2002-03-01-Learn Patience
Pocatello #213
Contents
• 1 Heading
o 1.1 Topic: Learn Patience
o 1.2 Group: Pocatello TeaM
• 2 Facilitators
o 2.1 Teacher: Daniel, Minearsia
o 2.2 TR: Bob S., Bill K.
• 3 Session
o 3.1 Opening
o 3.2 Lesson
3.2.1 Patience
3.2.2 Progress
o 3.3 Dialogue
3.3.1 Challenge
3.3.2 Anxiety
o 3.4 Closing
Topic: Learn Patience
Group: Pocatello TeaM
Facilitators
Teacher: Daniel, Minearsia
TR: Bob S., Bill K.
Session
Opening
PRAYER: by Daniel (Bob S): This is Daniel. Let us be at prayer. Oh, most kind and wonderful Servant of all; You who have created this beautiful universe; You who have created us, the least of your spirit-lead beings; we pray for these, our brothers and sisters and their brothers and sisters around this sorry planet, for we understand the depth of our fallibility, the weaknesses of our resolve, and the power which You hold. Now we ask that this power, this message, this truth may come forward and enter into our minds and our very beings, as our will permits, according to the guidelines of the Master under whose aegis we meet. Amen.
Lesson
Patience
DANIEL: (Bill): Greetings, this is Daniel, your teacher, your guide, your friend and companion. You have stretched your jaw muscles to masticate the tough meat of Tomas’ words tonight. You have engaged strongly with the message of both Tomas and Machiventa, and your struggles have strengthened your resolve to follow the Master and share his message.
Remember Elijah of old who in a mood of discouragement mourned that only he was left faithful to God when the nation was bending a knee to Baal, and God said, “I have reserved for myself 4,000 who do not bend the knee to Baal.” Elijah was looking for the will of God in dramatic events: thunder, lightning, earthquakes and fire that would grab the attention of that nation who were apostate and back-slidden from God.
But he did not find God’s answer in the fire, thunder, lightning or earthquake-but in a still small voice. Remember also Jesus’ apostles who expected the kingdom to come in three years, and their leader to be crowned the Messiah, leading the armies of Israel against the heathen, thus forcing the kingdom of God upon them. They were repeatedly disappointed. They were habitually discouraged. They even brought the Master to moments of impatience: “How long must I be with you?
Do you not understand what I have been teaching you?”, said he to these his followers. So by way of remembrance, join the human race, [laughter] and find yourself in Elijah’s shoes. Find yourself in the company of Michael in his bestowal mission. All of this my friends translates into a reality that you are normal, human apostles. I understand your discouragement, but I counsel you with words of “patience”.
Also, I counsel you to be skeptical with the information that you have access to, for it is superficial. In the nature of surveys there is social pressure, unconscious at times, but still manifest. The opinions of the heart cannot be accurately categorized by the statistical methods of opinion surveys. It is extremely difficult to express one’s true feelings in a social context which is structured with political implications and cultural values.
We celestials have more information than you. We have the universe reports. We have the information of the seraphim of Urantia, the guardians of each mortal on this planet. We therefore often say things which seem to contradict your perceptions. We do this deliberately and with knowledge a forethought, for it is our role to keep you looking upward rather than backward.
Also, in addition to having more information, we are a little more practiced in patience because we’ve been around longer than you have. Patience is a function of longevity. Adults usually have more patience than children because they have lived longer. They have a larger scope of experience in which to measure any particular time-period in terms of change.
Progress
You also are to be reminded of the fact that progress is not steady, but is irregular and very multifaceted in its manifestation. Consider this. The great evolution which has occurred on the planet has not been the result of the mediocrity of the average. Democracy has one major fault: it fosters mediocrity because by its very nature it requires the consent of the majority, and the majority fall in the average range. What brings about evolutionary progress is always the result of spiritual leadership often couched under other umbrellas than the term “spiritual” or even “religious”.
But progress on Urantia is truly fostered and brought about by spiritual energy. Human leadership becomes grand when that mortal responds to the direction of their Thought Adjuster/Thought Controller. Indeed is Letah correct in her affirmation that she can change the world in a small way, and she will be about the business of doing so.
You, in this country as well as other nations, suffer from a lack of spiritual leadership.
This is one of the reasons the Teaching Mission is here. We are training you to be spiritual leaders. No, you probably won’t be elected president of the United States or even senator from Idaho, not even the mayor of Pocatello or American Falls; but you have great influence. You have many admirers among your friends and acquaintances. All of you. You often underestimate your influence because you haven’t enough information.
And then there is the problem of animal lethargy. You have to fight against animal lethargy in order to make spiritual progress. Remember your ancestors only thought when they were hungry. The rest of the time their minds were in neutral. People often make the greatest progress only under stress. When things are too comfortable, critical thinking subsides, and custom and tradition take over.
The devastating tragedy of 911 has stimulated thinking. The majority still follows the mediocre program of thought, yes, but many are giving thought for the first time to new ideas. We have told you this repeatedly, that there is an undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the old ways of doing things, to fall back always and forever on violence and force as a last resort, rather than statesmanship as a first resort.
Look at what is happening in the schools in recent years. There are curricula stressing peaceful resolution of quarrels on the play ground which are being inaugurated in many school districts. This is not something that your ancestors could report on. Evolution is very slow, but terribly effective.
Spiritual intervention of the dramatic, forceful sort that you may yearn for, the magic wand to correct the evils of the world, cannot happen, for it is contrary to the Prime Directive.
[Ed: Human will must always be respected.]
So Jesus did not ascend to the throne at Jerusalem and become the Messiah. But his spiritual message, that we are all children of God and brothers and sisters, transformed the world even though it was diluted and attenuated. And that message, which is simply a statement of reality, is still the most powerful concept that any person can ever hear!
My friends do not become discouraged. When I say, ” become discouraged”, I mean, do not continue in discouragement. Do not succumb to discouragement, but realize that crises are time of great potential. Do your part in spreading the message. Talk about these ideas with your friends. Stick out your neck and differ from the majority opinion!
You probably will not be crucified. [Laughter and comments.] You may reply, “Well, Daniel, that’s easy for you to say, sitting up there on a cloud telling us what to do.” [More laughter.] And I tell you, “Yes, you are right”. It was not easy even on my planet of origin which was in the early stages of Light and Life. We were still struggling with some of these same issues, although we had certainly advanced farther that this planet has. I am your coach. The game is life. We are going to win. We’re going to win! I have concluded my remarks. Do you have comments or questions?
Dialogue
Challenge
Virginia/Letah: Daniel, I really thank you. You know its really easy to be discouraged if you look always at the negative or the bad situation, but the couple of thoughts that came into my mind as you were talking, (I’ve been listening to the tape of the Urantia Book which has papers 99 and 100, and I don’t remember which it is.) but it says that confusion comes before growth and before destruction; and when I listen to that I felt that it is still our choice, choice in the middle of confusion, to choose growth or to choose destruction.
I don’t know if that is the purpose of that sentence in the context of the paper, but it certainly puts it back on us doesn’t it? Your reference to the magic wand that I have asked for has never been given to me. [[[Laughter]].] I’ve often thought that it would just be so easy to make a perfect world (which of course God has done) and He really does have patience. Maybe it is because He is older, wiser, all those things that we wish we were. I wish I was. Thank you.
DANIEL: (Bill): My dear, I appreciate your comments in particular. They are very germane to what I was trying to communicate. It is true that there is a great deal of confusion; and you are completely correct that destruction or growth depends upon individual choice. Yes, God has made a perfect universe. I haven’t seen it yet but I have heard a great deal about it; but this isn’t that universe. This is the evolving, perfecting universe, as you know. And struggle is the name of the game.
We need two things to persist in this struggle: one, the willingness to carry on, the decisions to carry on; and two, the strength to carry on. Sometimes, when you are discouraged, it is hard to tell whether you lack the willingness or whether you lack the strength. The solution to both of these always comes back to the time that you spend in quiet with the Divine Presence. That time does not have to be restricted to 10 minutes in the morning or 10 minutes at night, but more ideally that time is at any moment, at any moment that you can turn for that affirmation of willingness and for that strength to carry on. Thank you for your comments, my dear.
Anxiety
Lori: Daniel, thanks for reminding me that we need to have patience. But it is difficult for me when my children are involved and I am making decisions that affect who they are and how they feel about the world they are in. It’s easy to loose sight of being patient.
DANIEL: (Bill): Yes, Lori, understood. Balance is necessary between recognizing the crucial character of developmental milestones and the need for action to maximize these, with the other truth, which is that there is time for growth. Try as you might, you cannot provide a perfect environment for your children because you are not in charge of all of the influences which come upon them. Of course you have to strive to do the best that you can. But do not lose your peace of heart in the anxiety of that process, because if you do, then you weaken your loving influence due to the interruptions of anxiety. Do you understand?
Lori: Yes, that anxiety can takeover and give over to paranoia. And if I can keep my peace of heart I can take the anxiety and move it away. And only through quiet and putting those thoughts aside, on the back burner or aside, can growth occur for me. Because if I have those thoughts lingering there but not taking over, I really can feel like, in a bigger way, that I am getting the whole picture. And I can begin to focus on what the best, big picture might be.
DANIEL: (Bill): Exactly, and when the anxiety is gone you open up a channel to guidance so that it comes to you more efficiently, whereas anxiety blocks guidance from your
Thought Adjuster.
Lori: Thank you, because you’ve reminded me of that throughout the week, that I’ve listened [laughter] right at the moment that we are talking about-quiet at the moment. Let it go.
DANIEL: (Bill): Excellent. Jonderoch, my friend, may your birthday bring you a sense of accomplishment, a sense of eternity, for you life is not limited to this mortal career. May your birthday remind you that you are a son of God, greatly cherished, unique, for there is no one else like you in the universe of universes. We appreciate your love and concern, your deep thinking, your willingness to embrace change and your contributions in the various ways that you give of yourself to your fellows. So be of good cheer. All may not be to your liking, but all is under the overcare of the Universe Supervisors, and all will come out right in the end. At the same time, continue to do your part, as I know you will. I am your friend. Happy birthday.
Bob S/Jonderoch: Thank you, Daniel, for those kind words.
DANIEL: (Bill): You’re welcome.
Bob S: I don’t know where I was coming from earlier. That’s not like me to be so aggressive, is it? I was beyond assertive. I was aggressive. I suppose that reflects some concern about my advancing age, and the depression that one falls into living in this society.
DANIEL: (Bill): I suspect that you’re correct. And I would only say, “Hey, I’m a lot older than you, and it’s wonderful.” [Laughter.] So look forward.
Closing
DANIEL: My friends, our time is completed. Please stand and Minearsia will lead us in prayer.
MINEARSIA: (Bill): We lift our being to join the company of high and holy Supernaphim of Paradise, to join the company of mortal souls made perfect, to join the company of Havoners eventuated in perfection from eternity. We join these to worship You, oh great First Source and Center, great Second Source and Center, great Third Source and Center.
We know and we witness that You have given us life abundantly, and that our future is unlimited because we have chosen to follow You. And to you, Christ Michael of Nebadon, and Nebadonia, we offer our allegiance and our loyalty to your universe, to its full and complete perfection attainment, attained in us individually and then collectively.
And now for these, my mortal friends who faithfully come and share their lives together, I give you thanks; and I pledge to them my undying love and companionship. May we all go forth to do Your will. Amen.
