come up every day, take a moment to breathe deeply and to thank the Father for all that you have and all that you are and all that you are becoming.
Remember we have said before that gratitude opens the door to worship, it opens the door to connecting with the Father and there will come a time when you can stop and experience that moment of gratitude and you will immediately feel than hand of the Father upon you for how else can one walk with God but by periodically acknowledging him and feeling his presence with you?
Let us pray: Father we come before you in gratitude and we thank you for all that you have bestowed upon us. We are grateful for the love in our lives, for our many friendships, but we are most grateful for your personal presence with us tonight, right now. Take a moment to feel the Father’s presence, allow him to enfold you in his loving arms.
You are all making very good progress in your ability to feel the Father’s presence. It is this and this alone that will carry you through all the many trials and tribulations of your lives. Are there any questions at this time?
Dialogue
Q: Ham, would you have a message for Merle?
Ham: Certainly. Son, you must breathe in the Father’s love and release the anger, the fear, the jealousy and so forth that can tie you to the world and cause you suffering. Breathe in the Father’s love and release the old patterns of worry, of working too much, of trying so hard and feeling like you are pushing a boulder up a hill. Breathe in the Father’s love and feel yourself to be in the now time, in the present and no past and no future shall touch you in the now time. Breathe in his love and know that you are his beloved son and that no pain of the past or worry of the future can keep his love from you or separate you from him in any way. ‘
Q: I was wondering if the relationship I have been in for five years, would it be better for is spiritually if we did something different or would it be better to have patience and stick with it?
Ham: Yes, relationships last when there is growth and each of you support the growth of the other. Relationships are doomed when one person tries to keep everything the same and does not accept change. Change is what life is all about, accepting change and changing yourself. Relationships are always dynamic and ever changing. As long as both parties understand that, there is always hope for this relationship. Is this helping?
Q: Yes.
Ham: Love is complicated by the many different aspects of male-female relations. When the emphasis is on love and loving, everything else will fall into place and come into its proper perspective. But is a mature human who can do this.
Q: Thank you.
Q: Ham, do you have a personal message for me tonight please?
Ham: Of course, son. You are a person who has embraced change and you life is very dynamic. You are also fully and completely loving and this is wonderful. For even though you have been through much suffering and sorrow involving love in your life, you are still courageous enough to love without condition. Your spiritual growth is very rapid and as such, you will have many off days, times that feel unsettled and times when things seem to be falling apart. This is because you are growing quickly and you are experiencing much inner transformation. You are going through some training about worrying and so that you will give up the practice of worrying which you have clung to too long.
Ham: Amalain? Daughter, you are also resisting some change. There is within you an up welling, a feeling of coming out or coming forward but at the same time this gives you a feeling of falling apart and the discomfort that goes with that keeps you pushing back that inner feeling of coming forth. It’s not a bad thing to feel like you are falling apart sometimes, in fact it is good. It is the stress of holding everything together that causes what would be called neurosis. So this week, have a falling apart day when you don’t fulfill any obligations, you don’t do anything that you should do, you just feel and allow and go through it and everybody else will somehow get through that day as well. So, indulge yourself, let yourself go, be emotional, and let all those feelings come out. It may be that you experience this over more than one day, but give yourself that leeway and let yourself do it. Is this making sense?
Q: Yes, thanks so much, I wasn’t going to ask for a personal message and you beat me to the punch, thank you.
Q: Do you have a message for Esmirelda?
Ham: Yes. Daughter, you have come through much inner realization in the past few months. You are releasing some anger, some feelings of resentment, and you must see also that you have much anger directed towards yourself. As a child, you were not allowed to feel and express your emotional self. And so there is a wall of anger and bitterness that has built up that still separates you from your deeper feelings. For now, just know that it is there. You don’t need to take a sledge hammer to it. Just begin to feel it.
Q: For Elena?
Ham: Yes, daughter you have much unexpressed love and some feelings of not quite knowing where you stand in the world. Some inner self-doubt and insecurity. Know that you are loved and that this love from the Father knows all your inner doubts and fears and loves you in spite of all those things, even because of all those things. Do not fear discovering yourself and don’t worry so much about the outer things but begin to feel the Father’s love deep within. And allow him to help you in all matters.
Q: For Rebecca?
Ham: Certainly. Daughter, you are making good strides and doing well. You have found a balance that is truly remarkable. Now that you have this balance, your spiritual growth will be smoother and much easier than it has been in the past. Go in peace my dear, you do well.
Q: Jarad?
Ham: Yes son, you likewise are finding a balance and a peace such that you have never known. You are coming to a place of great spiritual intensity and drawing power. Even so, your life and work are both growing is stature and beauty. Feel the beauty within yourself, the beauty within your soul and understand that you are creating beauty all around you, always. Let your art reflect that. Is this helping?
Q: Yes, in fact I have great gratitude for your message.
Q: Since it is my first time, do you have a personal message to me and have I made it to the 3rd psychic circle yet?
Ham: Yes, my daughter, you are doing well. You are, of course, in the third circle and that is something you already knew. Your life had been a struggle and that is as it should be. The indwelling spirit make certain that life is not too easy so that lessons can be learned from living. Remember that you are creating your eternal soul day by day with this indwelling spirit who loves and watches over you every millisecond of your life. Do not take this time for granted. Begin loving him even as he loves you, completely. You are doing very well. Be at ease. Follow the Father’s love and you will find the correct path.
Q: Thank you Ham.
Ham: You are welcomed my daughter.
Q: Ham do you have a personal message for me tonight please?
Ham: Of course, my son. You are rounding a corner that has to do with spiritual decisions and complete devotion to the Father. You have come very far in a short time and indeed have come very far for your age. But now you are making the supreme decision to devote yourself wholly to the Father’s will and to accept his mantle, his robe that bestows eternal life. Yes, there will still be the little problems and the minor moral crises to deal with, but you have come a long way and are now unwilling to jeopardize your eternal life for the petty gains of material life. This is what defines a man of God.
Q: Ham do you have anything for me tonight please?
Ham: Of course, my son. There are times when you feel trapped by decisions that are necessary and important in your life. The more you get ahead, the more you feel trapped in that mold. But, men make their own traps and devise their own jails. Mostly these things are in the mind. When you are feeling this way, realize that it’s like going through the woods, that you will come out the other side and the view will be panoramic and you will feel free. Much of life is like that, especially for the creative spirit. Realize that the Father gives you tasks to perform, gives you experiences to go through and they are all building your character and building your faith and that no son of God is trapped in any situation. The more you grow in the spirit, the more you will appreciate and be able to utilize the liberty that you truly have. Is this helping?
Q: Yes, thank you very much.
Q: I would appreciate feedback from you this week.
Ham: Certainly, son. You must remember that this life is like a bridge. This life is a series of experiences that lead you from the material existence into the morontia existence. Since it is just a bridge, there is no need to worry about building a lasting structure upon it. Most human beings try to build a house to stay sheltered from the outside world and in fact it is deemed wise to build such a structure and foolish not to. So, always remember that the things of the world perish in a blink of an eye and there is nothing that is lasting. So, don’t become overly concerned about building such a house. Trust, rather, in the Father’s hand as he walks with you and shows you the way. Is this helping?
Q: I take it that talking about the house is really metaphorical.
Ham: Yes.
Q: Thank you.
Q: Ham. I find it extremely difficult to answer the question should I move on from my present circumstance or should I use my circumstance to address self-development. Should I use my circumstance to illuminate what needs to be fixed inside of me and address that or move on?
Ham: Yes, my daughter. I feel that you have answered this question, that you know that the Father gives you what you need and when the time is right for changing these circumstances, they will be changed. But, in the meantime, you are being given something that you need and you are wise to accept this gift. Is this helping your understanding?
Q: Yes, very much, thank you.
Ham: Charlie B, Son, you are doing very well and have taken steps to rearrange the furniture of your thinking. You are making adjustments now that will allow greater growth in the future. But most of all, you are allowing greater love in your life, you are allowing your heart to open and the remain open. Remember it is not so important what you are today as what you are becoming. And what you are becoming is a more loving husband, father, and more loving human being. You are beginning to accept yourself as God accepts you. Be at peace my son. You are making great progress and doing very well.
Closing
Very well children, once again my love and my prayers go with you throughout the week. Be at peace, for all is well, and yes, and all is as it should be.
