One of the greatest goals we have on the spiritual path is to establish a true selflessness in our approach to living. It is the vehicle of service in which this way of living and being is brought forward, and as it becomes more fully developed within the life of the individual, a brand-new sense of purpose will indeed be found. Although the development of selfless service is the ultimate goal for every soul, for that is what each of us are, there are some basic misunderstandings about what it actually involves and what it means in terms of its practical implementation within the life. Let’s take a look at a couple of things today in an effort to resolve some of these misunderstandings, for we know that these will most definitely inhibit our success.
The biggest, and most limiting, misconception about the true definition of selflessness is that the individual self will be lost along the way. This could not be further from the truth, my friends, for we must always include ourselves in all endeavor. You see, we falsely believe that our own self must be lost, forgotten, or sacrificed in order to be of service to others. In reality, we are merely becoming acquainted with that Greater Self we are in fact becoming. In other words, what we give in service to others, we also give to ourselves. There is no separation. If we seek a greater light, if we seek a greater love, if we seek a greater sense of purpose, it is when we help others discover it that we find it for ourselves. Do you see how the idea we have that in order to be truly of service, we must always be involved with self-sacrifice? Do you see that if we exclude ourselves in this process, we become unwilling to do anything at all? If we allow ourselves to also benefit, then all service, no matter what it may be, becomes a joyful experience. Real spiritual service is a mutually inclusive adventure indeed. When we accept this simple truth, we find a sense of ease in all that we do, for it is a natural self-expression in which we participate.
I understand it can be difficult to conceptualize or truly comprehend these higher spiritual principles, but let it be said, if we are to be successful in our pursuit, we must let go of the impossible and fully engage with the possible. So, how does service happen? How do we become truly effective? Well, we must approach it with all practicality. If we fail to take care of ourselves first, we will have nothing to give. When we force ourselves into service, usually from a false sense of need, or a delusional sense of self-righteousness, then what we are attempting to provide in our service will have no value whatsoever. We cannot truly heal any other if we remain unhealed. You see, my friends, there is no selfishness to be found in self-honesty and a realistic understanding of what we are capable of. If we are tired, if we are filled with self-doubt, if we are lost in temporary confusion, then we need to step back and recuperate. Remember that when we force ourselves to give, because we believe it is the right thing, or something we should do, we have lost the mutual respect that is required and essential to any real giving. Real spiritual service has no obligation. To be practical, realistic, and effective in our approach, we must always exercise wise caution. You see, if we are unable to give, that is ok, for it is indeed temporary. It is those times when we give for the wrong reasons that create more harm than good. Be patient, and the proper way will reveal itself.
We have many examples of individuals who have achieved true selfless service, all throughout our history. But, my fellow companions, we cannot expect to be a World Teacher, a Christ, or even a Master today. It is likely we will not achieve this tomorrow either. However, if we rest upon our laurels too much, we will never even try. If we want to be successful in our venture, then we must let go of all hopelessness. If we want to move forward, then we need to push ourselves just a little, for we cannot perceive our growth without feeling a necessary stretch. I know, we all want to understand our real motivation in all that we do, we worry about doing the right thing at all times. But if we want to truly be of service in some way, thereby having the opportunity to understand its nature, then we have to have the experience. It is within the experience itself where the true motive we seek can be found. If we want to understand the nature of selflessness, we must understand it to be virtually nonexistent, for we must always include ourselves in what we are attempting to create. You see, brothers and sisters, the individual self and the One Self are not mutually exclusive. Our service, the nature of our giving, must be perceived as beneficial to all, including us. Is proper motive clearer to you now? To open the doorway to greater service, we need to view all selfishness as a temporary part of the process. And, this is of the utmost importance, we cannot approach our service or anything we hope to give out of self-righteousness, for this will only indicate to us a false humility in which nothing of any real value can be truly received. We can relax, we can let go, and we can understand that our willingness to do the best we can is enough. Again, we have:
You, and me, and we
Together, we will achieve
Be at peace today
All my love and support, always