A Time To Be Born And A Time To Die

JAN. 4, 1982, 11:42 AM
MORRIS LIBRARY, 6TH FLOOR

Well, here We are again, developing some teaching material from that favorite Scripture of yours (and Mine)… the Preacher’s observation that For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter (or purpose) under heaven. There is, for each of you humans, a time to be born into earthly form and then a time to experience death of the earthly body. The time between is certainly variable… from a few minutes to over a hundred years. And whatever it is for each person the time can be used wisely for growth or simply wasted.

First, of course, know that We are not talking about ultimate reality, for in this sense time is both endless and non-existent. Each moment is a time both to be born and to die. Birth and death occur at the “same time”. But having admitted this, let Us go back to the poetic reality of “a time to be born and a time to die.”

The remembrance and observance of birthdays is evidence of a time to be born. The general interpretation in your culture is that when the baby comes out into the physical world (out of the body of its mother) and begins to breath air on its own the life has officially begun… or at least this is the time from which it is calculated “how old you are.” On the other hand, how important is this if one assumes that life commences at conception… or is evident by movements and reactions during the pregnancy? Or, on the other hand (if you have another one) how important is it if the immortal soul does not enter until some time after birth (which happens occasionally)?

Now, a time to be born is important to the pregnant mother. This is the time at which her nurturing role changes. In pregnancy it is involuntary… though influenced by conscious care that the woman takes… of herself. After birth the babe has needs that must be met if growth and even life itself are to be sustained, and they have to be met by essentially voluntary action.

Though pregnancy can be a spiritual experience, as can the birth process, the spiritual dimension becomes crucial in the after-birth period. Many people have “spiritual instincts” which urge them to serve this little one, who has nothing tangible to give for this service. For it is truly a spiritual act when a mother gives to her baby, of her own milk, without receiving in return. If she feels that she is receiving a discernible response it is either that her spirit “hears” or perceives “in advance” what will come later, OR that the spirit within the infant is so advanced that it can make itself known almost immediately.