An Old… New… Lesson/Commandment

FRI., MAY 6, 1994, 6:33 AM
FARM, STUDY

Your recovery is proceeding well. Getting the cows back in and repairing the fence yesterday morning were emergencies that you could do, without apparent harm. You expect to go to your Departmental picnic today, and you should be in church on Sunday. Next week will be finals reading. All of this should be possible if you balance the activity with rest, letting your young/old body repair itself in its own time.

The old… new… lesson/commandment is the one I gave you when you first had this disability 14 years ago, combined with the one I offered in the more recent incident. Combined, they come forth as: if this is to be a permanent disability, or one that diminishes slowly over time, either of these can result in spiritual growth… AND spiritual growth must manifest itself in service to others, with evidence of a most positive attitude toward life.

I won’t tell you how fast or how slowly the affected nerves in your right leg will regenerate. Do I know? Of course. It just is better that you not know… that you be able to adapt your positive attitude toward either result. You were disappointed that you didn’t feel immediate relief with the completion of the surgery. That would have required more of a miracle than I felt appropriate for you. The weakness and the limp are bothersome, but they do require more of your spirit, and that, of course, is My main interest. Thus far in life, with a few brief exceptions, your spirit could develop with a fully functioning body.

Now it has the opportunity… and I call it that deliberately… of developing further, in conjunction with this obvious weakness… a flaw, certainly. You have done rather well, so far. The act of going to your final Death Education class was a fine one, evidence to this student group that you cared about them. The only “improvement” would have been to have that class suddenly switched to the Farm, here. You didn’t think of that in time, and Lenore wouldn’t have been available, so it wouldn’t have been easy… but it was the first group in a long time that didn’t see Peter’s Park and hear that important story out here.

If the weather holds you shall be with colleagues and T.A.’s today, showing forth more health than disability. Don’t let this recovery time be an excuse for not doing random acts of kindness and service. The letter you haven’t written yet is a form of service that you owe. Be sure that is done, at least by Monday.

Your response to son Matthew’s account of his life and his motivations for what he has been doing was appropriate… positive… and encouraging. Service to others, without desire for them to reciprocate, is that which exercises the spirit and causes it to develop. His motives are good, even as he wastes money, from My perspective, on material things that could be more helpful to others. You may mention John Patrick and Debbie’s needs, as an example, but the right motivation must still be in him. It will come, eventually, as his spirit develops. It has had several years of very limited growth, as his concerns were too much about himself and his money. Now he is in a growth pattern, from which new and better motivations may naturally arise.