IntroductionCENTER FOR CHRIST CONSCIOUSNESS
Larkspur, CA
LESSON FROM MICHAEL
MAKING DECISIONS
APRIL 21, 2003
This is Michael your Creator Father who greets you. Spending time with me this evening is my delight. That you have chosen to be here with me is a testament to the faith that is now dominant within your soul. Make no mistake, you are growing more faith-filled each day through each decision hard won on the battlefield of choice and effort and struggle. Each decision that you make, whether or not you understand the outcome of the decision, is an active engagement of the rigorous spiritual currents that are now leading you into greater expression of the Father's will within you.
Having said this, I ask you: do you appreciate how significant is it for you to make choices each day? Are you aware of the choices that are available to you to make each day? Do you comprehend that all of these choices will add greatly to the elasticity of your mind to conform your thoughts with that of your indwelling Mystery Monitor?
In my human life I was confronted with many decisions that impacted not only my life but that of my father's family-the rearing of my brothers and sisters, the watchcare of my mother, the day to day decisions that opened my mind to the Father's presence as I sought to conform my thinking to that of the Father's. Difficult though it is sometimes to discipline your unruly minds, know that it is possible.
It is by your rigorous decision-making that the beauty of the Father's thoughts and will for you can shine through the darkness of your own limited understanding. Gather your wits about you. You are enlarging a certain intellectual capacity about you that will give your spirit greater room within your mind to inter-associate new ideas, experiences and feelings into a more unified and cohesive depiction of the sum credits of your personality attributes.
Decision-making is not for the faint of heart. It is for those faith inspired children who courageously accept that living in faith means reaching out in life into the unknown realms to the realms of adventure where experience is your teacher and guidance comes to you in many ways and in small increments. You must be tested through your decisions. You must be tried over a period of time to know that the fruits that you are yielding are true and not just a superficial understanding of an idea. As you ponder these words, find that place within you that has the sincerity to ask: am I courageous enough to make the decisions-these bold decisions about my life, these honest decisions, and to look at my day as an opportunity to make decisions? As you ponder these words, bring your questions to me and I will share with you some of the experiences that I gleaned from the humanness of my being.
Student: Thank you, Michael. The question is in line with an opportunity to get to know someone who in so many ways is appears to be capable of matching and partnering with me in a ministry. Is there any guidance that you would like to give me?
Michael: R, my son, you do well to approach this opportunity with an open heart and to look at this budding relationship as new in so many ways. You have had prior relationship experience and there will be that experience brought into this new relationship in terms thinking and feeling. But what will be different for is now the openness to see a person through different eyes, and to make no judgements or assessments, but to love openly and to sense within you if this is the match you have been desiring and anticipating.
Most of human life is built upon this precarious equation of experiential memory to anticipated outcomes. You assess the situations that you are in about what you have known from the past and what your desired goals and objectives are. So, in coming into this new relationship or in any of your opportunities that present themselves, regardless if it is personal relation or work relationship or service relationship, be in that place of openness of heart. And ask to see the truth and beauty begin to emerge from the experience that you are enjoying. Then, after you have amassed a certain amount of experience in this opportunity, you will begin a greater appreciation if this the experience that is going to nurture your soul or one that will not bode well for you.
But must be in that place of openness of heart and not assessment at first, so what is true and what is true and what is real and what is good has time to blend in your soul, and give you a deeper meaning and a deeper appreciation of what is actually occurring. If you bring this dynamic into all the experiences as you live your life, you will find a new way of living and dealing with your life's situations. Do you understand my meaning, my son?
Student: It seems that what you are saying that an openness of heart is the touch stone. I need to continue to experience whatever comes and then that openness will adjust the benefit of continuing or not that activity or relationship or situation.
Michael: This is the cornerstone of building your soul through life's experiences. So as you find that openness within your heart, be of the idea that new meanings and values will emerge if you can be clear and not having any agenda or expectation and just letting the emergence of the Father's will create these new associations of reality within you. I am not suggesting that this will be altogether easy, so in that place of openness, you may invite me in to help you maintain this posture of clear reception. In time you will grow more confident of your own ability to maintain that openness throughout all of your experiences of daily living. Do not hesitate to invite me and the presence of your Mother into that place within your heart, so that you can be as clear and receptive to the truth as possible at your particular stage of development. Have you any other thoughts?
Student: I want you to know that I appreciative of and receptive to what you have said and I intend to make the most of the opportunity. I know that progress will occur solidly, and I am quite hopeful and prayerfully preparing on a moment by moment basis.
Michael: Enjoy this life more and more. If you are so fortunate to master this openness of heart, you will have a rich life indeed. And be in my peace, my son.
Student: Show me how to have the courage to use the full mercy credits my inner spirit would want me to use. I get intimidated at time. Teach me to increase the measure of courage that I should be asking for.
Michael: My dear child, the mercy afforded to you is well nigh limitless. In rendering yourself submissive to doing the will of the Father the mercy is continually renewing itself within you, for Father's ministry in your mind is ever renewing you with advanced ideals and values that make a strong and noble son of the Father. Mercy is not something that you can go to the bank and cash in-it is something freely given. And you earn it in a way. The way is by following the will of the Father-whole heartily, devotedly, unreservedly imperfect though you may be in your approach in your understanding. So as you ask me what can I do to earn these credits, I say to you; as you are in the manner of making your decisions, predicate these decisions with the words, 'will this decision be in conformity to the Father's will for me?'
Before you make any decision, spend time in communion and move forward when you feel a quickening within you of Spirit. How will you recognize it? It will give a sense of peace, and appreciation of greatness, a depth of understanding, an expansion of love, and a clear alignment in a new reality of truth expression within you that will ring very deeply within your soul.
It will take time for you to develop the patience to react thoughtfully as the emotions quiet so the thoughts of God are able to emerge more in your conscious mind, giving you a steadiness of feeling and calmness of disposition. You will see yourself moving and responding in a much better fashion. Doing the Father's will is the way that you accumulate the grace and mercy that is continually flowing into your being to bring you closer to the Father as you ascend. What comments have you in this answer now, my child?
Student: I believe in your comments are perfect for me. I don't quite understand the courage; where does the courage come? From concentration or an attitude of meekness, a light heartiness?
Michael: Courage is born of an unwavering loyalty and devotion and conviction to doing the Father's will. To be of sincere heart in saying, 'not my will, but Yours be done.' Once you have this increased loyalty and devotion to doing the Father's will, the courage becomes an automatic response because you are filled with such fervor that you can step out in the midst of oppressing difficulty and be aligned with the Father's action moving you forward. Do you understand what this means now?
Student: I am getting a pretty clear picture of what this means.
Michael: Unswerving devotion to doing the Father's will, as you like to say, is the quickest way of spiritual attainment. I say this to you with all lightheartedness and Fatherly affection for I know your devotion and I honor your commitment and I appreciate what you offer. In closing, I say to you, be of good cheer as you continue to find those places of will resistance within you. Let your devotion and loyalty emerge more staunchly in your mind, and the resistance will be nothing in comparison to your courage. I leave you in my strength.
Student: I appreciate that profoundly.
Student: I have been contemplating on the past few days or since we last spoke about what core beliefs or thought are keeping me or preventing me from experiencing the fullness of my being in all aspects of my life. Where might I possibly be blind in my experiencing and living the Father's will of truth, love, beauty, joy. I know there is a belief or some misunderstanding in my being that prevents me from fully living from living through God in every moment. I wish to have it removed from my being so I may experience what you experienced on this earth.
Michael: What you now are experiencing, my son, are the growing pains of deep soul expansion as the new growth within you is uprooting the old ideas, the old thoughts, the old feelings. Know that in time that which you wish to achieve will yield the sum fruits that you desire. You are, through your desires and decisions, growing into that. Do you not see your own growth? (Yes, I do).
So you have an appreciation of the time element that it takes for the seeds that you have planted in your mind of doing the Father's will to take root and to spring forth the most beautiful blossoms of personality expression that you wish to become .
Go more deeply into your role as gardener in your own life. What do you wish to prune, what do you wish to conserve or cultivate? When you see the branch of thoughts within you that are unlovely, call on your Mother to begin to separate that from you. Call on me to plant you in the new foundation that will cultivate that seed. And then be patient, as all
these seeds that you are planting within you are now growing strong. They are beginning to emerge but as you can see your garden is still not in full bloom at all time. . Do you wish to be in the full bloom of the spring in your full personality? Then you must go through the periods of pruning, cultivation, and rest. This will not occur all at once. You have many years of dedicated cultivation within you to enjoy. Do you not take care of your plants with love and tender affection and caress? Why would you not apply the same delicacy within your own being as you grow more Father-like? Our hands work within you very gently, very skillfully. Let us join hands with you as we emerge your awareness of the process necessary that leads to Adjuster fusion.
I long remember those days on Urantia when my yearnings were like yours. It did me very well to cultivate this attitude of easy-going patience in knowing that all things were working to the good. And I know you have a very strong conceptual awareness of this, but can you honestly say that your experiential awareness has reached that same height? (Not yet) I would commend you of all things now to ask for, that your spirit continually convey to you the necessity for patience, and to enjoy this quality more and more, as you have adopted this appreciation for patience for the flowers and plants that you care for. Your own internal garden is much more beautiful, and so developing this patience is something that you will increasingly come to treasure and enjoy. Do you understand this?
Student: Yes, I do and there is a certain rhythm to it all as well: a time to sow and a time to reap. Michael: And a time for all of those potentials to assimilate, congeal, blend, and grow. Enjoy the growing, it will be with you for a very long time. And this is the beautiful unfolding of the Father within you. I see you like that. (Yes). This is good, and all is well within you. Have you any other thoughts that you need to express this evening?
Student: Just thoughts about my son. I have tried to sow some seeds in about questioning his life: who he is and his place in the universe and his purpose in life. He never really thought about that and so I asked him if he wanted to read any of my books that I have in my library. He said he would think about it but did not think he could find the answers in books. So when I went away, he did look at some of the books I have: one was on meditation and one was on altering you life. I am thankful that he is pursuing these questions. I thank you for instilling that in him because he is a very thoughtful human being, and I know in his heart he desires to live the life that he was created to live. I so much want him to experience what I have experienced-to see through his own eyes.
Michael: And as a wise father, you know how the child must find his own way. The words of encouragement and guidance you offer are important, but let them be by invitation. As you continue to pray for him, come into my being and I will sow those seeds of truth within him each time you focus your thoughts on him.
My little ones, you are all growing and this pleases me mightily. This is all we ask-that you continue to grow; that you continue to make decisions that stimulate your growth, that move you into new opportunities for creative expression of the Father's movement and life essence through you. Each day see yourself less and less on your own, for you are in reality in a dynamic partnership with the very Source of all life. Each decision can be a collaborative undertaking if you are so fortunate as to remember that this partnership is yours-every moment of every day.
I understand the difficulty of remembering. I know that your intention is to increasingly use this dynamic partnership in service to your fellows and for your own soul growth. More and more expand your moments of stillness into those moments of the day when you wish to choose, when you are in those experiences that give you the capacity to do one thing or another. Compose your thoughts, quiet your mind and ask the Father's thoughts to emerge. Right or wrong, let yourself move from that place of honest inquiry of sincere loyalty to letting the Father's will move you into that decision.
Practice this. You are not to be so concerned about whether this was the right or wrong decision. That is not the essential lesson of this evening. All we ask is that you make decisions in conjunction with your Father Fragment, and you increasingly come into that place where it would be unthinkable to do this without your Father. This is all we ask of you. We are here to guide you and to support you as you move forward and gain greater enjoyment of living a dynamic and interesting decision-rich life.
Grow strong, grow confident as you make these decisions, for your capacity to increasingly interact with the Father is what is expanding your awareness into the beauties of living in the Spirit; in being with me and being with your Mother. This is the life of the universe child that we know you are becoming. So as you feel our love descend upon you this evening, know that the container of your mind that makes decisions will continually yield new thoughts and new meanings and new appreciation for how beautiful you are becoming. Good evening, my beloveds.