Receiving praise and criticism.

May 25, 2005

God surrounds each of you with the blessings of peace and health, courage and strength. But God also surrounds you with your individual guides or guardian angels. All guides work together for the benefit of God's creation. 

Each of you has a chief teacher or guide or guardian angel. It is not important what we are called. In our human lives, we have had many names. We say “human lives” because the experience of life that you share at this moment is like a school. Everyone graduates. All souls succeed in learning while in human form, but some souls require more than one lifetime. For young children whose human lives are but brief moments, the souls that accompany such brief lives are given more opportunities to learn and to grow. One may reach considerable age in human terms and yet not learn what needs to be learned, so that soul is given another life to grow through the experience of the human condition. What is important to recognize is that every soul achieves ultimate unity with all other souls and with the Spirit Center that you call God. 

Tonight, much discussion centered on relationships. It is the realm of relationships that provides the richest soil for the growth of spirits. For essential growth to be achieved, the soul learns to reach out and embrace all of creation. You therefore relate to human beings and to the natural environment around you. You spoke of relationships with other people, and that is where your connection to creation is most evident, but you are asked to relate to creation beyond human beings. 

Each of you is aware of the beauty that surrounds you, and to a degree, you are aware of a connection to that environment. Seldom, however, do people find a connection that is personal and connected to creation beyond other beings. You are given life not only because of your connection to human beings. It is essential to your spiritual growth to support your connection to the creation about you. The way you connect has great bearing on the spiritual progress that is the intention of the God Center, the Creator of all. 

Saying that, acknowledging that, it is also crucial that you constantly search for a connection to others. You do not gather together out of choice. You are brought to this space because you have needed to learn from each other. You have much to give to each other. The gift of human love, affirmation, respect, and a pleasure of sharing is worthy of your spirit's growth. When individual lives intersect, it is for a purpose. There are no chance intersections! 

As we have said on other occasions, those whom you know in life you have known previously, for all souls recognize one another. What does this mean in your personal and professional relationships? You cannot hate, you cannot be filled with distrust. You cannot be filled with jealousy or anger, for each individual you encounter is of equal value. You are not more important than another; likewise, you are not less important than another. The connections you make may take many forms, but they must always be filled with affirmation for unconditional acceptance. 

Since you are all equal and since you came from the same Spirit Source, to deny another is to deny yourself. By affirming with compassion, with nonjudgmental love, you are affirming with love yourself as well. Since every human being is divine, there is no place for exclusion of any kind. 

When you are met with praise, it is to be received with humility, and when you are met with criticism, it is to be received with compassion. One cannot deny one's own divinity. One must never do so! Likewise, one cannot deny the divinity of anyone else, for you are all equal. You must be forgiving of your own shortcomings, but you must also forgive the shortcomings of all others. Forgiveness is the center of life. All flowers from that well. Forgiveness creates an environment for love to flourish. Forgiveness is the active application of love. Love may be central in importance, but it is forgiveness that allows love to flourish. Saying you love another requires that you forgive, for love without forgiveness is empty and powerless. 

Love requires forgiveness. Love requires a lack of judgment. Through nonjudgment and forgiveness, love is directed outward and it is also directed within. If you forgive yourself, you can be nonjudgmental toward yourself. If you can be compassionate, you can be empowered to affirm and to strengthen. Love is a blessing, and forgiveness is the fertile soil allowing the centrality of love to blossom and create beauty. 

You are aware of the story of Jesus at the crucifixion imploring God to forgive. He did not say or ask God to offer love, but rather to grant forgiveness. It is a powerful concept. It is a profound way of living. Learn to forgive and you will find the path to love. 

You are blessed in your capacity to forgive and in your power to love. You are surrounded by your guides who give you strength in your growth and your insight. Be warmed by forgiveness and allow your paths to be illuminated by love. 

Amen.