Life Work

SUN., OCT. 22, 1989, 8:28 PM
OXFORD HOUSE, CHICAGO

Life in the earth for most humans involves work. Many do have, as you do, a Life Work, a kind of work that you do for a major part of your earth life. It is fortunate when you have a life work that you enjoy and that you do well. You are more than pleased with yours, and you should be.

You have a sense that this life work of yours was not some accident or chance. Correct you are. You have been one who guided learning before you arrived as Bob Russell, and you shall continue this, probably in several futures. This imparts a different meaning to the term and title “Life Work”, now doesn’t it?

You were guided into teaching and even to the best school for you. You had many good experiences there, some that you sought and some that just happened to you. The classroom became your arena rather than the playing field, but your experiences as a coach were important ones. Feel no reluctance in offering some of these as examples and stories in your current teaching.

The years at Stanford were useful in your development as a professional, but that was not where you were to be. The timing was perfect for My purposes, even as I did not manipulate for you to be there or to be released. I just use natural circumstances… even as I cannot say that I didn’t know how it all would turn out. This is why your remembrances of teaching experiences at Stanford are not as numerous nor as vivid as those before and after. The time there was a means to an end, whereas the Punahou experiences were more like ends in themselves.

Comfort is yours to experience and to enjoy as you now carry out your life work. You do it well, and receive many satisfactions, even as you are not outstanding. Your life work is to teach toward better health in ways that encourage the spirits in learners to grow and develop. Many approaches are yours to use, some repeatedly. Yet you have not discovered nor developed all that you can in terms of ways of learning. Each class should include at least one new approach each semester, even with the potential for affecting spirit. Take this as your challenge. Even if you continue to teach the same courses for the balance of your career you can institute variations that shall supply enough newness.

Another aspect of your life work is writing. I am using this developed attribute as a means of creating these Teachings. I also want you to use this for the church newsletter and for a few more professional contributions. I can’t tell you yet that you’ll get to do a revision on your best book, but I’ll do what I can, short of miracles, to help in your having this opportunity. That could be a fitting climax to your life work as a writer. Be patient and accept whichever decision is made.

Another part of your life work is relating to certain students personally. The number need not be great, but this must be a kind of constant in your life. You know that I “send” you certain people, and you are rather good at recognizing most of these. The benefit should always be realized as mutual, with you profiting as well as each “other.” Rick is obviously one, and you each have shared some good life stories with one another. Mistakes will be made, yet some apparent “mistakes” may just require a bit more time to develop into relationship.

It has not been necessary for you to have unpleasant or too difficult working conditions. I offer you no guarantees, but just encourage you to do all you can to keep working conditions both pleasant and productive.

Your life work is not to be a flambuoyant evangel. Born again you are, but your mission is to live a healthy, productive life that may be emulated by some rather than to be loudly vocal about your faith. You are pleased with this life work. Do it well so that you needn’t have to do the other. Still… there are times to witness, and when you recognize the times, carry through the opportunity.