Progress

It is easy to feel good when progress feels like it is being made. But, when you feel stuck, when you feel like there is no movement spiritually, or in your life in general, that is the time for faith and for trust. For the times when progress seems to be delayed, the times of waiting, are times of true spiritual progress.

Your first reaction is one of frustration and it is easy to bog down in these feelings and even to feel hopeless and despondent.  But wait, look again. The times of waiting can be the times when new insights are achieved, they are times when stillness is an increased necessity.

They are times of reflection and quiet meditation. All these positive aspects of waiting can be achieved if you will but release you expectations.

Humans are very time bound and time driven. You all have expectations for X, Y, and Z to be accomplished in a certain amount of time. But, time to the Father is irrelevant. You may achieve X quicker than expected then have a delay between X and Y that is very frustrating.

Think not that time delays are indications of spiritual unworthiness. Think instead of time delays as gifts. The Father is giving you the gift of time in order that you should be prepared for when Y is upon you. The only way to prepare for anything is to prepare yourself spiritually, and this children requires quiet time, requires reflection and meditation. You cannot grow spiritually closer to the Father during times of rapid movement when you are flitting from one thing to the next like a hummingbird going from flower to flower never resting, never stopping, never thinking or reflecting.

So it is time of seeming stagnation when true progress is made. The old adage, all things come to he who waits, is true. But, modern humans do not know how to wait. You spend altogether too much time in worry, in anxiety over dashed expectations. When you have grown in the spirit, new possibilities automatically open and you achieve goals with relative ease that would have been impossible before the period of waiting.

You are all much too concerned about the expectations of others as well. You are concerned that if you do not accomplish X, Y and Z in a given amount of time that others will think less of you. You must all realize that everyone else has their own time tables of things they are trying to do, and are barely cognizant of time going by for you.

Those who know how to act when the opportunity is given and to wait when the opportunity is closed gradually get in tune with the rhythm of the Father's time. Once you become comfortable with this rhythm of working and waiting and learn how to use both as opportunities, your lives can become full of ccomplishment with very little stress. You will learn to recognize the times of waiting and to utilize these time to grow closer to the Father as you prepare for the time of work. The Father knows what you have need of. And the Father's rhythm will give you what you need if you will utilize it wisely and recognize the patterns.

A child, when it grows tired, wants to stay awake and keep playing and in fact plays harder, and rougher, and longer than it should when tired. The wise parent takes away the toys and draws the child close so
that the child may calm down and rest in the parent's arms. The parent knows that there will be plenty of time to play after the child rests and sleeps. It is the child who is foolish and who usually ends up crying in frustration over nothing. So, remember, the Father cares for you much more than even the wisest parent cares for his child. Rest in the Father's arms when the Father bids you to rest. Trust in the Father's wisdom and you lives will be full of peace and tranquility.

Sometimes you tend to push too hard, too fast, too far and sometimes you don't recognize this extra effort as being futile until you are worn out and frustrated. But you are certainly not alone in this respect. Very few humans really ever master the Father's rhythm fully for it is very subtle and requires much spiritual attunement. Of course, at any time, your will overrides the Father's will and this excessive willfulness is always seen in young creatures.

What was there in the strong light of spiritual understanding is often obscured by the shadows of human reason and human understanding at a later time. This does not change the reality of that which is true, even though the shadow partially obscures that which is, it does not make it disappear into nothingness. Honest doubting is a healthy part of all growth. But, you should not doubt your own spiritual experience.

This experience is real, and though it may be obscured for a while, it is still strong and sure. Embrace, therefore, the Father's love. Love him with all you mind, heart, and soul. Keep the goal of increasing love always before you and all will be revealed in time. 

Your strength can be your weakness at times. Such strength is difficult to surrender, difficult to recognize in yourself. When you open your heart to the Father's love in your stillness time, allow his love to soften all
that is hard or strong. Release your strength to him, allow yourself total weakness and you will find true strength as something else, something different. 

Question: I can keep myself very busy all the time. I wonder if you can help me see some of the cues as to when it could be a waiting time and when it should be a working time?

Ham: You have arranged your life is such a way that work is always an available option so that you are never forced to wait physically. You have arranged your life so that when forced to wait in one respect you can become immediately busy in another respect. But, look closely, and you will find a mechanism of self-avoidance. You are in some ways avoiding that feeling that borders on boredom but that contains a lot
of self-understanding and self-reflection. Most people feel they are avoiding boredom but, in actuality they are avoiding self-revelation.

A certain amount can be had during physical exercise which of course you practice. But, there are times when just being alone with your thoughts, alone with no exercise, no distractions, and yes, with boredom
is very, in fact extremely profitable.

Question: Would long drives be one of those time?

Ham: Certainly. But, even then there is so much physical stimulation and attention to the act of driving that it almost gets there but not quite. But yes, certainly, this is a profitable time if you are driving alone.