© 1977 Ann Cole
© 1977 The Urantia Book Fellowship (formerly Urantia Brotherhood)
To the degree that our will is to have God’s will be done in our life, to be taught, led, filled by his spirit, to that degree we are receptive to the work he would do in us. Whatever small impulse one may have to learn about and from God will be our beginning. We ask, we learn and on the basis of our new knowledge we ask from a more informed position and learn more, As we proceed we become more adept in asking and learning, stronger in ability to live what we are learning, and our curiosity and sense of adventure are piqued more and more! As long as we so choose, the process is self-perpetuating.
This learning is not intellectual or emotional response to information read or heard, but experiential realization of the truth, of the relationship of cause and effect in spiritual matters, of the value of spiritual qualities, of spiritual reality. For example, one learns the far reaching and reciprocal effects of kindheartedness when one feels such an impulse, expresses it and experiences the inner transformation as well as the outer response from others. Even if one’s ability to show kindness is poor, one knows the goodness and nobility of having felt and tried to express a kindhearted impulse. Implementation will improve with practice, and the tendency to kindheartedness will be amplified so that greater and more subtle aspects of kindheartedness can be shown us by our divine teacher.
This process involves mind, emotions, and physical action under the direction of will — the whole man — and by this process we complete ourselves, our soul grows.
The willingness to continually seek and do God’s will at higher and higher levels is our part in the process. Our heavenly Father provides the rest, the world as if is with all its opportunities to learn, our greatest living laboratory, and a conspiracy of spiritual influences to teach and aid us. Not only the Father himself, and has beloved son, Jesus, and his wondrous Holy Spirit, but innumerable and diversely talented angels are all working constantly to support our progress. All that is needed has been provided for an almost incredible ascension from weak creatures pulled this way and that by physical, mental and emotional storms into creatures directed single. mindedly toward Paradise by an unswerving and dedicated will to the Father’s will.
— Ann Cole