The Fellowship Forum
1993
International Conference
Congres International
DOING GOD'S WILL--A PROCESS OF BEING
by Cecilia Ann Bendall
(The following is a summary in prose form of a small group presentation and discussion on some of the problems associated in our striving to "do God's will", with particular reference to truth in our lives, namely the values we hold.)
When used by most of us, doing God's will is just that--an activity visible to others and represented by the material lifestyle of the person. As a consequence, many dedicated religionists have suffered incredible pangs of guilt in relation to their apprehension as to whether they were really "doing, God's will. The Trappist monk, Thomas Merton (poet, literary critic, spiritual advisor, social commentator, and also a man who by his writings clearly reveals an awareness of the Thought Adjuster, Spirit of Truth, and Holy Spirit functioning in his life) suffered greatly over his feeling of inability to truly do God's will unless he was within the walls of his monastery. He was constantly responding to the call of the world and the demand for him to be a public figure! In his books (Thomas Merton on Prayer; Thomas Merton on Mysticism) he clearly states his deep concern in regard to his life, a needless concern based on his belief that the ideal doing of God's will was in what he did rather than what he was.
In contrast, my mum had no such doubts. My teachers assured me that my mum was doing God's will because she had seven little Catholics. My mum agreed with them, acknowledging that her position in heaven was secured by her feat. I used to puzzle over the blind confidence of my mum and teachers--this doing God's will seemed such a simple process--be a nun or have lots of kids! What was required of a man I did not bother to ask as I felt the answer would be as unsatisfactory as that given for women.
Is This Doing God's Will--Doing Or Being? And Being Or Doing What?
The Urantia Book answered my questions:
To do the will of God, therefore, is the progressive experience of becoming more and more like God, and God is the source and destiny of all that is good and beautiful and true. The will of man is the way of man, the sum and substance of that which the mortal chooses to be and do. Will is the deliberate choice of a self-conscious being which leads to decision-conduct based on intelligent reflection (P. 1431).
The doing of the will of God is nothing more or less than an exhibition of creature willingness to share the inner life with God--with the very God who has made such a creature life of inner meaning-value possible. Sharing is Godlike--divine (P.1221).
And so doing God's will is simply the process whereby we strive to be perfect--true, good and beautiful in ever-growing dimensions of reality.
And Who's Will Be Done?
Life would be simple if it was only a choice between God's will for us and our will for us. Unfortunately other wills impinge on us influencing every decision we make--society's, our culture's, our delusions of life, others and ourselves, mores, ideologies, the bipolar dimensions of modern Western competitive civilization--right/wrong, success/failure, good/bad, win/lose--often borne of expectations in relation to others as enhancers of ourselves. (An example of how the will of another can potentially steer us way from carrying into effect God's will for us is shown on page 1760.)
How Can We Aid In This Process Of Doing God's Will? I Believe By Decisions, Decisions, Decisions And More Decisions.
The success of your Adjuster in the enterprise of piloting you through the mortal life and bringing about your survival depends not so much on the theories of your beliefs as upon your decisions, determinations and steadfast faith. All these movements of personality growth become powerful influences aiding in your advancement because they help you to co-operate with the Adjuster; they assist you in ceasing to resist ... The secret of survival is wrapped up in the supreme human desire to be Godlike and in the associated willingness to do and be any and all things which are essential to the final attainment of that overmastering desire (P. 1205).
But Who Should Make These Decisions?
Many folks believe God should, for it to be his will. To discover the process let's have a look at our model--Jesus. The Urantia Book gives us insight into how Jesus tackled the doing of God's will from a very early age. If you refer to pages 1389-96; 1400; 1405; 1417; 1483;1522-3, you will see that he had as much difficulty in making decisions as we all have. He was not given divine guidance. He had to figure out for himself who he was, and what he should do. By rugged and at times painful decision-making, he discovered divine values, formulated his beliefs and attitudes in relation to life and others.
What Is Spiritual Growth?
Spiritual growth is first an awakening to needs, next a discernment of meanings, and then a discovery of values. The evidence of true spiritual development consists in the exhibition of a human personality motivated by love, activated by unselfish ministry, and dominated by the wholehearted worship of the perfection ideal of divinity (P. 1095).
How Can We Attune Our Minds To God's--Adopt Values, Morality?
Religious habits of thinking and acting are contributory to the economy of spiritual growth. One can develop religious predispositions toward favorable reaction to spiritual stimuli, a sort of conditioned spiritual reflex. Habits which favor religious growth embrace cultivated sensitivity to divine values, recognition of religious living in others, reflective meditation on cosmic meanings, worshipful problem solving, sharing one’s spiritual life with one's fellows, avoidance of selfishness, refusal to presume on divine mercy, living as in the presence of God. The factors of religious growth may be intentional. but the growth itself is unvaryingly unconscious (P. 1095).
The key to becoming perfect appears to lie in the "discovery" of spiritual values.
What About Spiritual Values?
The mind of man can attain high levels of spiritual insight and corresponding spheres of divinity of values because it is not wholly material. There is a spirit nucleus in the mind of man--the Adjuster of the divine presence.. The human mind does not create real values; human experience does not yield universe insight. Concerning insight, the recognition of moral values and the discernment of spiritual meanings, all that the human mind can do is to discover, recognize, interpret, and choose (P. 2094).
So We Are To Make Decisions--And We Appreciate That Spiritual Values Are Discovered--Are There Any Blocks To This Discovery? I would suggest that our pre-existing values might be.
What Are Values?
Values are the unique belief systems through which people filter the world. Reality hardly matters. What really counts are the values and rules of conduct we use to judge behaviour--our own and others'.
How Values Are Formed
Most beliefs and values are formed in the same way--in response to some basic need. Our first beliefs are generated by the need to be loved and approved of by our parents. In order to feel safe we adopt their values about such things as how to work, how to handle anger, mistakes and pain, what one can and cannot talk about, etc. Some of the rules and beliefs we acquire from our parents were encouraged by value-laden terms such as "honesty", "commitment". Our behavior was measured against such terms. If we "failed" we were "stupid", "weak" or lazy!
A second group of beliefs is generated by the need to belong to and be accepted and approved of by peers. So we learned to live by the rules governing such areas as how to act with the opposite sex, how to handle aggression, what we owe to our community, etc.
A third major force that helps shape our beliefs is the need for self-esteem and emotional and physical well-being including the need for pleasure, excitement and meaning in life.
Truth In Our Beliefs?
Since most beliefs and rules are formed in response to needs, they have nothing to do with truth and reality. However, their power lies in the idea of truth. They are accepted as truth by us and we strive to act in accordance with them. These beliefs and rules take on the quality of "shoulds", And in order to be motivated to act on a "should" we have to be convinced of its veracity.
Examples Of Common "Shoulds" Are:
I SHOULD be unfailingly kind.
I SHOULD not take time just for my own
I SHOULD never feel hurt.
I SHOULD always be happy and serene.
I SHOULD never make mistakes.
Note how the SHOULDS are like injunctions. They are inflexible, unrealistic and give no room for experiential growth; they demand PERFECTION!
Assessing Values
How do you determine what is truth for you? How do you determine whether your "truths" are really true? Do you hold any values which may be blocking the discovery of spiritual values? Are any of your values in conflict with doing God's will'?
Before you can achieve harmony of thought, feeling and action, you must identify old outmoded values, examine them in the light of alternatives, and choose from the possibilities that which best suits your personality, and which measures up to your highest image of truth, beauty and goodness. This process is a continuous dynamic process whereby you try to become aware of your feelings about a kind of behavior, react on the options available and their consequences, then freely chose and set your own priorities, and act consistently on those values.
As an example, we have established a belief, attitude, value that we wish to do God's will. How does our current attitude to strangers fit in with this value? Are they in conflict, and if so why? You may discover that a lot of the values you hold were inherited from your parents. They may well have suited your parents' unique circumstances, aspirations and philosophy but not yours!
Values--Healthy Or Unhealthy?
We can tell whether our beliefs, rules and beliefs and rules take on the quality of "shoulds". values are healthy or unhealthy by applying the And in order to be motivated to act on a "should" following criteria:
1. Healthy values are flexible. They allow for exceptions where circumstances warrant. In contrast unhealthy values are rigid (never, always).
2. Healthy values are owned rather than introjected. Owning a belief means that we have critically examined this rule for living and it still makes sense to us. Unhealthy beliefs are introjected--accepted without determining how well they fit us and our needs.
3. Healthy values are realistic. A healthy value promotes behavior that leads to positive outcomes. It encourages us to do things that result in long-term happiness for the people involved. This is the purpose of a value. We follow it because in our experience the value guides us towards a way of living that FEELS GOOD. Unrealistic values have nothing to do with outcomes. They require us to act "on principle", no matter how much pain the act brings to ourselves and others.
4. Healthy values are life-enhancing rather than life restricting. They give us the flexibility to pursue our emotional, spiritual, sexual, intellectual and recreational needs. Our rules for living should not diminish or narrow us, leaving us feeling depleted by self-sacrifice.
A Few Tips On How To Achieve God's Will In Your Life
1. Be as little children (1732)
2. Cooperative choice (1217)
3. Selflessness (1609)
4. Jesus as our model
5. Prayer (2088)
6. Can be done in any earthly occupation (1732)
How To Know If I Am Doing God's Will
The consciousness of the spirit domination of a human life is presently attended by an increasing exhibition of the characteristics of the Spirit in the life reactions of such a spiritled mortal, "for the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance." Such spirit-guided and divinely illuminated mortals, while they yet tread the lowly paths of toil and in human faithfulness perform the duties of their earthly assignments, have already begun to discern the lights of eternal life as they glimmer on the faraway shores of another world; already have they begun to comprehend the reality of that inspiring and comforting truth, "The kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." And throughout every trial and in the presence of every hardship, spirit-born sons are sustained by that hope which transcends all fear because the love of God is shed abroad in all hearts by the presence of the divine Spirit (P. 381-2).
Such a God-knowing person is inwardly illuminated by worship and outwardly devoted to the wholehearted service of the universal brotherhood of all personalities, a service ministry which is filled with mercy and motivated by love, while all these life qualities are unified in the evolving personality on ever-ascending levels of cosmic wisdom, self-realization, God-finding, and Father worship (P. 1175 ).
Conclusion
Doing God's will--a process of being an individual striving with every shred of one's being to be like God as exemplified by Jesus. Not like Jesus in the deeds we do but in the attitudes, beliefs, values which we hold which automatically express themselves in love and service for our brothers and sisters.
I hope that this workshop has enabled you to look at the way to Adjuster attunement-doing, God's will"--with some fresh insights, and that I have been able to offer a few thought provoking ideas in relation to the pathway to perfection, the striving to be as little children, stripping ourselves of our preconceptions in relation to ourselves, life, God, and our brothers and sisters, discarding old values so as to discover spiritual values.
A Service of
The Urantia Book Fellowship