Interview with Jesus

“So you want to try the human experience, do you my son?” I had been watching this young spirit for some time. He showed an eagerness that was catching, yet needed a bit more refining before making this great decision. Many spirits who choose to go to the earth do so with some little trepidation. Not all are fearless and sure, but seldom is any soul denied the opportunity to experience this difficult school of growth. Many of the more timid souls want only a short existence, and room is always found for them. Some never even make into the world as a newborn child, but leave the earthly plane while still in the womb. They are paired with couples who desire to know the growth that overcoming sorrow and pain can bring, aspects of life not available within the perfect love of the spirit realm, the only true reality.

“Yes, sir, I think I’m ready for it”.

“Its not an easy place to go. Have you counselled with anyone about this yet?”

“A little. But that’s why I’ve come to you. I was told you could show me far more than some of the others of what it will be like on the earth”.

I smiled. “Yes”, I said, “no one who volunteers is sent to the earth without a complete and total understanding of every situation they might face.”

“Might face?” he queried.

“Yes. Not everything you see will be required of you. But every possible outcome of every possible choice is gone over prior to your trip. Nothing is left to chance. You are completely cared for, even though you will not realize this when you’re there. Every choice and every outcome is agreed to by all before anyone is sent. As you know, you are given a body which will start out as a tiny infant and grow through many stages of development. You are attached to this human body but never really become a part of it. Its like a costume you put on with a mind of its own. Your greatest challenge will be to subdue the mind within the body and have it conform to the love your soul remembers. The mind is programmed to believe it is in charge and will fight you often.”

“If the lessons I choose involve making certain choices, but I choose differently, how will I learn what I want to go for?”

I smiled. “The entire process is geared to helping you attain your goal. Different choices will bring different outcomes, yes, but the whole package is set up so that you arrive at the goal you wish, no matter which route you take. You will be required to make choices every day, and each choice opens the door to 2 or 3 more. The field of experiences widens for you, but ultimately is designed to bring you what you need. Everything is coordinated for you with all the thousands of others you will come in contact with while in the human world. You will be an actor on a huge stage and will be essential to the show as a whole, no matter how minor a part you feel you are playing. Others will be depending on you, just as you depend on them.”


Chapter Two

“Now, tell me what lessons you have in mind?”

“Well, I was thinking I’d like the one on patience. I’m told that’s a very popular one. And there are a lot of off-shoots no matter which ones you choose, is that right?”

“Oh yes. We go over all the options with you well ahead of time. You could choose patience alone and a myriad of others would automatically follow. Lets have a look at some of those who are learning what interests you. And remember, no one in your position is obligated to go. If you see what the schooling is like and decide you’re not ready for it, there is no reason to feel now is the time. Many spirits never go at all and are perfectly fulfilled where they are. Many others see how difficult it can be and choose not to go too. They are not judged as being inferior for making that choice, and neither will you be. Now, come over here and see what there is to be learned”.

Together we watched as a large scroll appeared to unroll before us. We looked down on it as though from a balcony overlooking a stage. The earth lay before us. Details were only a thought away. The earth is a very hard school. Not the hardest in the universe, but very hard. There were easier schools where spirits could go, but the harder the lessons, the greater the growth. And it is always impressed upon them that no one is truly injured or harmed by attending these schools, though they are set up so cleverly that most never realize that at the time. The easier schools were for very young and timid spirits who wished to expand their knowledge of life but not in an extreme way such as the earth and other realms offered.

“Do many spirits fail?” I was asked.

“None fail”, I responded gently. “Each soul is given a mission that is to be worked on through life, even though most will never remember they even had one. Circumstances are put in their way which are meant to facilitate that mission. Many souls return here without completing the mission, but none are said to have failed. The main purpose of the human life is to see the contrast between perfect love and an environment where that love must be searched for. It is a painful and sometimes daunting task. But no one returns from the human realm with the notion that they have failed. The experience is all most of them go for. Doing that is a success all in itself.”

When he asked me, “Why do so many spirits want to go in the first place?”, I knew he was already having second thoughts. “So many of them down there don’t seem to be enjoying themselves at all”.

“As I said, its partly to learn the contrast between love and the absence of love. You cannot know joy until you’ve known sorrow. No one truly understands peace until they’ve seen unrest. You can’t know love until you’ve known fear. You’ll never appreciate happiness until you’ve seen cruelty. None of those negative aspects of life exist where we are now. All of these things are part of the earth school. Some have learned to find peace in the midst of their sorrows, and these are the ones who have overcome the difficulties facing them. Overcoming the obstacles is admirable and takes strength and courage, but those who find they are unable to do so are not loved any less.”

“So, is it not possible to learn any of those things without going to one of these schools? I know many spirits who have never been and never intend to go.”

“That’s entirely their own choice. With few exceptions, no one is ever compelled to go. The option is always there, but it is completely up to each soul whether or not they wish to go. It must always be the idea of each individual. They will never be forced to do anything they do not feel ready for. But I should point out to you that many spirits are able to learn these things on their own and have no need to go to the earth school, or any other. Even some of these spirits wind up going, but in a supportive role for the others. You see those people down there on the face of the planet going into those large buildings? They are going to a type of school meant for their human development.” I pointed to various places. “This one is an engineering school. That one over there will train dentists. This one is for those who wish to cook. But not everyone on earth must go to a specialized school. The same is true of we spirits. Not all need attend in order to be fulfilled in their growth and development. That’s the real bottom line, son. If you feel fulfilled, content, and whole there is no need to go.”

“There seems to be an awful lot of cruelty down there between them. They even kill each other. Why is this permitted to go on?”

“All spirits ask us to keep our hands off when they leave here. I, myself, said to Father, ‘now don’t go interfering in things. I can handle it’. But of course, the heavenly realm knows we will need help and each of us is assigned a spirit helper. Some more than one. They are known as guardian angels. On earth there are some very perceptive and sensitive people who recognize these spirits. And yes, there is a great deal of what humans call wickedness and evil on the earth. Its very sad that some souls are not allowing themselves to awaken to what their assigned mind and body are doing. But we vowed not to interfere. And remember, the ones who are the targets of the cruelty are all volunteers who knew this treatment was likely but loved that other soul so much that they wanted to be there to help, even though it meant being treated most unkindly”.

“They don’t seem to be gone for very long. How can they learn so much in such a short time?”

“When you’re actually on the earth the time seems much longer. It can seem an eternity if that’s how you’ve chosen to experience it. For others time flies by. The vast majority come back here, even after an earth life of 70 to 80 years, and feel as though they had just gone for a short visit. An afternoon away. It’s a relatively harmless place in which to learn lessons that cannot be found in the spirit world. A key thing to remember is that the earth exists for demonstration purposes only. Nothing there is permanent. Its not even real. Its a master illusion.”


Chapter Three

“I’d like you to look at someone over here”. I gestured across the ocean from where we had been observing. “Move in a lot closer until you come to the spot I’m pointing to......yes, that’s it. Now I want you to see if you can find the man that stands out above all the others. You’ll know him when you see him”. The young spirit gazed intently at the scene rolled out before us. I could see him searching into hearts and minds, looking for an anomaly of sorts.

“Do you mean that one there”?

“Yes”, I said. “What do you notice about him”?

“His body is all scarred and deformed”.

“That’s only his appearance. Look a little deeper and tell me what you see.”

The young spirit peered very closely into the man’s heart, actually entering it partially to discern what was being pointed out. “He’s very angry. And bitter. Is he failing his mission?”

“Not at all. He was scarred early in life by someone he trusted and loved. This was planned so that he could achieve the growth he desired. The one he loved is actually a very brave spirit who agreed to take that role, knowing he would be hated the rest of his life for it.”

“But how is the scarred man growing while he’s mired in so much anguish?”

“The growth may not be apparent to anyone until his human life is actually done. You see, in time he will learn to forgive the one who did that to him. His spirit will awaken just enough so that he can see that what happened to his body was necessary to achieve his spiritual goals. The growth comes from being able to forgive when every instinct cries out for revenge. The mission is to offer his love, what there is of it right now, to others who are in need. He is making inroads there.”

“But in a sense, he was only wronged by one person. Many people go through their lives being wronged over and over again by many people. Is their growth more significant than his?”

“For every challenge a spirit chooses in the earth realm, they are allowed to select a level of growth that is within their potential. And they are helped in choosing strengths and weaknesses with which to achieve their ends. The trials that come upon them are directly in proportion to their ability to withstand them. No one is ever asked or expected to face anything they are not capable of dealing with. The spirit knows before going to earth that some very unpleasant things may result from certain choices, sometimes choices not even within their own control.

"Some do give up, its true, but if they had allowed themselves a bit more time, a solution was always being prepared to help them in the struggle. If a spirit chooses great strength as a human, then his trials must be greater in order for him to fulfill his potential. Spirits who wish an easier life are faced with much lesser challenges, but have only just enough mettle to withstand even those, depending on how much growth they have set out to gain. Its like some of their athletic contests. A small, thin man may only be able to lift a small amount of weight, but it is all he’s able to manage. Do you see the connection?”

“Oh, yes. I was shown your human life. You had to forgive an awful lot of people didn’t you?”

“Yes”.


Chapter Four

“What is the role of emotions for the human world? A lot of people down there seem distraught over events they cannot control, or that have very little to do with them.”

“That’s very perceptive of you. I myself hated the emotional aspect of human living a great deal. For me it caused more pain than any of the physical traumas. But of course, when you’re actually there and veiled from the purpose of it all, it becomes something we want to escape and hide from. Our souls remember the perfect love we left behind, even though they are slumbering through most of the human life. They don’t like the feelings of uncertainty, sorrow, and fear, so try to avoid them, which is impossible. We forget that we are to allow these feelings to run their course and learn to cope with them in ways that have been provided. We just have to find those ways from within ourselves. We’re given everything we need to cope with the human life, but many forget that and look in all the wrong places for solutions. But even this is part of the experience.”

My young spirit friend pondered this as we watched the bustle of human activity below us. “Most of these people don’t seem to know what their mission is any longer”.

“That’s true. But the mission each of them have been given is interwoven with the life challenges and experiences they have selected. And it’s very closely connected with something each of them loves to do. This way they cannot fail. It’s not important that they remember. In fact it’s essential for most that they don’t or they would pursue it to the detriment of their own growth, straining to be done as quickly as possible so as to return home.”

“Can a spirit become aware of their true nature while on the earth?”

“Oh yes. Most do to some extent as their human body ages, though none wakes up completely; the human mind and body could not withstand the full power of the spirit soul. But there are many who are blessed with an acute awareness throughout their lives of their origin and purpose. Others are kept veiled from it by choice. Still others are blinded to it as a prerequisite to what they wish to accomplish. Many forget the spirit world exists at all, or even deny there is one. But for most humans the spirit is kept slumbering for a good long portion of their life. If the spirit entered the human world wide awake, it would not make a single mistake, which is the learning tool of the earth. And if that were the case, there would be no point in going in the first place. It’s the making of mistakes that hurts and brings the knowledge each soul seeks. All the pain is temporary and vanishes the moment they come back home.”

“But I’ve heard there are souls languishing in the outer darkness who are not finding their way home. Are they being punished for their behaviour on the earth?”

“No. They are having trouble forgiving themselves for the way they treated others while down there. And some of them refuse to acknowledge this in a life review. They are bathing in love until they are ready to come home. No one is preventing them from this but themselves. And there are ministering spirits seeking to aid them at all times. But we cannot force anyone to come home. It’s their own choice to do so or not. It’s very sad at times, when you see a spirit so wounded by their life choices on earth that they cannot come home. Still, they knew the risks and would not be dissuaded from their decision to go.”

“Why was there never any intervention for them when they were making all these bad choices on earth? I know you’ve said it would have interfered with their freedom, but was no account being made for the freedom of those they chose to injure?”

“Most who choose to go to earth are volunteers. The bravest spirits are those willing to fill the role of the victim for those who have lost their way. No one is ever abused without prior knowledge and consent. Everyone who loses life or limb is aware of that potential before they agree to go. Only a powerful spirit would offer to take the role of a person who is going to be beaten or murdered by a lost soul. But we are never short of volunteers. Love is that powerful.”


Chapter Five

“Are the ones we’re talking about all lost souls?”

“There are many types of lost souls. When I said that most who choose to go to earth are volunteers that clearly implied exceptions. Lost souls are an exception. They are spirits who have overstepped the bounds of acceptable behaviour. They are permitted as much freedom as we can allow to determine things for themselves, but there comes a time when their disruptive ways must be addressed. Those are the souls who are sent to earth without their consent. They are told they are going but have no say over where they will be placed or with whom. All of this is done in a most loving and careful manner. The object is to let them see, through physical circumstances, how destructive their behaviour has been. Being sent to earth is not a punishment, but an education”.

“There are a lot of religious books and instructions down there. Are they all approved by the spirit world?”

“There are many guidelines to help individuals find the love they instinctively know is missing from life on earth. Some can be found in the books of religion. But a great deal of what’s in those books cannot be counted on to be one hundred percent accurate. They alone present challenges as some will try to persuade you of certain meanings that really aren’t there. We knew this would happen and have incorporated it into the various life situations many souls will face. Other passages are incomplete and need to be delved into by the more discerning among the human population.”

“What would be an example of that?”

“Well, let’s look at the Christian Bible. There’s a scripture in there that says, ‘resist the devil and he will flee from you’. The thought is really incomplete. It should say, ‘resist the devil by loving him, and he will leave you alone’. Love can conquer the worst of evils. Also, the whole concept of there being only one “devil” is also a misnomer. There are many souls who accepted the role of challengers to the human race. Some have lost their way and create far more hardship and sorrow than was meant. Evil and cruelty are rampant. But those spirits who volunteer to go down to remedy this have not wanted us to intervene.”

“Have you only been down there for one earth life yourself?”

“No. There were others. There still are.” I didn’t elaborate but did add, “For humans it is most important that their leaders have credibility. That more than anything. So my roles on earth were no different from anyone else’s. I wanted for all to know that nothing was being asked of anyone that I was not willing to endure myself. I was sent to earth so well disguised as an ordinary mortal that no one knew who I was. I was never born into royalty or lived a life of ease. I was just a common man doing common things; the carpenter is the best known. So no human can truly say, no matter how unfair or difficult life becomes, “I never asked to be born”. Nor can they say, if they have even a hint of the spirit above, “I bet the most advanced souls never took a turn being human” ”. I smiled, reflecting on the times I had said these very things. “All spirits who seek to counsel someone like you have been to the earth school. What credibility would we have if we hadn’t?”

“I’m not so sure I’m ready to go after all. Would it be alright if I didn’t?”

I smiled. “Of course. You need never go if you don’t want to. For a spirit such as yourself, and for the majority of those who live, it’s simply a matter of being fulfilled. If you are content and can see where you want to go in areas of growth, and if such growth is possible without going to school, then you need never go.”

“What if I become a lost soul and am sent against my will?”

“Every soul sent for corrective reasons is given many, many opportunities to change their ways before we resort to that step. And any soul that worries about becoming lost or misguided is in very little danger of such a thing. Pondering these possibilities takes humility. It is mostly arrogance which leads to becoming lost in the sense we’re talking about.”

So the young spirit went on his way. The last time I ran into him he was just emerging from the great Hall of Records. He said to me, “You didn’t tell me I could study individual human lives so closely it would be like living them myself”.

“What?” I retorted in mock indignation, “and spoil all the surprises you might like to discover for yourself?”