2004-05-02-Being Thankful

Session

Opening

Ham: Greetings, children, I am Ham and I am happy to be among you again this evening. This evening, let us discuss the effects of thanksgiving on the soul.

Lesson

When one is thankful for anything one’s soul takes on a particular attitude. This attitude aids in humility, meekness, and grace. Being filled with thanksgiving is also preparatory for being filled with praise for God. This then opens the soul to worship, the sublime experience of loving God and receiving his love at once.

Worship is an experience of love which uplifts and transforms the soul. It is experiencing love purely, not as loving or receiving love, but as being love. Worship is a state of the soul transcending time and space. It is a state wherein the creature and creator merge as one, a state wherein the great I AM is tasted and eternity felt. Thanksgiving prepares the soul. It is a method of making soul adjustments to God. One can recognize the great benefits of thanksgiving and begin to give thanks consistently through dedication to the Father’s will.

Many times the things we perceive as disasters and the things we perceive as blessings over time are revealed to be just the opposite. The set backs of today are preparatory. They can allow some time for the soul to become more prepared, some time for wisdom to grow. Set backs and reversals should be the first things one gives thanks for, and yet this is just when it is hardest to muster. And yet, if you can marshal your strength of character to give thanks at the low points of your life, you will find the way out of those low points much easier to bear.

Q: So you stay in positive polarity?

Ham: Yes. You are correct.

By the time the Master embarked on his public mission, he was so used to treating every circumstance as an opportunity that he saw no real set backs to his mission, even unto death. When all around him were despairing, he was thinking of others. Of himself he knew with absolute certainty that he was in the Father’s hands, even while enduring the most inhuman treatment at the hands of humans.

My children, it would be well for you each to constantly practice the attitudes of humility and thanksgiving. No matter how bleak the outlook, train yourselves to thank the Father for his gifts. Ask yourselves if this in not a beautiful life, regardless of the ups and downs, the losses, the illnesses, the reversals, and all the ways that the world can tear at the soul and destroy the confidence.

During this life, the soul is in a constant process of birth. Your soul is developing and it is growing throughout your lives. Each additional day you spend on this planet is worth many years of training, for this life contains the ingredients for especially concentrated experience. Your will and emotional stamina are tested constantly. Your character is continually being molded by circumstance and your response to these circumstances. It is true that no matter how harsh this life seems to be while you are living, you will undoubtedly look back in fondness and experience a poignant nostalgia for Urantia throughout eternity.

When you are reawakened on the mansion worlds, it will be thrilling, wonderful, and immensely pleasurable. But as soon as two or more of you is gathered together, the topic will go back to the battling days of Urantia and you will recount your earthly sojourn with pride, the way a soldier recounts his battles and shows off his scars. Take solace and pride in this understanding as you work and worry, as you laugh and cry. All things do indeed work for the best.

The way of love, the Master’s way, will eventually triumph in the hearts of men. And as you battle to make love triumph within your own hearts, remember to use gratitude constantly in order to adjust your soul to the Father’s greater purpose. Indeed my children, truth always triumphs over error in the end. There is no force in the universe that is greater. Love is truly all that is real. One might even say the very atoms and molecules that comprise matter are a form of love. The force of love cannot be competed with, cannot be defeated, cannot be changed. And so as you contemplate the circumstances of life, give thanks for love and allow your soul to be drawn toward greater love as you do so.

Behold, the Master stands at the door and knocks. How do you open the door? Through gratitude, yes.

My children, I understand that it is easy for your minds to be drawn into the burdens of life and the complex nature of your lives creates demands upon your mental energies, sometimes beyond that which seems bearable. But my friends, these very moments when pressures are the greatest will be part of your fond memories. They will be part of the battle of your life which will for eternity be a source of satisfaction looking back.

When you have good things occurring, it is good to give thanks. But when you have bad things piling on, it is even better to give thanks. Train yourselves in this way, and you will find that your soul becomes more and more immune to disappointment and despair, that your resilience grows and your overall happiness increases. Give thanks my friends. During your greatest moments of crisis, give thanks.

Now I will entertain your questions.

Personal Counsel

Q: May I ask for a message for Jim please?

Ham: Certainly, my son. You are making great progress mentally and emotionally, even though at times it would not seem so. Taking this hard lesson to heart means giving thanks even for your illness. This is the time of your greatest trial. These months have been tremendously difficult and they have tested the limits of your strength. But my son, you have not succumbed to bitterness, you have not been angry or succumbed to the temptation of regret and blame. This illness instead has brought you to a place of greater peace and acceptance. Give thanks for this. Your body, though in an overall process of recovery, can still experience rapid set backs and frightening relapses. Stay in close contact with your doctor. Report changes to him, even the most minor. Carefully follow his guidance and advice. There is no easy road, but be very diligent in your efforts to recover. Slowly and steadily move ahead each day.

Q: May I ask for some direction for myself please?

Ham: Of course. My dear, you do very well. You are understanding and moving forward in unexpected ways. The efforts you are making are very good for your soul. Some times you have a tendency to be your own worst critic and this tendency toward self-criticism quickly veers from being constructive to being self-defeating. Many times I have told you be easy on yourself. Let things be a bit, let things come to you and don’t feel the necessity for hitting your head against a wall. You have trained yourself into some unhealthy cycles. And so, to move forward, you have to transcend that and find your way in love and this means love for yourself.

Q: I understand.

Ham: Yes, this is the only way you can move forward and it’s a process of letting go. You’ve trained yourself to reach for that hammer to hit yourself with, and not it’s time to let go of that. I hope my words have helped.

Q: Yes, thank you.

Ham: My dear, you do very well. Everything as it is right now is as it should be.

Q: Do you have a message for Cathryn Ham?

Ham: Yes my dear, much of what you have used in your life in order to be constructive has been based in fears. The fear of something was your impetus to do something else and these fears, expressed and unexpressed, tend to grow when they are fed in this way, being reinforced. Gradually, however, you are learning to be more trusting of the universe and less combative with it. And as you grow in this trust, time will prove to be less of an enemy and more of a friend. Take some time to commune with the Master and honestly open up concerning your fears. Talk to him as you would your closest and dearest friend, for that is what he is. Don’t allow yourself to be pushed here and there by people and circumstances without thinking through these moves and changes. And through it all, find the way in which love is made more real, not less so. But be assured that you are doing very well.

Q: Do you have anything for Rebecca?

Ham: Yes, my dear. You are doing very well my daughter and are joyfully discharging the tasks before you and this is as it should be. Gradually, you are coming to remove the yoke you have placed upon yourself, which is heavy, and are taking up the lighter burden of the Master’s tasks. Walk with him. Veer not to the left or the right but rather walk in the way he is showing you. Take up his burden with joy and thanksgiving for the way ahead is pleasant and filled with shady places of rest. Gradually my dear, you are coming to understand and appreciate the Master’s hand upon your hand and his voice within your ear saying "this is the way".

Q: Jarad?

Ham: Yes my son, you too are gradually lessening your own burden as well. You too had struggled against a burden that was of your own device. And now as you free yourself and grow in the stature of your greater self, you are finding the way to be joyful and light as well. It is difficult for you to let go of the old habits of self-denigration. You too have the mallet within arms reach at all times. But, you will find as you gradually let go of this old pattern that your way becomes much more enjoyable, easier, and more sustainable. Keep in mind always, you work for the Master and for his pleasure and purpose. All the minor ups and downs are as nothing compared with the joy of working hand in hand for his purpose. It is wonderful also for you to be supportive and encouraging of another for this will give you much more than you realize. Is this helping?

Q: I believe it is.

Q: Howard was hoping he could get a message?

Ham: My son, you do very well. Gradually, you are coming into a realization that you are loved and cherished in the universe and an even greater realization that this love has nothing to do with what you do or have done. No, it is only concerned with who you are. It is hard for you not to continually take the measure of life. But my son, life cannot be measured. As you grow and increase in loving acceptance of yourself, so too will your love and acceptance of others increase and the old fears, resentments, and disillusionments will gradually shrink to nothing as love grows and crowds out the errors of life, both yours and others. You are doing well in many, many ways. Continue to find ways to accept those few times when you feel you are not doing well. Overall, your progress is steady and very solid. Rest assured in this knowledge.

Q: Can you give a personal message to Bob?

Ham: Of course. My son, you are doing very well. Some times you find yourself drifting back into old ways of thinking without realizing how destructive some of these impulses can be. But, overall, your balance and sense of purpose continues to grow as increasingly you come to find love in your life and all around you. Human beings, on the whole, are surrounded by love and yet do not see it. Your life and your efforts continue to show fruit and to be a very positive force in this world. Nurture yourself as you nurture others, love yourself and you love others. Don’t be afraid to take chances but rather be ever more secure within yourself so that these chances are that at all but rather the confident efforts instead.

Q: Do you have a personal message for Wendaring?

Ham: Certainly. My dear, be at peace. You worry needlessly. Make your ambitions spiritual ones and your ambitions for others also spiritual ambitions. In this way, you will see things more clearly for the Father’s plan concerns only the spiritual. His measure is only spirit. All the troubles of this life are mostly concerned with the material things of life but these are as nothing to God. Work then to reorient all your thoughts toward seeing life as God sees it. In this way, you can rise in calm assurance above the daily strife and you will be a source of strength and comfort to others.

Q: Do you have a personal message for Charlie B?

Ham: Certainly. My son, your life has also been filled with ups and downs and the stress of coping with too much. Be careful not to take on too many burdens for you must have time to spend with the Master and to commune with him and with the Father as well. Sometimes activity is a way to avoid inner adjustments. So be very careful not to fall into the trap of masking inner anxieties with outer busy work.

Q: So as we look back from eternity, will we not focus all the mistakes and shortcomings but instead see how we learned and grew through these experiences?

Ham: Of course. You will see the times of greatest difficulty for what they are, the times of greatest triumph and the bitterest pain will be simply remembered as perhaps a turning point or a time of growth. The suffering, yes, will be forgotten and truly you will see your life in its greater perspective.

Q: I also want to say I am truly thankful for the beautiful and profound lessons you bring us each week. I feel we are among the most fortunate people on this planet to be given such a clear presentation of truth. I also want to thank you for your consistent support and gentle, loving efforts to give us each feedback and guidance.

Ham: Well, I would direct your thanks not to me, but to the one who sent me. I am simply carrying out the Master’s plan. I am his instrument, nothing more. But I do certainly cherish your friendship and I will honor and cherish your gratitude as well. Thank you.

Q: Is there any feedback you have for me this week?

Ham: Yes, my son. Truly you are going through some periods of rapid growth which can be unsettling and make the simplest things seem difficult. You will find that growth tends to occur in spurts and then these gains are consolidated and there are periods of balance and relative calm. Growth will make you feel anxious and unbalanced. But, remember this is simply a passing phase. All in all, your growth has been very even for you are quite well grounded in your life and your work. Even rapid growth spurts don’t push you too off center. Remember though, that your partner is also going through periods of growth and this is a time when she requires all your empathy and support. Always remember how truly blessed your marriage is and give thanks for this blessing for it is truly a great source of happiness for you both.

Closing

Very well my children, you are all doing well. We are constantly amazed at the lengths to which you will go for the Master and his plan. Continue reaching for his hand and grasping it in times of well being as well as times of uncertainty. As always, my love and prayers go with you. Until next week, farewell.