August 3, 1988
God speaks to each of you directly and with strength and forcefulness. You are all aware of those momentary glimpses that each of you has had of the presence of God, whether that evidence was witnessed during major events of your lives or at times of relaxation, solitude. It is important for you to focus the direction of your lives, guided by experiences which have proven in concrete ways the reality of God.
If you have experienced God’s presence during times of quiet or contemplation, then it is precisely that kind of activity, one could say, which can provide a more sustaining environment for connection in a concrete way with the loving energy of God. If your sense of God’s presence comes at times of personal challenge, then you must seek more opportunities which resemble those experiences. It is not so important specifically what one does as a career, what one does in leisure. What is important is that whatever one does should provide greater opportunity for experiencing personally the power of God in a concrete setting.
It is of course beneficial to think about the presence of God, but it is considerably more helpful for each of you to actually witness that presence, for God is not to be talked about. God is to be experienced, to be witnessed, to be seen, felt. We refer to seeing God not in a visual sense of seeing an individual, but of being aware of God’s presence by something which is seen. When you feel God, you feel God because of something which triggers your awareness. As you know, God’s presence is not temporal. It is permanent, but it is in isolated events that you are reminded of that permanence, even for a brief moment.
It is interesting that your discussion made reference to nature and the spiritual reality of the natural world, for God did create all in the natural world, and as a result all is important, all is essential, all has a purpose. It is also correct that you recognize that all that has been created by God has a level of sensitivity. We are not referring to thought patterns, but sensitivity. It is correct that plants, as an example, can respond to various aspects of human life. It is not a myth. The nature of that response is complex, but it is nevertheless real. All that is part of nature is the result of God’s creativity, and therefore all must be dealt with with respect, concern, and love. Yes, one does love plants and animals, all that is living. But one must also learn to love the inanimate, for the inanimate was also created by God. The purpose of that which has been created varies, but nevertheless is worthy of your respect and concern.
When you pray for humankind you must recall that all of God’s creation is important, and therefore pray even more broadly than just for humans. You must pray for creation. Peace for human beings is a kind of emotional and spiritual balance, but peace also involves the establishing of a balance of all that is outside the realm of humanity. There is a natural balance, a balance of nature, and all that is included.
By praying for peace in the world, you are therefore also praying for balance in the world. Peace in nature means a balancing of forces, a balancing of influences. It means the fulfilling of the purposes for which all that was created was designed. Nature and the plant world serve to provide oxygen for the animal world. Animals must also learn to establish the balance with the plant world by providing carbon dioxide, for example. The relationship between humans and the plant world is absolutely united and interdependent.
Much, of course, has been written about the environment and the effects of environment on humans, the effects of humans on environment. The balance between humanity and the environment is also a part of the concept of peace. So peace is not just an emotional element. It is a recognition of the natural balance which was established at the beginning of time. It is a reaffirmation of that natural balance.
You are concerned about your own ability to be at peace with others. Perhaps by considering the importance of a balance to be established with others, you will find more direction to your lives leading to the development of peace. You cannot just talk about peace with your neighbor, peace with children or acquaintances or other family members. The peace must be worked at. Such work cannot be randomly directed. It must be directed with an understanding of the balance being sought.
You are currently aware of the forces of nature upon your lives, but you must recognize that that, too, is an establishing or a reaffirmation of balance between all elements of nature. [Note: A severe thunderstorm was taking place.] Life is indeed a circle. It does not proceed in only one direction, and everything is dependent upon everything else. You need water to drink. You need air to breath. You need food to eat. All of these are the result of what nature can provide when allowed to.
When humankind disturbs the environment through thoughtless destruction, such an imbalance works against peace, works against everything that prayer is directed toward. You must therefore continue to be vigilant in your dealing with the environment as well as in your dealings with other people. You cannot ignore your fellow humans and yet be at peace, nor can you ignore all of creation and be at peace, for everything is too interrelated. The direction of life must be pursued with the sense of this broader perspective of peace.
You are not alone. You do not live your lives alone. You do not live your lives in a vacuum. You must live in concert with all else that has been created. Either your lives enhance what has been created or destroy what has been created.
It is important, therefore, to focus all of your energies toward the establishment and maintenance of balance—balance between nature and humankind, balance between spiritual and material, balance between your own needs and the needs of others. This is a difficult lesson to learn. It presents an enormous challenge. But it does provide the framework which can serve as a focal point for the progression of your own lives’ activities.
We pray for your balance. We pray for your additional sensitivity to all creation. We pray for your increased awareness of that creation and respect for it. It is God who blesses each of you—not we, but God. And it is God whose energy supports you, encourages you, gives you strength, and above all, provides your peace. We bless you with that strength.
Amen.