© 1986 Tom Reynolds
© 1986 ANZURA, Australia & New Zealand Urantia Association
At one pole of my being, I am at one with the physical world of reality. The other pole of my being is separate from all. I stand alone. I am “I”! I am incomparable — unique!
Man and nature cannot destroy this reality of me, this island of consciousness. Only I can destroy it with my own selfishness.
This individuality holds its own against the forces of ignorance and fear, for they try to pull us down to a sameness of mind and spirit, which is a self caused poverty of God given gifts.
If this individuality is lost, all is lost. This loss is at once not only individual, but also universal, as this unique individuality is a creation by God from the universal and is meant to become a full partner with God.
That this individuality is considered by man as his most precious possession is proved by the suffering he undergoes and the sins he commits for its sake. If the individual self meant nothing to us but pain and sacrifice, would we still hold it at such a high value? The enemies of this individual self of ours are many: they lie within us, very subtle but real and they take many forms, such as selfishness, pride, criticism, self righteousness and idleness. We will highlight the point with one example.
Many of us who study spiritual writings seem to get lost in intellectual comprehension and fail to see the divine spiritual message of salvation for all, even the blind, the handicapped and the socially deprived.
The person cursed with the literal mind is the unfortunate one, for they are always so busy with their own image that they fail to see their neighbour’s needs.
The rich man who talked with Christ found the entry price to heaven too high,for his possessions had become his treasure and security. His vision was limited to literal comprehension, for whatever we treasure for ourselves can stand in the way of love — separation from God.
It is not so much the possessions we have, be they material, mental or spiritual, that are important. It is our attitudes towards these things that is of major importance. Then we hold them too close to ourselves and refuse to share wisely with others.
What has this to do with service? The path of love — service and individual progression is the same path, for it leads on to individual health, more full and deeper relationships with others, self forgetfulness, self development and better Adjuster guidance. To share ourselves with others and not to stand above and dispense as one who is better than them is the key, the golden key to success and security, here, now and in all future times.
Tom Reynolds, Melbourne