What
Are The Characteristics of God's Teachers?
Development
of Trust
3.
Period of Relinquishment
The
third stage
through which the teachers of God must go can be called a "period
of relinquishmment."
If this is interpreted as giving up the desirable, it will engender
enormous conflict. Few
teachers of God escape this distress entirely.
There
is, however, no point in sorting out the valuable from the valueless
unless the next obvious step is taken.
The
third step is rarely, if ever, begun until the second is complete.
Therefore,
the period of overlap is apt to be one in which the teacher of God
feels called upon to sacrifice his own best interests on behalf
of truth.
He
has not realized as yet how wholly impossible such a demand would
be.
He
can learn this only as he actually does give up the valueless.
Through
this he learns that...
where he anticipated grief, he finds a happy light-heartedness instead;
where
he thought something was asked of him, he finds a gift bestowed
on him.
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