2013-06-21-The Meaning of Self-forgetfulness

Session

Lesson

Thought Adjuster: “You have learned that one of the keys for spiritual growth is ‘self-forgetfulness’. This does not entail self-humiliation nor considering yourself unworthy of the fair rewards that the children of God should enjoy. On the contrary, the search for the Father and the effort to live His will are pursuits that exalt the human nature and elevates it to the heights of divinity.

“When we talk about self-forgetfulness, we are not talking about avoiding the satisfaction of your real human needs. In many of your religions the idea of sacrifice as a way to gain the favor of the gods – through practices like fasting, penance, and even the punishment of the mind and the body – still persists. Understand once and for all that your Father in heaven loves you without conditions. There is nothing you need to do to gain this great love, because you already have it.

“Self-forgetfulness is an exhortation to gather the resources of the human will to express the divine will. It is choosing between that which you want to do for your own benefit – what you believe is best for you – and what your Father desires for you to do – what is truly the best for you. When you abandon the idea of searching for your own benefit – developing a growing trust in your Father and putting your life in His hands – and do what He inspires you to do, you obtain a truly greater and lasting benefit.

“Human desires are often inspired by false beliefs and fears. Self-forgetfulness means abandoning those fears and committing with faith to the adventure of spiritual growth, trusting that all will be good. Self-forgetfulness is when a person gathers all her courage and decides to walk on a new and unknown path because the voice of the Father has promised her a better destination. You will have mastered self-forgetfulness when all your decisions and actions are inspired by the intent that declares ‘Your will be done, not mine’ because you would have learned that only this way you will find what is truly the best for you and others.”