Attitude Is You?

FRI., MAR. 11, 1994, 5:24 AM
FARM, STUDY

You have come to accept, intellectually at least, that thoughts and attitudes have a definite effect upon the way your body functions. Spirit, of course, is the main affector, and its effect is both “solo” and as it joins with the others. And I mustn’t forget to mention that the actual way the body is functioning – e.g., pain and disability… or lack of these – is another affecting factor.

The important question is… to what extent do you have control over your thoughts and attitudes? I, of course, try through these Teachings and other less direct approaches to influence how you think about life and how you feel about conditions that are yours to experience. In relation to your leg and foot, the “problems” of the moment, I am pushing for an honest ambivalence: I want you to feel positively about slow but full healing, by whatever means, and to expect a final, full recovery, with no pain… AND… I want you to appreciate your present pain and disability and to accept, positively a final condition which is less than full functioning.

You’re trying to do this, but it’s hard to settle for imperfection and to deal with pain, as it is occurring. You are aware of My gift to you of a very poor remembrance of pain. It is a gift, almost as good as a high threshold for feeling and reacting to pain. Just keep up the effort. I am fully aware, and am helping in some minor ways… like, how about 4 consecutive hours of sleep?

The focus of this Teaching, however, is to what extent you can shape and reshape attitudes… as over against accepting that an important attitude “is you,” having developed out of myriad experiences and evaluations of these. Such an attitude is hard to change radically, and your “long term” one is a strong feeling that your physical body should function nearly perfectly, even at your age. Coupled with this is your strong preference for self-healing, with your perceptions differing from those of my servant Don, your present “therapist.”

You have had repeated experiences of successful healing, over most of your life. When the healing is complete you tend to forget the process and the time frame, not desiring to remember these with any accuracy. But this makes the present situation more difficult, for you can’t be assured that this healing is “on schedule,” with your actions and thoughts being the best for the situation. You are not an easily compliant person, and I knew this when I chose you for this life experience, in which We now are. I accept you as you are, AND, I want you to be truer to the strength of the spirit that is developing as “your essence.”

Your attitude toward Me, the Holy Spirit, and toward these Teachings, is quite a positive one, for it has been steadily influenced by these tangible pages and volumes. In one sense these are a unique record of your life over these nearly 15 years. I’ve given you lots of advice over these years, and I haven’t pushed you to change, dramatically, the main attitudes and convictions about life and spirit. I have helped you clarify and explain, better, certain important conclusions about life… including the bedrock understanding that I do love diversity… which means that you don’t have to think like all other Christians and all other “spiritual folk.”