Discomfort

NOV. 19, 1980, 5:52 AM
W. WILLOW, STUDY

This seems like a theme from one of Our early writings, even as one before I took over the pen, o son. You are experiencing something – this time mild cold because the furnace has taken a holiday – and it becomes the theme, for there must be some spiritual lessons in discomfort.

Well, as a matter of fact… Discomfort is a fairly important experience. Your attention moves to the experience, then to the source. Even though you were readying to commence a session with Me… an important venture to start the day… your attention went to the thermostat and to the furnace. You still have it in your mind, stimulating thoughts of what you may do to warm the house a bit, get it fixed, what it might be… and on… If I weren’t working from this theme it would be very distracting, and you would have written even less than you have now.

Your fingers are cold, and that, too, is distracting. Yes, discomfort can be a distractor. It can keep you from attending to matters that are more important. It can be contagious. Your discomfort is mildly physical now, but it is hindering mental and spiritual functioning. This is why all highly developed spirits practice some form of yoga or discipline. There must be a developed discipline and state of being which can easily overcome the distraction of discomfort. With discipline of this sort, the discomfort becomes a cue not for distraction, then, but for concentration upon the more important task. Because you are cold you would focus more upon your blessings and upon opportunities to learn from such a stimulus. You have the beginnings of such discipline, but it needs much more development.

Jean will come this day and will talk of her discomforts. This is not an experience you have had for such a long time that you really cannot be empathetic. But hear her at length and with loving patience and try to help her start in some new ways that may alleviate the discomfort… directly or indirectly through the focus of attention on things more comfortable. You easily see that the puny discomfort you experience, which can be eliminated by the visit of a repairman, even a neighbor, cannot compare with that which distracts her mind and spirit. It, too, is a stimulus to attention, but almost insurmountable. She is an important person and has much to offer to your developing field, so you must exert some real efforts to help set her on a more positive path. Her discomfort pushes her to seek spiritual development. You can help in focusing these motivations on a project that will be of mutual benefit.