Gloria to God:
You often tell us to put our attention on You. Jon asked, Just how do we do that? He feels quite connected to You, knows You are there with him, and he sees You in trees and all, and yet he has his low days when he does not feel You vibrant in his life. He also wanted to know how to bless a flaw.
God:
Let's start with how to bless a flaw. That is such an innocent question, and I will talk to Jon directly.
Jon, you are saying you have all the willingness in the world. But when you are confronted with a personal situation where you not only see a flaw in another but your heart is hurt and closes, you want to know how do you bless a flaw then? Someone has affronted you, or a situation is to the point where you can hardly stand it any longer, then how do you bless a flaw?
Your real question is, What do I do with these feelings of mine that I don't want but have?
Would it help you to see a mistake rather than a flaw? Would it help you to know that the other person's involvement, despite what it seems, is only a latch that opens up your own door? The door is unlatched, and you see a closet of yourself that you would prefer wasn't there. This is the case for everyone, you understand that.
And you have brought up a question that is everyone's, so you have unlocked a door for everyone.
The mistake is in perception.
First you think another person or incident is causing your grief. It is bringing your attention to your grief, or your misperception. Therefore, there has to be a switch in your thinking. I know you know everything I am saying.
Perhaps the offender's offense is a lack of respect. Perhaps they interrupt you, cut you off and so on. By every law of the world that is not nice, and that is not right.
But let's say that your issue is self-worth. That is everyone's issue, Jon, no matter where they are up the line, so this is a practical issue.
What if you could see the offender as My agent, sent personally to you, not to offend you, but to draw your attention to your own self-worth, and teach you to honor yourself more? What if this person is not your offending agent but your savior? Is their offense a flaw, a mistake, or a blessing?
This may seem like a too tidy switch in thinking. I do not expect that in the heat of the moment that you will genuinely feel blessed or like giving a blessing. What I say is: have the tiny awareness beforehand that what comes your way has its blessing aspect, and that you have the willingness, the humbleness, to desire to see it that way, even if at the moment, you honestly can't.
Prepare yourself beforehand.
We are talking a bit about gratitude here from another side. The more you are grateful, the more you will have to be grateful for. The more you bless, the more you will have to bless. The more you see fault, the more fault you will see.
The level of how-to is really the level of insight, John, heart insight.
In a way, you are asking, "God, You have given us the Ten Commandments, and now I am asking: If I am a coveter, how do I not covet? If I am a thief, how do I not steal?
I answer: See that your act accomplishes nothing. A coveter does not assuage his heart by coveting, and a thief owns nothing.
You do not heal through seeing flaws. To see flaws keeps you moored. To see blessings lifts you.
From the depth of your heart, you wish to be all that there is. You wish to reach the highest heights and attain perfection, and you will. Desire, and let go. The fulfillment of your desire is not at your command, but it is at your invitation.
Jon, as human beings, you all have a limp. You will all reach the Highest Heaven, but you limp on the way. That is your very humanness.
Others have that same humanness. They may limp in another way, but they have a limp.
Forgive them their limp. Perfection as seen in the relative world does not exist. Forgive yourself your limp.
How to bless others' flaws? Bless your own.
Say this in the morning:
"Holy God, I want to see with your vision and feel with your love. I want to be a blessing to all who come my way. In order for me to be a blessing, I will first bless. Whoever reaches me today, I bless now. I invite them into my heart, and I honor their struggle, for I know they struggle. I will do whatever I am able to at the moment to ease their path and make life simpler for them.
"I am Your child, and they are Your child, and together we are Your children who look up to You, eager for Your blessing.
"With my face upturned and my eyes looking up to see You, I thank You for this day and all who enter it with me.
"Amen."
Jon, you are doing great. I will answer more of your questions tomorrow.
Gloria to Mother Divine:
Dear Mother Divine, what would you like to say?
Mother Divine:
I would like to remind God (!!!) and Jon that all this flaw and limping stuff is illusion! Non-existent. It is all drama! It is a scene on a stage, and a scene best not taken so seriously.
Someone ticks you off? So, you are ticked!
Someone insults you? So, you are insulted! What is it?
Someone looks at you cross-eyed? So they look at you cross-eyed.
How momentous is that? Does it matter so much? What is the big deal?
But I will say this: Those whom you bless become a blessing. Those you are sharp with become a thorn. That which you seek, you find. All you have to do is be a seeker. Leave the finding to God. He will do it for you.