[tmtranscripts] 11-07-2013 Light Line

[Gerdean O'Dell]

DATE:  November 7, 2013

LOCATION:  Light Line

T/R:  Gerdean 

TEACHER: TOMAS, with midwayer Jack

TOPIC:  The Antithesis of Procrastination

 

Prayer:  Thank you, Father God, for this assembly of believers. Thank You too for the format that has been devised for us to engage ourselves in this communication process of reaching out to our spiritual helpers and receiving encouragement and counsel from their perspective -- not to mention the affection that we receive from them and You.  We thrive on that connection, Father God, Mother Spirit, and we're very grateful for any connection we can get here in our relative isolation. Be with us this evening as we strive to be of good cheer, and have words of encouragement for our fellows who sometimes languish in isolation and fear greatly the storms of the material world. Help us find ways in which we might be of service.  In Michael's name. Amen.

 

0802-AB Jack here. I'm coming in as your emcee, as it were. There is a teacher here who will take the podium this evening but I wanted to let my presence be known and let you know I will be around for the proceedings. Perhaps I will come in and help field questions when the lecture is over. We have Teacher Tomas with us this evening, so without further ado, I will move over and let Teacher Tomas take over.  One moment.

 

TOMAS:  Greetings.  I am Tomas, your teacher and your friend. It pleases me greatly to be called upon to serve you this evening and to bring to you the light of truth however that may be perceived by you. I gave Gerdean a clue earlier this week that I wanted to talk about the antithesis of procrastination and so, as is typical of humans, she has been running around telling people that I am going to talk about procrastination, which is not what I'm going to talk about at all, but I guess it depends upon one's perspective.  What I wanted to talk about and will talk about is what happens when you don't procrastinate.

 

You remember that there is a point in your ascension where you will need to face this mortal propensity to put off to a later time what you could or perhaps should do early on. As long as you can get away with it, you will put it off and so it becomes part of the social mores, and under many circumstances, procrastination is found to be perfectly acceptable, even expected, especially when it comes to such things as homework or household chores or those less than exciting things that human flesh is heir to. But before I launch into a discussion about the value of not procrastinating, I want to tie this in with your spiritual development, which is what I am here for. I am not particularly here for the purpose of helping you organize your life, only insofar as it is geared toward service. There are many lessons floating around about this life and this world and how to live it more effectively, and they are all well and good if they are recognized as a connection to your higher life, the life you enjoy with your spirit companions and your god fragment.  One moment.  

 

[Part of the problem, when the T/R knows in advance what the topic will be, is they "own" the topic; they think they know it and so they are reluctant to let me give the lesson. But I am an independent teacher; I don't need the T/R to coach me or give me the ideas that she has set down as helpful. They may be helpful to her, if she were giving the lesson, but I am attempting to do it and so I must separate my thoughts from hers and vice versa, so Gerdean, if you would please just take your ideas and sit over there with the class and let me handle it, I'll be better off for now. And I do so appreciate what you do for this process, so this is no chiding, it is simply guidance. And guidance, truly, for all of you who would seek to serve in this capacity.]

 

The lesson itself has to do with the difference between being assertive and being passive; it has to do with doing up front what you can do with your own will rather than trying to catch up with yourself for not having done it already. And there is, again, a fine line between how the mortal goes about this and how the divine goes about this.  You will need to determine for yourself whether your project, your motivator, is material or spiritual because there are certainly both ways to look at it, two sides of this coin. On one hand, for example, it is not a good idea for you to press the kingdom upon yourself or others; that is something that has to find its way of itself. You cannot browbeat someone into faith. You can drum them with beliefs but for them [the beliefs] to become a part of the human, those beliefs need to develop and grow within their heart and soul and not simply their mind, which is what you get when you browbeat, when you press upon someone something that could be perceived as helping.

 

There are many things you can help with, but there are many things where you serve best when you stay out of the way.  And it is a fairly consistent quandary as to which way you should go,  but you can learn over time that the things that you can do for yourself, those things that are designed for your will to accomplish, as compared to those things that your will serves best to relinquish.  I will add here that sometimes my peers in the Teacher Corps are dumbfounded by the willfulness of your nature.  When given direct advice, it might as well go in one ear and out the other. Only as an individual seeks, only as they ask, are they going to give even fundamental lip service to what you might have to offer, so you can save yourself a great deal of time and energy right from the start by not investing overmuch in what others ought to do. Rather, look to your own destiny and determine what you must do. 

 

While this may be an eternal project, it is more closely valued and appreciated when you witness it in your daily life. For example, when you have a business, or even your own affairs to manage. The utility bills, for example, when they are organized as to priority and due date, when you have a set of files into which these accompanying receipts and duns go, you can set up a little calendar and make it easy on yourself by recognizing that these bills need to be paid from this income before they are due, for if you wait too long, they will be late and you may have penalties to pay. This is elementary, but it is definitely one way of seeing the point that putting off to tomorrow what you should do today can bring woeful results. 

 

This is true not only for the pedantic, academic, day-to-day finite life you live but the metaphysical approach you might take.  For example, if you know you have a busy day ahead, you might decide to get up an extra half hour early to meditate and get your mind straight and your priorities in order so that the day is more likely to unfold progressively and productively as compared to those many of you who push the snooze alarm then hit the floor running, don't eat a good breakfast, then run right out to join with the road rage and one mayhem after the other. That is certainly what much of humanity does and you would fit right in, but is that the wiser way to go about it?

 

And naturally the theory goes all the way to the development of the soul which, of course, is why I am here -- to help you develop your soul in advance of the resurrection hall, so that you have something to bring to the situation on high. To not participate in your own rehabilitation from the dire effects of the rebellion and the default, for you to simply say, "the devil made me do it; it's the Lucifer legacy that we live under and everyone does it; this is the way everyone behaves; I am not responsible; I cannot be expected to live a perfect life or raise my standards when everyone around me is living a more practical existence. I have to be part of the human race." And this is certainly true but all humans aspire to be better, even when they jokingly carry on as if they didn't; truly, in their hearts, they do. In the secret recesses they all wish to be exemplary and smiled upon by the gods. The thing about putting off to Mansonia what you could be doing here on Urantia, in terms of developing your spiritual nature, your eternal values, is that you presume upon divine mercy. 

 

You presume that God will have mercy, take you in, make you feel welcome, and of course He will, but there is so much to do, so many ways to serve, so many opportunities to stimulate growth and shine the light, so many ways to bring harmony and joy, it would be a travesty to let that opportunity pass you by. Why throw away the experience of watching the light come on in someone else's eyes because of something you said, something that had a kernel of eternal truth that gave their soul something upon which to hang their hat, something that awakened them, enlivened them, and gave them hope? 

 

It is very easy to commiserate with the miserable; this is a form of procrastination to say, "Oh, yeah, I know; it's terrible out there. Oh, I saw my electric bill; can you believe what they are doing?"  Calling everyone crooks, even though they may not be crooks, because you can't understand, you can't understand the details, the small print, it is very easy to just throw up your hands and put off what could do if you chose to.  There is a scripture in the Urantia Papers to the effect, "Gird up the loins of your mind" [so as to] organize your mind for fruitful service. Girding up the mind is learning to plan in advance where you will be needed, where you can best serve, where the need will be great, where the opportunity is.  

 

And the last point is how terrible and easy it is to procrastinate out of laziness or simply feeling overwhelmed. There is an immediate solution for that little problem, and that is to consult with the still, small voice within that will surely and clearly guide your steps, one at a time, so that you are not overwhelmed, so that you can make progress, so that you can in fact be lifted up into service fields. And oh how joyous you will feel, and how joyous others will be to see you because you bring and carry good news.  And the good news goes all the way to the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man, beginning here. 

 

It's just so much easier to do it the right way. That sluggish animal mind spends so much energy holding you back. If you were to put that energy to good use, you could be four times the person you are today. I understand that there are those who will take serious exception to my lesson, who will become downright angry at me for setting forth impossible goals and expectations. I have no expectations. I have inspirations to offer but what you do with those is not mine to worry about.  We can readily see your efforts as well as your failures, but we also see each one of you at some point or another rally and try again, and thus overall we are not discouraged. Again I refer you to the text. If you could just see your Adjuster working with you and for you, you would be so encouraged; you would be so enthused, and so I bring you that little message today. And if you like, you can call it a lesson on procrastination but I like to think it's more than that. 

 

How glad I am to once more have time to spend with you, to feel your presence, to sense your souls respond to my attitude, thrive under my guidance and affection, and I am grateful.  I will see you again.  Amen and farewell.

 

JACK's back.  Right on time for some friendly banter. Are there questions?   [Pause] If you have questions or if you have something you would like to say, press *6 on your telephone and that will open the line so that we can all hear you.  

 

Lee:  Yes, this is Lee.  As far as procrastination, I can see in my life where I do that a lot, but when it comes to my spiritual development, I think the one thing that I've been procrastinating on is that when I read the Raphael book and found that the cataclysm they talk about, which is to happen within the next couple years, I really question, "Well, what do I do?" I mean, I will help, but I'm only one person and I don't know how to begin to go out there and help. It's very difficult because they say these non-profit organizations that are there now aren't going to be sufficient for what's to happen and that we need more community or smaller areas that need to help, not larger organizations that can cover large areas, because that's not going to be possible. I just don't know where to begin to help

 

JACK: Well, you've jumped into a cataclysm.  Jumping into the middle of a cataclysm is of course overwhelming.  Back off from the cataclysm, which may or may not come, and take life simply.  [Okay] if you get to know your neighbors, share with them what matters to you, visit with them; this is appropriate bonding and community action. You will at least have done this in advance. You will at least know their name. You will be able to call them when the electricity goes out, perhaps, and you have need for something or something to offer relevant to the power failure. Perhaps you have information as to what caused it, when it's coming back on. In this way you can bring comfort to your neighbor by letting them know they are not alone. 

 

There are other examples of mayhem that may occur, such as accidents on the highway; you can share your knowledge with others that may forestall further chaos. If you learn your neighbor is going to Fifth and Broadmore and there is an accident at Fourth and Broadmore, you can tell them "Don't go in by 4th street or you'll run into chaos." Just keep it simple. Lord knows there will be crazy things taking place but truly everyone is not in the middle of it.  Although everyone will be affected to some degree or another, not everyone needs to be in the thick of it. This is not to suggest that you pull the wool over your eyes or a sack over your head and stay ignorant about what is going on; recognize that nothing more is called upon from you but that which is something you would inherently do anyway. [Right. Thank you] 

 

Everyone has different gifts they bring to this life. There are surgeons and musicians and carpenters and chefs; there are babysitters, cobblers, auto mechanics. These are their sphere of influence. This is where they have their power; this is where they serve. And those of you who have venues in which you serve in peace and in good will, there is really no reason for mayhem to enter into your zone; you can see it coming, you can thwart it or deal with it at once in a positive way. This is the value of being self-sufficient. When you consider your community and your relationship to other people, if you don't have to depend on others to fix it for you, you are in a position then of competence and control because you have something to offer. Don't try to offer something that isn't yours. You will indeed feel inept. Offer what you know, and if you don't know anything, stay out of the way. Sometimes staying out of the way is the best service you can provide, but if we pay attention to what Tomas had to say earlier, we will anticipate what's coming and prepare for it. 

 

And let me suggest that anticipating the worst is not always the best way to go about this. It doesn't have to be Armageddon. It doesn't have to be a disaster. Change can also be a good thing. It may be the cataclysm that provides the springboard for proper change, change which you have been hoping for, praying for, working toward, and so your opportunity to shine may be coming even as those who have prepared to do battle will be prepared.  What does the Father seek for you?  How can you serve the Father? Who are you? What are your gifts? What is within your personality? Be who you are. Anticipate who you can become based on what you already know and flourish therein. Is that helpful?

 

Lee:  Very much so.  Thank you.

 

JACK:  One of the things you might consider doing for yourself in the future is being mindful of what you fill your mind with, what you entertain. I'm not suggesting that you ignore unpleasant possibilities, but don't let them dominate your consciousness. Love is more contagious than hate. The Fathers will will prevail. Have faith.

 

Lee:  Thank you.

 

JACK:   Thank you for being concerned and for being willing to recognize your parameters. Are there other questions?

 

Gary:  Yeah, Jack, I was just thinking about what Tomas was talking about procrastinating and thinking about what we can contribute to and the more I think about it is all of us are connected and can understand the Urantia Book, and I think that just the knowledge we've all acquired by being part of it, I'm sure that will be of great service whenever the time comes, no matter what our specialty is. I'm sure we can fit in a lot of different areas. And maybe not just one specific area, but the procrastination is . we're all guilty, I'm sure. I know I am.

 

JACK:  Well, it's a part of the animal nature and so the invitation is simply to rise above the animal nature and begin to take control of your own destiny and certainly you are correct that the Urantia Papers provide a great deal of knowledge that can be disbursed in many, many arenas in terms of family life, philosophy, government, human associations, and the farther view that gives such a wider, broader perspective.  These values that you absorb through reading and studying the revelation expand your mind, your soul, your consciousness, and your opportunities for connecting with others, other thoughts, other movements, other theories. 

 

Anchor yourself in the Urantia Papers and let them be a foundation for your faith so when you seek to serve those who have no knowledge of it, recognize that they are speaking from without and that has bearing on their perspective. Please note: I am not saying their perspective is not adequate or valuable, but it lacks the epochal revelatory perspective, even though they themselves may have in-depth personal revelation on a great many important topics.  

 

That ought to wrap it up for us this evening.  I feel fulfilled in my role, and while I do feel yet more questions in your minds, I am content to leave it this way because I anticipate that you will investigate, you will pursue, you will look forward and find out what it is that you need to know so that you can be perhaps be better prepared for it when it comes; you will have begun to create your own destiny and participate in the path of ages.

 

Gary: I believe you're right, Jack, and I appreciate your answers.

Jack:  Thank you, buddy.  Later!

 

 
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