Who’s In Charge?

APR. 14, 1981, 10:40 AM
W. WILLOW, STUDY

You are faithful, o son, in coming as I suggested, often during this week. But you certainly can see why I call you to do this in the early morning. It is possible to accomplish a lesson as you are trying it today… and as you have done in airports… but it is so much easier to communicate in those hours before the other interactions of the day commence. Given this introduction, here you are with many thoughts and experiences about which I could comment. I choose to follow up on the sub-theme from the Sunday teaching – who is in charge of your life?

Is this irritating incident with the car just a natural happening that does bring you honest irritation because it involves something you know and care little about? Was all the interruption of this morning just the natural events of this day? Or are each of these developments of Mine that shall be lessons to be contemplated? As you come back to My thoughts and words you feel the answer coming. It is both perfectly clear and perfectly muddy. We, in partnership, are in charge. Therefore the events of life are some constant mixture of just natural happenings and the special ones that I arrange. Yes, it is important to be aware when I intervene in some special way in your life, but appreciate, equally, that I can use the natural events quite creatively also… and do.

There are at least two ways to deal with the vexation of a car that doesn’t start. One is just to accept it as a natural irritation, appreciate the feelings of anger, irritation, resentment… live it as an emotional experience. Soon these emotions fade, for this is not your natural state, and the situation is clearly not serious enough to warrant prolonged agitation. So appreciate the feelings that rise and that subside. Experience them as your own and, at the same time, be a somewhat objective observer.

The other main approach is to feel the experience as a cue to My involvement in your life. In the midst of things that don’t work… dumb, physical things… there am I, in a most unlikely way. Try this approach every now and again. Look beyond the occurrence and see the beauty, the fineness of life and then see the triggering event in such a wider perspective. You shall see, most of the time, that the irritant is not worthy of the upset it is causing in you. This attitude will come more easily in some situations than in others. Don’t try hard to achieve it if it seems difficult. Take the other tack.