Question: After growing up, a son can understand why his father was strict with him. However, how can we understand the Creator at the moment when He sends us suffering and not wait for some time to pass?

Answer: I, myself, am not able to justify my father being strict with me. Initially, I am immersed in my “animal” life and if I feel bad, the source of this evil is automatically bad in my eyes. I don’t like it to the point of hatred.

Hence, the question is, how can I evaluate it differently? In principle, it is impossible. I am created this way. The egoistic desire forces me to run from suffering and seek pleasure. So, what do they want from me? How can I show a goal-oriented attitude toward troubles and, in essence, objectively assess the one who sends them? How can I realize that He works on my nature, desiring to grow something greater within me so that instead of an “animal,” a human being would come out of me?

To do this, I need a new mind and a new sense in addition to the old ones that measure only pleasure and suffering. Up to now, like all the egoists of this world, I have been learning only how to achieve pleasure and extract profit from it, and conversely, to run away from suffering as far as possible and to protect myself maximally. These are the egoistic norms of our world. Here, success is achieved by those who are stronger, richer, and more cunning, and those people are proud that they have succeeded in life just because they know how to avoid the bad and reach the good.

So, I have no strength to grow something greater within myself. For this, I need a spark from the degree that is called the man (Adam) so that I can develop toward a new level in the relationship with the Father. He sends me troubles and I must be aware of their focus.

In our world, my father is strict in relation to me so that on the material level I learn to get pleasure and avoid suffering. This is nothing more than “animal” coaching.

On the other hand, for spiritual progress, I need a spark from the next higher degree. This spark is called the “point in the heart.”

In addition, I need people who will convey this message to me: The environment that will help me on the path, support, and reinforce my understanding that my troubles are goal-oriented. Then, I will not fall into blind rebellion under the burden of suffering, I will not blame the Father Who sends them, and at every step, will interpret our relationship correctly. I will understand that He does this to constantly direct me at the goal and it does not matter what He sends, troubles or pleasure.

Thus, the relationship between the Creator and the created being is built at the level of the still, vegetative, and animate nature, and then, higher on the human level. For this crucial stage of development, we need:

• The initial spark – the point in the heart.
• A teacher who can explain why the Creator treats me so badly on the material level and toward what goal He directs me, like a father who takes stringent measures to prepare his son for the university.
• The environment that will constantly raise the goal in my eyes telling me how important it is to enter this university and how much my father loves me, sending troubles out of his love. In this environment, I see examples of my friends and can follow the path together with them. We are moving forward, making up a group of students of the same Father and the same teacher, one for all of us.

If all these conditions are met, a person really can understand what is happening. With the help of the group, he tries to relate correctly to everything that he gets in life, and he sees that everything is for his good. Although, with the advent of troubles, he feels disagreement at the animal level but, if he immediately rises to the level of human being (Adam) within himself, he feels gratitude, and so continues on his way.
[107158]
From a Talk on the Importance of the Gathering 5/10/13

Related Material:
The Uncompromising Upper Kindness
The Language With Which The Creator Speaks To You
How To Win In The Struggle With Yourself?

Filed under: Group Work, Spiritual Work | Add Comment →