You are given life to love.
May 29, 1995
You are indeed a collection of kindred, like-minded souls. There is a bonding here that is direct and immediate and solid, for you all are reminded of the preciousness of life and the beauty of all transitions.
You are given joy to share joy. You are given strength to share strength. You are given a future view, as it were, so that you may share that view with others. The sharing of which we speak is not a proselytizing. It is actually giving witness through your attitudes and your actions. The strength that we see among each of you will provide strength for many others.
The cancer stricken member of your group exhibits much courage and a growing sense of inner peace. That peace may be shaken at times but it is always present. Each of you can feel that. The strength of this relationship that you all share in the group is that you are reaffirmed and strengthened and deepened by all others in the group, for you share a common experience. You share common insights. You share a collective view of the reality of spiritual life beyond the awareness of the physical senses.
Life is far wider than the physical manifestation. Therefore, transitions are transitions within that life. There is no real departure from life. There is only a change in form.
Throughout your human lives you become more aware of the transformations of life. As a child you learn about the transformations that evolve into a butterfly. You learn about transformations as you observe seasons. These are transformations that you can observe from both sides.
The transformation from physical life to a spiritual life can only be seen from your perspective in a one-sided fashion. The other side you must experience through the gift and exercise of faith.
So often we have spoken of crossroads, of the recognition of a transformation that must take place, a change in life direction, a change in personal or professional relationships, a change in family situations. These crossroads continue to come your way, but the crossroad that you are so poignantly aware of at this point is the crossroad that for many is so difficult to approach, for you know of the choices but you do not see the results of that decision.
One approaches a transition in life with fear, with faith, with acceptance, regrets, concerns, with many emotions, all of which are to be expected and embraced. But the proximity of the intersection of these crossroads brings home to you the importance of the reaffirmation of the value of all human beings.
For so many of your years we have emphasized the importance of the value of others. It is the most important lesson that you can learn, for you then transcend the importance of self—self in terms of activity, self in terms of physical existence, self in terms of gifts or abilities.
What is important is not self. What is important is all of creation. You are a part of that creation but certainly not the center of it. You were created in human form to live your human life, to strengthen your conviction in the value of another being. You learn that value through love, love being received, but most importantly love being given. It may be love for a spouse, children, parents, love for a perfect stranger, love of the beauty of life, but throughout human life one learns of the importance of recognizing all of life and reaffirming it. Those who do not learn to affirm reincarnate. It is a lesson that all must learn, and that lesson can only be learned in human form.
We love you because we learned to love as humans. We do not learn to love strictly within the spiritual plane of life. We apply that love on this plane, but it is the result of what we learned on the human plane. You are given life to love, to learn about love by receiving it and giving it. So often you recognize the importance of love only when you give it, for you see the benefit, the strength which is received. You see what is gained through compassion. Of course, you recognize the place of love in life when you are the recipient of love, but it is really in giving that its depth becomes physical. You live life to give, not to receive, but you must receive before you can give. The giving is the goal; the receiving is the means.
Your friend certainly has concerns about his family, but those concerns on the spiritual level are already being met. Each in the family is being strengthened by your prayers and by his. You may not see the strength evolving, but you must clearly have faith in the absolute reality of what is received. Your prayers never go unanswered, but the benefit may go unrecognized.
God speaks to each of you in a very personal way. It is for you to open your hearts and allow God’s word to enter your soul. Peace is given to each of you, a peace not of unbridled joy, but a peace characterized by love, a peace characterized by compassion, a peace characterized by a quiet presence, a peace strengthened by a faith in God’s presence. Life is to be lived, to be shared, to be given, to be enjoyed, to be learned from, to affirm others, and to be affirmed yourselves.
You pray for healing, but realize that the healing for which you pray is really a healing for all of you. It is a healing of a spirit. It is a healing characterized by a diminishing in the value of self and an increase in the value of others. That is healing. You pray for healing, and you pray for spiritual strength. You may call it healing, but the result is a stronger soul. It is a greater connection with God. It is a greater connection with family. It is a greater connection with everyone.
The healing for which you really pray is being achieved, and you can be fully certain of that. Be comforted by that healing. Be warmed by it. Recognize it when you feel the healing for which you pray. Recognize the sense of unity in union of souls—the souls of this life, but also the souls of generations that have gone before.
You are fully united with all that has been created by God. The spiritual union is brilliant. There is a vibrancy that you can feel. There is a warmth that you can sense and express, and each of you will find strength and peace and acceptance and joy.
Your friend has much spiritual life to look forward to with great joy, as do you all. Your lives, your souls are united together eternally. We bless that union. We surround that union with the loving presence and brilliant light of God.
Amen.