To Live Fully…

SUN., MAY 9, 1993, 5:58 AM
FARM, STUDY

… you must feel and then exhibit the characteristics of both male and female. Part of spiritual maturity is the deep realization that extreme masculinity or femininity is worldly behavior. The more spiritual you are the more you can balance these opposites into an easy androgynous blend.

Now as I spoke about being a woman yesterday you wondered how that fit with the Teaching you used in your eulogy for Russ Oakes. I spoke of him as a warrior, and said that I had a special place for warriors. That still is true, but it doesn’t mean this is spiritually desirable. Consider this analogy: the Gospels tell of My anger at the money changers in and around the Temple. Sacrifice was a part of worship then, and some transactions were necessary, but it had become a business without much true spirit, and this angered Me, the gentle savior. I became a warrior for right conduct and against that which was profaning the Temple and its worship. Yet I did not do this every time I came into the Temple, and though I spoke harshly about the Pharisees, I never attacked them. I refused the role of earthly Messiah, He who would lead the Hebrew people from oppression. I did not fight for My life, nor did I curse those who took it. I did have My moment as a warrior, but this was a balance rather than a regular pattern.

… you must feel the balance between the masculine and feminine extremes. The aggressive evangelist can be a delight to Me, but unless there also is a forgiving, loving nature such a one may need much more true development. The troubles that a few of these servants of Mine have had are the result of insufficient balance for this obvious zeal. Remember the statement by Gary about My servant Jerry… that while he spoke of love Gary, close to death, could feel no such emanation. Dynamic evangelism must eventually be balanced with more gentle acceptance.

Yet the other extreme must also be balanced. The woman who is always submissive or the man who will not stand up for anything are also spiritually immature. From another, non-Christian culture you remember the story of Olan, the Chinese wife who had grown up as a slave. Yet when her husband decided to sell their land she said no, forcefully enough so that he didn’t. She kept the peach seeds, and from these grew fruit-bearing trees. She balanced her submissiveness well, and so do many other women actually in the earth today.

To live fully… you must balance differently with age and disability. As a young man you showed forth an aggressive, responsible spirit. You were a leader, one both elected and selected. You were not outstanding, but you achieved well, and you were a good competitor. You had an idea, a vision of what you wanted to do, and you were successful. And yet you achieved without pushing others aside, and now you feel few needs to achieve new goals. As you age more fully your spiritual power, with My help, should guide you to a balance that is continuingly appropriate for your age. You can’t do all that you once did. Continue to do what you can, with an appropriate spirit of hilarity.