The Father Within by Chris P (top 100 novels of all time TXT) 📖

 After a few more minutes of their silent descent, Kai said, "Thought the spider is almost blind, it can sense life in all things.  Its instinct drives it to expend the necessary energy on what brings nourishment and on what that brings nothing.  This is Truth in all of God's creations."

The Master smiled to himself for his student had learned well.

"Come," said the Master.  "Let us go by the lake and wash the world from our garments."

After a few more minutes of walking, they reached the lake.  The spot where they had been earlier was much too wet for them to sit so they sat on a jagged rock facing the glistening lake.

Kai could see the tree they sat under just a few hours earlier and realized there was a beehive in the upper branches.

He had not seen this earlier.

Both Master and student took some time to wash their garments from the dirt, grass, and leaves that had found a home on their clothes.  They would be dry in no time since the sun burned brightly.

Kai and his Master sat against the jagged rock as they looked out into the lake.  The view from here was breathtaking.  The world was colorful, bright, and so filled with life.  Each breath was like a soft caress of paradise.  Sounds of geese filled the air as they made their way toward the lake.

After both became settled, the Master began his lesson.  "Kai, as you go into the world to spread love, do not fret about whether Life Eternal is a Gift or a reward.  In a sense, it does not matter because our belief either way does not change the Reality.  Remember, instead, to connect to the Father Within every day.  Make this a life-long decision.  Pray and meditate daily to listen to the Inner Voice of the Father of the Universe that lives within us all."

"Yes, Master," added Kai.  "Your words are beautiful.  I pray using the prayers of my religion.  Luma has given us some wonderful prayers and great examples of how to meditate.  Our religion teaches us that praying is simply talking to the Eternal while meditating is listening to the Eternal."

Kai felt good again.  His clothes would soon be dry and he felt clean.  He liked this discussion since he felt extremely uncomfortable with the subject of Eternal Life discussed back in the hut.  He admired his Master's ability of altering the lesson's topic because he sensed some restlessness.

The Master replied, "Yes, Kai, your religions speaks beautifully about prayer and meditation."

The Master stared at a crevice he was playing with using his walking stick.  He then turned and faced Kai.  "Endeavor to be like the spider, Kai.  Spin your web daily.  Then sit back and wait for your spiritual sustenance to arrive.  As you patient wait in silence, the Father Within will speak to you in ways you will understand.  In silence speak, and in silence listen."

Kai received a wave of tingles throughout his body.  What his Master was saying spoke to the innermost recessess of his heart; to the very core of his essence.

 The Master continued, "Though your web will be broken daily by life's events, do not despair.  Via prayer and meditation you will establish a strong connection to the Source of the Universe.  Do not allow one day to pass that you do not attend to your Divine Web.  You are responsible for your connection to the Father Within.  You are responsible for your own daily spiritual sustenance.  Ask the Father in prayer for His Divine help and He will speak to you depending on your perspective and in ways you will understand.  Kai, connect to the Father Within and all this of this world will be given to you."

The Master leaned the back of his head against the jagged rocks and closed his eyes.

 Kai found tears in his eyes because the Master's words filled his very being.  "Master, I am cherishing the words flowing from your lips.  There is Truth to what you say.  What you are saying is above any religions, rules, or requirements and applies to all peoples of Earth.  It is speaking to my heart.  I hope I will someday learn to speak the Universal Language of Love to the hearts of others.  I hope through my prayers and meditations I can stay connected to the Father and avoid sin, the dark one, and evil.  Thank you for sharing these insights with me; I am truly grateful."

The Master, still keeping his eyes closed, smiled and placed his hand on Kai's arm.

Kai placed his head against the rock and closed his eyes.  He thought about the tingles he had gotten just a few moments earlier.  They seemed to be physical reminders that what he was hearing was Truth.  He had gotten them many times before during different moments in his life, but it was the first time he reflected upon them in this Light.

 As he closed his eyes, his mind drifted.  He thought of the moments during the day leading up to this moment.  He could not believe that soon he would be leaving this life to go off into the world to teach others how he had been taught.  He also thought about what the Master said earlier:  how the world was not out there, but made up of the daily interactions with his family, friends, and other people, places, and things.  The world is here and now.

He also thought of what the Master told him earlier, about giving freely to the world, about Eternal Life, about opening his heart.  Although he disagreed with many concepts and ideas, he seemed to see his whole religion in a new Love and Light.  It was almosst as if he was seeing his entire approach to Luma and his Teaching from a new perspective.  He honestly sensed he already had a deeper appreciation for his religion.  This pleased him very much because at first, he felt like he had to let go of all he had learned in order to adapt to the Master's new way of thinking.

"Master," said Kai after several minutes of silence.  "If the Father is Love then why is there so much suffering in the world?  Why does He allow our daily web to be torn?  If the Eternal truly loves us, why does He not make our lives easier when our hearts are weary?"

The Master's eyes remained closed.  "The whole of learning is made up of a teacher willing to teach, a student willing to learn, and various lessons serving as the raw material for knowledge and experience.  Kai, the whole reason for being is to learn.  Without lessons there cannot be learning and without learning there is no growth.  We experience suffering when we do not believe the Father is providing us with even our most basic needs.  We experience suffering whenw e become fearful of our own growth.  The suffering occurs when we refuse to let go of various ways of thinking, different negative attitudes, and countless beliefs as we experience different moments of our life.

"If we realize that Eternal Life is already ours, we will see every moment of every day as a learning experience and a new opportunity to grow into the Fatther and He into us; to become One with the Father.  As we connect to the Father Within, we, in essence, will become the teacher, the student, and the lsson.  Ask the Eternal to help you see beyong the suffering and focus, instead, on the lessons that will help you strengthen your connection to the Source of the Universe."

"I understand this, Master," said Kai.  "But why must we suffer in order to learn?  Why can we just not learn in some other way?"

 "Yes, yes," said the Master as he opened his eyes and looked at Kai.  "I understand your question and have been asking it myself for many years now.

"Think bacak to when you first learned how to ride a horse.  You learned how to sit on the horse, how to hold the horse's reins, how to tell the horse to stop, go, and many other things involved with horseback riding.  Now, after you had been told all these things, what if your teacher told you to get off the horse because your lesson was over.  What would you say?"

"Get off the horse?" questioned Kai.  "What kind of thing is that to say for a teacher teaching his student how to ride a horse?"

"What would you say?" repeated the Master.

"I would tell my teacher the only way I could learn how to ride a horse is to actually ride a horse," laughed Kai as it seemed like he was stating the obvious.

"True," replied the Master.  "But what if your teacher said he feared you would fall from not knowing how to ride and felt just knowing the steps involved in riding and watching others would suffice."

 Kai could not wait to get the words out of his mouth, "First of all, Master, he would be teaching me more about fear than about love,"  Kai smiled proudly the moment he heard this response cross his lips.

"Yes," said the Master.  "I suppose this is true.  I was not going in that direction but your interpretation is accurate.  Perhaps the teacher himself had a fear of riding and decided to become a teacher to alleviate his fears.  What else?"

"I would also tell him that in order for me to become a proficient rider I would have to risk falling.  I would just have to have to take that chance."

"Yes, excellent!" yelled the Master.  "You might learn more during your physical suffering than you would if you did not fall from the horse.  God does not require suffering to teach us but, at times, it is only through suffering that we learn valuable and important lessons.  There really is no other way."

 Kai founnd himself slowing nodding his head at his Master.  All things seemed to be so clear when his Master spoke.  How would he be able to manage when he was off into travels all alone?  How would he be able to make things clear to his students>?  How would he remember all of these lessons when others asked for his counsel and advice?

There were just too many questions.

"Master," said Kai.  "How will I know what to say when others ask me questions of this nature?  How will I know how to speak like you?"

"Do not try to speak like me.  Speak like yourself.  All of your answers are already within you for the Father of the Universe is already within you.  Seek, think, feel, and become Truth and you will know what to say when the time comes.  All the Eternal to work through you and stay connected to His Eternal Essence with prayer and meditation every day.  Tend to your Divine Web daily, Kai.  As you attend to its daily maintenance, all things of this world will be given to you in silence.  You will simply know what to say and do when time comes."

The Master placed his right hand over his heart.   "Trust in yourself and in your connection to the Father Within.  Do not worry or become concerned about the answers.  Instead, endeavor to truly understand the questions."

 His Master closed his eyes and drew a circle in the air with his right hand.  "Think upon Life as a circle much like the spider web.  It has no beginning and no end.  As you increase your concept of the Father, you will perceive all things in a new Light.  At times, you will have to revisit places, moments, and experiences with a new perspective.  This perspective is the accumulation of experiences up to the current point in time,.

"If you think about your life in terms of a circle, you will return to the same moment but will see it from a new angle or perspective.  Do not be ashamed to take a few steps backward and