Death… Growth… Growing

FRI., DEC. 5, 1997, 11:58 AM
OFFICE, PULLIAM H.

The guest lecture “happened”, and it seemed to go well. You see that it is more difficult to truly enjoy a class when you know few to none of them by name… or by what they write… or as persons. Perhaps in the future there will be some opportunity for “a class of your own”. More realistically, that time now is past. You’re Emeritus, and that, mostly, means disconnection. In situations such as this one, just completed, you’ll have to be satisfied with approval by the teacher, for whom you substituted.

The theme you developed today was death as part of growth and development… and of growing and developing. The mainstream cultural preference is that it is the end of growth and development, which has a physical beginning and a physical ending. Legally, an individual life begins at the minute, hour, and date of birth, as recorded on a birth certificate. Correspondingly, it ends at the minute, hour, and date on a death certificate. There’s nothing spiritual… nothing mystical about life, legally. It is what is between the numbers and words on each certificate.

Oh, there can be remembrances that go beyond the death. Some last for a few days, some for many years. There are premises, convictions, and perceptions about the soul, the spirit, and what happens to these after a body dies. You might think that I, as Holy Spirit, want only one way of viewing this phenomenon of death, but I tell you that, as in many facets of earth life, I favor diversity. I have led you, for over 40 years, to see death and its aftermaths in a way somewhat different than that which is more “orthodox” among Western Christians.

You see, this represents a compromise. I want you to be active and comfortable as a Presbyterian, a “mainline” church, but still to be comfortable with the knowledge that this life as Bob Russell, is not your first, here in the earth, nor will it be your last. For you, as for some other humans (mostly not like you, culturally), death is just a part of a continued growing and developing life journey. It has its origin in Me, and its ending in Me. Thus, it is ultimately linear, but the on-going process is most circular.

You are pleased with the knowledge that this has not been your first experience as an educator, and, because this life has been so enjoyable and rewarding, you look forward, mystically, to some later opportunity to “do it again”, with more skill and spirit.

Because strongly held perceptions are not easy to counter, some Christians resist the offer of an evaluation and ask for a judgment (some, even, knowing it will be a hellish one). Others are more open to this actual choice, and are pleasantly surprised when they see that death is not the “final stage of growth”, but merely a transition to some form of continuing spiritual life. Since I am outside of time, it is of little to no consequence if a soul holds on to a familiar perception, continuing to want to see earth life as linear and wanting a judgment.

It is not unusual, however, for someone who has been judged to be worthy of a heavenly future to see that he is still too much oriented to self. Such a one may then opt for life in another realm, including earth, in order to serve others or some worthy cause, resulting in a more genuine enlightenment or state of grace. Such a perspective implies that remembrances of one’s life as Bob… Gertrude… Pablo… Teresa… are unnecessary… even something that must be unnoticed. It is ultimate Grace to joyfully become a part of Me again, more than to be remembered excessively.