Seek your center.

May 18, 2004

Your God, your Creator, your Protector, your Light, the Giver of your Life, blesses each of you in countless ways beyond your comprehension. 

You are engaged in the experience of life in all that it offers you. That engagement is not by choice. You engage life because you are alive, because you are a part of life. All that life is, in some way, has a direct impact on your experience as human beings. As we have said, no one is free of pain or anxiety. No one is free from the challenges that life provides. Although those challenges are not the same for everyone, they’re still, in one form or another, shared by all. 

If you hold a bowl of water in your hand and you walk with that full bowl, the water is in motion together. The entire content moves. The entire content is dependent upon all elements. There is no section of that water that moves independently from another. It is exactly this way that you can perceive your interdependence with all of humanity. When there is injustice somewhere in the world, that injustice, that suffering, does not take place in a vacuum. It resonates everywhere. When there is hunger, all human beings share, at some level spiritually, that hunger. You are each connected just as the individual molecules are connected in that bowl. When one molecule moves, all move. There is nothing in your life that you can experience that is completely separate from the totality of the One Spirit. You all belong to that One Spirit, and therefore you are all interdependent. 

There are plenty who choose to ignore that shared relationship, but that relationship is nevertheless firm. That relationship is not always a conscious one, but it exists at the level of spirit that each shares with all others. As your awareness of your own spirituality grows and deepens, you become more keenly aware of your connectedness to all other human beings. 

An individual whose behavior is characterized as selfish is not centered on an awareness of spirit. Selfishness, in whatever manifestation it may be seen, is ultimately a denial of spirit. If you are committed to the reality of your own spirit, your soul, there is no possibility of thinking that you are in some manner separate from another. As a result, the actions of selfishness, of self-centeredness, of self-absorption have absolutely no relevance, no meaning in your lives. 

You are a part of all that has been created: All That Is. That totality of All That Is extends beyond your earth. It extends beyond the universe as you know it to be. It extends beyond your concept of what is real. It extends beyond all that is concrete and tangible. Creation and its reality exist at a level far beyond human understanding. Although the sciences broaden the view of human beings, there is no science that provides a view of the totality. There is no possible avenue for human beings to relate to that totality of creation. And that is not your objective. That is not why you experience human life. You experience life to learn as you can learn. 

You wonder about the existence of what you might call “intelligent life” beyond your sphere. It is true that there are many forms of intelligent life that exist. There are forms of intelligent life that are aware of God. You are not the only corner of creation that knows of its Creator. But you live within an understanding that is appropriate for where you are in your spiritual journey and where you are in your human journey. 

We are not with you to tell you that in some way your current journey is inappropriate, for that is not the case. When you wonder about your human journey, whether you are developing as you should develop, whether you are responding to life as you should respond, we urge you to accept the truth that you are where you must be. It does not mean that you are to remain where you are, but we do mean that you are evolving and growing as you are intended to evolve and to grow. 

Your understanding of God grows as it should. For some, that understanding evolves with great magnitude and depth. For others, that growth is less easily defined. But all human beings are on a journey which is appropriate for them. There are human beings of course whose behavior is counter to God’s wishes, whose behavior inhibits the development of others. But for that individual, that is only one brief moment in the spiritual development that is occurring. For you, that individual is also a brief moment in your own spiritual journey. 

It is difficult for you to see your lives as extremely brief. You can look back upon your lives and feel the time has moved quickly, but no human being sees his or her life as but a moment. It is only when you have completed your human experience that you can clearly observe the moment that was experienced. 

When you encounter individuals and events that seem to hinder your growth or the growth of others, you must try to imagine the momentary aspect of that evolution. What you consider to be great trauma, great difficulty, is but the briefest challenge imaginable. As a result, your spiritual growth is continuous. It is never stopped, no matter what life experiences you endure. No matter what an individual does to you, your growth is assured. No matter what you may do to another, your growth and the growth of another is equally assured. There are lessons to be learned, of course, but the growth of which we speak is unmistakable. Your lives are experienced for that growth. 

When you imagine your lives to be but a moment, you may also try to imagine looking from a distance at your lives. Do you see a direction? Do you see a character which is formed, which provides purpose? Do you see patterns of your own behavior that help you understand your journey more clearly? Such a view of your life is always possible. You can, as it were, step out of your life in order to understand it more clearly. You step away from the trees and you see the forest. You see its shape. You see its ability to grow and adapt. You see its gradual transformation. When you step away from being a molecule of water and you see the bowl’s contents moving together, you begin to understand more clearly the interrelationships that are so important. 

There is no such thing as a barrier that cannot be penetrated. There is no barrier to your life. Regardless of your circumstances, there is really no barrier that cannot be traversed, that cannot be gone through, that cannot be overcome. If you feel restrained in your attempt to achieve a goal that is important to you, taking a more distant view of your own life, you may realize that goal was, in itself, unimportant. As a result, the barrier to that goal has no meaning, and therefore is no longer a barrier. 

Certainly, there are some things you cannot do. There are experiences in life that you will not have. That is understandable, but that is not the result of impenetrable barriers. So when you feel thwarted, when you feel stuck, as it were, remove yourself from the situation so that you may see what is really taking place. From such a perch, you will recognize that that which you cannot seem to accomplish is ultimately of no importance. 

Every human life has its rhythm. Every life has its own path to follow. Every life recognizes when the path feels right, and every life recognizes when the path feels wrong. You may be on the right path and yet experience distractions as you travel along it, but those distractions are not barriers. They do not prevent you from accomplishing what is best for you. You must believe us when we tell you that all that is important for each of you is possible, is doable, is obtainable by every person. What is an appropriate goal for one individual is not necessarily equally essential and appropriate for another. Wishing to achieve a goal someone else may reach that is not appropriate for you is not productive. 

It is because of this individualizing of life’s paths that we say to you so frequently, you are where you need to be at this moment, and you will be where you need to be at this moment. The present for each of you is always appropriate. It is for you to determine how it is appropriate, why it is appropriate, and where the path leads. That knowledge is obtained through your openness to spirit. It is by the inner journey, the journey to the inner circle, that you become more fully aware of the path that leads to the outer circle of God’s unifying presence. 

It is so easy to be discouraged. It is so easy to be fearful. It is so easy to feel not capable of meeting the tasks that you set before you. All of you are capable of meeting the tasks that are appropriate for you. There is no need for fear. There is no need for worry. Worry and fear are only your response to what you are unsure of. They may be a manifestation of a difference between where you should be headed and where you wish to be headed. Fear also arises from a lack of confidence, but if you connect your consciousness to the strength of your spiritual center, there is no reason to have lack of confidence.

Perhaps this sounds very theoretical, but that is not our intention. Our intention is for you to understand the basic truth, that as you connect to your spiritual center, your way forward will always be clear. You must take the sense of selfishness, the sense of self-worth, self-importance, self-determination, away from your inward journey to the spiritual center. Each of you is different. Each soul has different lessons to learn. Each soul is on a journey, and as you pray for vision to find your inner spiritual self, you are stripping away that sense of self in a physical, emotional way, and allowing yourselves a vision of Self that is Spirit. It is that sense of Spirit-Self that is allempowering, that is unifying, and that provides you with a conscious direction through your human lives. 

Seek the center and you will see the path. 

Seek the center and you will see God in everything that surrounds you. 

Seek the center and you will never know fear. 

Seek the center and you’ll know what nonjudgmental, freely-given love for all of creation really is. 

If there is a secret to life, it is seeking your center. It is a journey that is not accomplished immediately. It is a journey that is not easy, but in traveling that road to the center, your path is illuminated by your connection to God. Your vision is broadened. You are given peace. You are given a sense of purpose, and life becomes relevant, vibrant, and you are fully aware of your interdependence with all that is created. 

We are here to accompany your journey to the center. We are here to guide you along that path, and we rejoice that you reach out with your arms of love to make the shared journey possible. 

You are blessed on your journey. You are blessed when you seek. You are blessed when you are quiet to listen to the loving presence of God. Be grateful when you are consciously aware of that guiding Voice. 

Amen.