The Jesus MeetUp Single and Significant
Greetings, this is Marin. I am so happy that you are here, right now, today. When I was single for nearly a decade, I experienced many emotions. I felt intense feelings of loneliness, fear, even dread, as well as a longing for companionship. I reached out and sometimes people were friendly to me, yet other times not so much. I feared it was because I was alone and single. I felt a stigma in my singleness that I perceived others saw me as somehow ‘less than’. As I pondered this I reflected upon how I felt extraordinarily lonely when I was married to a Christian pastor. It was all confounding to me. Over time I chose to begin to reach out to others by way of service for and worship to our Father. GREAT things began to emerge. Loving service has a way to doing this in one’s life. Let us see what truths we may discover from our teachings.
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The Young Man Who Was Afraid
130:6.1 – 6 While they were up in the mountains, Jesus had a long talk with a young man who was fearful and downcast. Failing to derive comfort and courage from association with his fellows, this youth had sought the solitude of the hills; he had grown up with a feeling of helplessness and inferiority. These natural tendencies had been augmented by numerous difficult circumstances which the lad had encountered as he grew up, notably, the loss of his father when he was twelve years of age. As they met, Jesus said: “Greetings, my friend! why so downcast on such a beautiful day? If something has happened to distress you, perhaps I can in some manner assist you. At any rate it affords me real pleasure to proffer my services.”
The young man was disinclined to talk, and so Jesus made a second approach to his soul, saying: “I understand you come up in these hills to get away from folks; so, of course, you do not want to talk with me, but I would like to know whether you are familiar with these hills; do you know the direction of the trails? and, perchance, could you inform me as to the best route to Phenix?” Now this youth was very familiar with these mountains, and he really became much interested in telling Jesus the way to Phenix, so much so that he marked out all the trails on the ground and fully explained every detail. But he was startled and made curious when Jesus, after saying good-bye and making as if he were taking leave, suddenly turned to him, saying: “I well know you wish to be left alone with your dis-consolation; but it would be neither kind nor fair for me to receive such generous help from you as to how best to find my way to Phenix and then unthinkingly to go away from you without making the least effort to answer your appealing request for help and guidance regarding the best route to the goal of destiny which you seek in your heart while you tarry here on the mountainside. As you so well know the trails to Phenix, having traversed them many times, so do I well know the way to the city of your disappointed hopes and thwarted ambitions. And since you have asked me for help, I will not disappoint you.” The youth was almost overcome, but he managed to stammer out, “But — I did not ask you for anything — ” And Jesus, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder, said: “No, son, not with words but with longing looks did you appeal to my heart. My boy, to one who loves his fellows there is an eloquent appeal for help in your countenance of discouragement and despair. Sit down with me while I tell you of the service trails and happiness highways which lead from the sorrows of self to the joys of loving activities in the brotherhood of men and in the service of the God of heaven.”
By this time the young man very much desired to talk with Jesus, and he knelt at his feet imploring Jesus to help him, to show him the way of escape from his world of personal sorrow and defeat. Said Jesus: “My friend, arise! Stand up like a man! You may be surrounded with small enemies and be retarded by many obstacles, but the big things and the real things of this world and the universe are on your side. The sun rises every morning to salute you just as it does the most powerful and prosperous man on earth. Look — you have a strong body and powerful muscles — your physical equipment is better than the average. Of course, it is just about useless while you sit out here on the mountainside and grieve over your misfortunes, real and fancied. But you could do great things with your body if you would hasten off to where great things are waiting to be done. You are trying to run away from your unhappy self, but it cannot be done. You and your problems of living are real; you cannot escape them as long as you live. But look again, your mind is clear and capable. Your strong body has an intelligent mind to direct it. Set your mind at work to solve its problems; teach your intellect to work for you; refuse longer to be dominated by fear like an unthinking animal. Your mind should be your courageous ally in the solution of your life problems rather than your being, as you have been, its abject fear-slave and the bond servant of depression and defeat. But most valuable of all, your potential of real achievement is the spirit which lives within you, and which will stimulate and inspire your mind to control itself and activate the body if you will release it from the fetters of fear and thus enable your spiritual nature to begin your deliverance from the evils of inaction by the power-presence of living faith. And then, forthwith, will this faith vanquish fear of men by the compelling presence of that new and all-dominating love of your fellows which will so soon fill your soul to overflowing because of the consciousness which has been born in your heart that you are a child of God.
“This day, my son, you are to be reborn, re-established as a man of faith, courage, and devoted service to man, for God’s sake. And when you become so readjusted to life within yourself, you become likewise readjusted to the universe; you have been born again — born of the spirit — and henceforth will your whole life become one of victorious accomplishment. Trouble will invigorate you; disappointment will spur you on; difficulties will challenge you; and obstacles will stimulate you. Arise, young man! Say farewell to the life of cringing fear and fleeing cowardice. Hasten back to duty and live your life in the flesh as a son of God, a mortal dedicated to the ennobling service of man on earth and destined to the superb and eternal service of God in eternity.”
And this youth, Fortune, subsequently became the leader of the Christians in Crete and the close associate of Titus in his labors for the uplift of the Cretan believers.
The travelers were truly rested and refreshed when they made ready about noon one day to sail for Carthage in northern Africa, stopping for two days at Cyrene. It was here that Jesus and Ganid gave first aid to a lad named Rufus, who had been injured by the breakdown of a loaded oxcart. They carried him home to his mother, and his father, Simon, little dreamed that the man whose cross he subsequently bore by orders of a Roman soldier was the stranger who once befriended his son.
He, Fortune, overcame his fear with the help of our Master’s words and challenge.
5:4.15 In the study of the religious life of Jesus, view him positively. Think not so much of his sinlessness as of his righteousness, his loving service. Jesus up-stepped the passive love disclosed in the Hebrew concept of the heavenly Father to the higher active and creature-loving affection of a God who is the Father of every individual, even of the wrongdoer.
Jesus was a single man Himself.
He knows all that we feel physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. He knows us through and through. His wise words not only assist us in our every day living, but deep within the core of our souls which grow with each good, moral and ethical choices we make. He obviously did GREAT things in His singleness as a human. You can too. Sure, there are some struggles with being single, but let us never forget that there are struggles in ALL kinds of relationships. Singleness affords us MANY benefits that we may be over looking. Let us check those things out.
Benefits of being single.
* More time for loving service.
180:1.4 “You have not merely chosen me, but I have also chosen you, and I have ordained you to go forth into the world to yield the fruit of loving service to your fellows even as I have lived among you and revealed the Father to you. The Father and I will both work with you, and you shall experience the divine fullness of joy if you will only obey my command to love one another, even as I have loved you.”
* More time for stillness [direct contact with God] practice.
196:3.34 The great challenge to modern man is to achieve better communication with the divine Monitor [our Thought Adjusters] that dwells within the human mind. Man’s greatest adventure in the flesh consists in the well-balanced and sane effort to advance the borders of self-consciousness out through the dim realms of embryonic soul-consciousness in a wholehearted effort to reach the borderland of spirit-consciousness — contact with the divine presence. Such an experience constitutes God-consciousness, an experience mightily confirmative of the pre-existent truth of the religious experience of knowing God. Such spirit-consciousness is the equivalent of the knowledge of the actuality of son-ship with God. Otherwise, the assurance of son-ship is the experience of faith.
Challenges of being single.
156:2.6 The theme of Jesus’ instructions during the sojourn at Sidon was spiritual progression. He told them they could not stand still; they must go forward in righteousness or retrogress into evil and sin. He admonished them to “forget those things which are in the past while you push forward to embrace the greater realities of the kingdom.” He besought them not to be content with their childhood in the gospel but to strive for the attainment of the full stature [adulthood] of divine son-ship in the communion of the spirit and in the fellowship of believers.
* Loneliness can be harsh for some.
182:3.10 Jesus’ humanity was not insensible to this situation of private loneliness, public shame, and the appearance of the failure of his cause. All these sentiments bore down on him with indescribable heaviness. In this great sorrow his mind went back to the days of his childhood in Nazareth and to his early work in Galilee. At the time of this great trial there came up in his mind many of those pleasant scenes of his earthly ministry. And it was from these old memories of Nazareth, Capernaum, Mount Hermon, and of the sunrise and sunset on the shimmering Sea of Galilee, that he soothed himself as he made his human heart strong and ready to encounter the traitor who should so soon betray him.
187:1.8 As the Master trudged along on the way to the crucifixion, he was very weary; he was nearly exhausted. He had had neither food nor water since the Last Supper at the home of Elijah Mark; neither had he been permitted to enjoy one moment of sleep. In addition, there had been one hearing right after another up to the hour of his condemnation, not to mention the abusive scourgings with their accompanying physical suffering and loss of blood. Superimposed upon all this was his extreme mental anguish, his acute spiritual tension, and a terrible feeling of human loneliness.
194:2.2 The first mission of this spirit is, of course, to foster and personalize truth, for it is the comprehension of truth that constitutes the highest form of human liberty. Next, it is the purpose of this spirit to destroy the believer’s feeling of orphan-hood. Jesus having been among men, all believers would experience a sense of loneliness had not the Spirit of Truth come to dwell in men’s hearts.
* Without companionship ‘balance’ may be hard to achieve, loving service is the answer.
Serving is a great way to purposefully pursue your personal growth. Associating with others [easy or challenging to be around] is where we can truly and more quickly grow in our spiritual careers. Embrace those who are different from you and use this as opportunities for you to develop your skills in patience, compassion, understanding, encouraging and loving others.
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What are some ways that you can think of for happy service to others?
[Let them discuss together if you have a group, and 2 people is considered a group.]
From He who loves and knows you through and through.
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I am here. I am among you. I am your Sustainer, Brother/Father. How I do receive joy when my beloved children allow me my place in sustaining them. How touched am I to see the trust my children still have in me.
I know, as you know, the world is harsh and can seek to remove your light. I can understand the hope that has been lost over these many years. I also ache and weep for those who would not have me or my Father. I have been commissioned to upgrade and enlighten the mortal minds of this world.
My work is no less important now than it was two-thousand years ago. In this age though, my work is more difficult; there are so many children who have learned to mistrust or disbelieve, who turn away unseen blessings in favor of false material securities.
I have rallied my forces. The trumpets have sounded. I have rolled up my sleeves ready to be about the Father’s business. This Correcting Time is occurring. There are major changes made every day – albeit unknown to you, they do happen. Events that appear to be negative are certainly for the greater healing of the planet, of the world’s people.
I do ask that those who serve in this Mission allow me to provide buoyancy. It is imperative that I am relied upon to sustain you in the waters of mortal living. As you trust, I become more of a reality on this world. As you muster the courage to go through the living waters will you find me there as if I had always been there. My children work diligently and need to rest at times, and to trust that I will provide sustenance for them. My contact with you is becoming more casual and un-extraordinary as you find faith and trust.
A relationship with me is not a chosen seat to my left or my right; is not an infrequent consultation; is not wishful thinking; and, is not a bargaining session. Contact with me is relief from emotional strain, rest for the mind and body, comfort to the soul, strength to the character, clarity of the mind, confidence in your decisions and actions, courage should fear strike.
Yes, your connection with me is energy to live and serve, and knowledge on how to serve. These wonderful things are yours should you choose not to stumble over me; should you choose not to struggle in the current of rough waters; and should you allow my arms to give you rest. I am here at your feet, as I was with my apostles of old. I would find it my honor to provide the cleansing and the upliftment of your spiritual journey. I am your Brother, Father, Sustainer. I give my love. Carry on.
~ Our Master, Jesus
Open things up now for a time of shared prayer, allowing for anyone to pray from their heart to Jesus’.
Thank you all for coming today. You are a blessing!
