Teenagers and Spirituality 2

TEENAGERS AND SPIRITUALITY

PART 2:

RELIGION AND SPIRITUAL TEACHINGS

by Jan Hjalmarsson

 

8. Religion and Spiritual Teachings

— Relevance of Spiritual Teachings for Teenagers

When it comes to spirituality, adults have created organized religions that reflect their consciousness and way of thinking. Even if these religions have originated from a founder who received the original teaching from God in its pure form, they have in most cases been put into doctrines and been changed to suit the human consciousness, and have thereby become rigid to some extent and lacking the original spirit and purity. Instead of raising themselves up to embody the teachings, humans have been prone to bring the teachings down to their own level.

In relation to teenagers, it is the adults who have dealt with religion throughout history, and made it suit them and their way of thinking, when they have formulated the official doctrines. This is another way of claiming ownership of religion. It can also be observed that, in fact, even in the adult world, there are a few individuals in high positions who, through establishing powerful organizations, and by taking it upon themselves to formulate the official interpretation of the teachings, have claimed ownership of religion in relation to the rest of the people. The people have then chosen either to accept what the few have created, or not accept it at all by rejecting or disregarding it.

The way the human intellect works, is that it tends to see everything as defined concepts that need to be ordered and compartmentalized in specific ways in order to be understood. This way of working is very successful when dealing with material things in the physical world. This is actually the purpose for which the human intellect was created, to help us deal with our outer world successfully. It was not designed to grasp all aspects of spiritual reality. For this task, our intuitive faculties and higher mind (Christ Self) are the appropriate tools that we must learn to use on the spiritual path. If we persist in using the intellect in all our work with spiritual teachings, the tendency will be to formulate them as doctrines in order to understand them at that level. However, these doctrines can not contain the whole essence, or "spirit" of the original teachings. The essence of the teachings can only be conveyed through a living person who embodies them.

When teenagers encounter religion in today's society, what they get in most cases is what has been created by adults, intended for their intellectual interpretations. This fact in itself can make the subject seem boring to teenagers. Second, in most cases religion is presented as values or beliefs that are supposed to be adhered to, and these are likely seen by teenagers as limitations that somebody attempts to impose on them. Lastly, in many cases religion is presented formally as doctrines, and young minds can sense that the essence or spirit is missing here. The result of these considerations is that this type of religion may seem uninteresting and unappealing to most teenagers.

Now, teenagers are usually not helped by religious doctrines that they see as restrictions in their life. Most people aren't, except if such need to serve to restrict them from committing destructive acts. Humans are destined to become more, not less. What we need is spiritual teachings and their application, that can provide a broader range of life skills. Spiritual teachings are teachings that teach us how we can transcend ourselves spiritually, like becoming more loving, gaining more wisdom, understanding more about life etc.

These types of teachings may seem to appeal to some people and not to others. And teenagers often don't seem to pay too much attention to them. The reason for this observation could, however, have a lot to do with how these teachings are presented to the recipients. First, the format is usually in written form, or delivered through speeches. Many teenagers are not inclined to read a lot in order to get information. They rather enjoy doing things, preferably with others. They don't enjoy much going to lectures either, because they find it boring to be passive listeners.

Next, what is presented in the teachings is usually mostly the content, or theory itself. However, most teenagers are not very interested in learning theory about things. They want to learn by doing things, and gaining experience that way. Only by doing will they internalize knowledge. This is a God-given principle that they outpicture naturally. This principle counts of course for adults too, but in many cases they have come to believe that learning intellectual knowledge is the same as internalizing it, and embodying the essence of the knowledge, which is not the case. Teenagers have not yet bought into this illusion. They know that they can only learn about life by doing things, by gaining real experience.

 

9. How Teenagers Can Find Benefit in Spiritual Teachings

So, what is the optimum way to get benefit from spiritual teachings? It is by interacting with someone who embodies the teachings. Only that way can the essence of the teachings be conveyed from one to another. Otherwise the teachings are reduced to what can be expressed through indirect means, like text, or another person referring to them. Many have been called hypocrites throughout history for not embodying what they speak about, and this in itself has caused many to turn away from spiritual teachings. A person who embodies the teachings can put them to practical application, and this is what will be of value for most people. Also, a person who embodies the teachings can apply the teachings in a way that is suited for the level of consciousness of the recipient(s) for their maximum benefit.

This is of utmost importance. Teachings that are spiritually too advanced simply don't make sense, and have no practical value for the recipient, and will therefore be rejected. It's like trying to teach Algebra to first graders. Observe the use of the word spiritually advanced here. It's not a matter whether the concepts are understandable by the intellect or not. It's a matter whether the application of the concepts makes sense to the soul spiritually or not. 

In order to make sense in a practical way to a soul spiritually, application of a given spiritual teaching must require only a reasonable amount of self-transcendence on the part of the soul from the point of its present level of consciousness. As an example, someone who is currently immersed in conflict with his or her spouse about who should have the right to buy what on their next shopping trip, could possibly benefit from teachings on Oneness in Christ, as would apply for their family, about the benefit of non-attachment to material things and to the ego, for the sake of their marriage. This person would not be spiritually ready for teachings about how to rearrange atomic patterns in matter, to manifest any form that is desired, or to uncreate any object, even if such teachings might appeal to the intellect. Someone who is too shy to express themselves among others could benefit from teachings on how to build self-esteem, and would not be spiritually ready for teachings on how to openly challenge the forces of anti-christ.

Many more people (than currently is the case) would find spiritual teachings of value and would be interested in applying them and learning more, if they just had easy access to what applies to their current conditions, and preferably by interaction with someone who embodies the teachings. This would apply even more to teenagers. Teenagers are very much involved in self-transcendence. Self-transcendence is a very important aspect of teenagers' lives. They are constantly looking for ways to be more than they currently are. They are up to all types of challenges to see if they dare to do and to be more than before. (If they would continue with this approach through the rest of their lives they could make much more spiritual progress than they can when settling down and seeking security and comfort instead.)

Teenagers are looking for examples in other people on how to be more. Unfortunately, what they see almost exclusively in today's society are examples of material standards, and standards promoting the human ego, that you will be successful in life if you act this way, look this way, own these things, make a lot of money etc. They seldom encounter examples on how to be more in an ultimate sense, by mastery of their beliefs, thinking, feeling patterns, and how to gain independence from what others think, and what others do to them. There are relatively few examples in society that show that happiness doesn't have to depend on a person's outer conditions, but rather depends on their state of consciousness, and that the outer conditions will ultimately reflect the state of consciousness, and not vice versa.

One tendency of the human ego consciousness is to create static rules out of spiritual teachings, and out of any principles of life. This is just simply a reflection of the nature of the ego itself. Since this consciousness has, by definition, declared itself to exist outside of God's Reality, it does not have access to this all-encompassing reality, where nothing is static, but rather is in continual, dynamic evolution, which is the definition of Life itself. So, the ego must create its own rules that will apply in its world as it sees it, to be able to have some sense of order. These rules will be limiting in nature, and will provide a sense of apparent security in dealing with its environment. Security will be found in what is already known to work, so self-created beliefs and rules will therefore tend to be static in nature. The soul, on the other hand, does not want to be limited by rules. The soul wants to expand in wholeness with God, its creator, which is unlimited. The soul seeks the essence, or spirit of the teachings, which is the Spirit of God.

The Spirit of God, also called the Holy Spirit, is full of joy, love, understanding, freedom, truth, purity. So, delivery of spiritual teachings should also be associated with this essence, which is joy and light-heartedness, and not as heavy, arduous matters that are devoid of joy. Arduousness and the sense of struggle are afflictions of the ego, which tend to be developed through life when dealing challenging material conditions. As has been discussed, we can observe that children and teenagers shy away from these types of energies, and almost always seek a light-hearted and joyful approach to life. They want to have fun. For example, there is nothing wrong with including jokes in spiritual teachings, as long as they don't reflect a lower spirit than the teachings themselves.

Through the course of a person's life, when living according to material standards, there is a tendency to develop the ego consciousness, which tends to grow stronger as the individual makes repeated choices that promote the dualistic view of favoring its own needs and views as a separate being in relation to others, or to those outside its defined sense of responsibility. The ego will seek status quo in areas of life where it has defined its position, either in relationships or environments. This status quo will feel comfortable because it will let the ego solidify its sense of reality. Any concept or change in circumstances that questions or challenges the ego's position in its self-created sense of reality will be experienced as a threat to the ego. The more a person engages in and solidifies the identification with the ego, and continues to build its structure, the farther the soul, which is the real essence of one's being, has to retreat into the subconscious.

A young child still very much lives and reflects his/her soul, and has not yet developed much of an ego consciousness. A teenager is in a process of building one, but the contents are still quite flexible and subject to change. This fact can also be seen as a tendency on the part of teenagers to be more open to change in general, and to prefer less rules in life rather than more. As we know, there can be more reasons why teenagers may resist rules, but the consideration of the soul in this context is nevertheless important. In any case, when teenagers encounter spiritual teachings that are based on restrictive rules, it is natural that such teachings will seem unappealing to them.

What teenagers instead are looking for are challenges. As an example, if told in a challenging way "I'm not sure you dare to tell the real truth about this", they are usually very quick and willing to challenge your statement and respond in an honest way. But if told that "You should always tell the real truth", they see it as a boring rule imposed on them. Teenagers, like all people, also appreciate if their opinions and feelings about things are valued. This is another way of saying that they have a need to feel cared about, or loved. If so, they are often willing to look beyond their current beliefs and opinions, and are thereby teachable spiritually. So, love is an essential ingredient to be included with any spiritual teaching for it to be of value.

So, to sum it up, to have maximum value for a teenager, or anybody, spiritual teachings need to meet the following criteria:

 Be delivered by example by one who embodies them.

 Be applicable to the current spiritual level of the recipient.

 The spirit of the teaching should be given emphasis over the letter of the teaching.

 Be delivered in a joyful and light-hearted way.

 Be delivered as an invitation or challenge, not as an imposition or rule.

 Be delivered with Love for the recipient.

Let us look at some examples of common mistakes in presenting spiritual teachings, violating these guidelines, and alternative approaches:

Mistake: Telling people what they are supposed to believe in: "You should believe in God (or Jesus or other spiritual figure)".

The truth: Each soul has free will to believe what they want, and in most cases it is not helpful to be told what they are to believe in.

An alternative way: Ask them what they currently believe in and work with this concept to see if they are willing to expand it. This is the love component, showing that you care. Then ask them if they think it's possible that such and such can be the case, preferably based on possible reasons. This is an invitation for them to expand their consciousness.

Mistake: Telling people what they are supposed to do in order to be "good" according to such and such spiritual standards.

The truth: Each soul has free will to do what they want, and in most cases it is not helpful to be told what they are to do when it comes to spiritual principles. An exception can be when someone in childlike innocence doesn't know what to do and desires external guidance. In such a case it may be beneficial for them to be told directly, if they are unable to find out themselves.

An alternative way: Ask them if they think it might be possible for them to do this or that. This is an invitation for them to see if they want to stretch their imagination, to possibly consider doing something outside their current perceived limitations. It's an invitation to expand their consciousness in terms of how they see themselves. To a teenager one can also put forth the challenge and ask if they dare to do this or that. This challenge could be put forth to an adult as well, and can inspire them to action. But their ego might also react in a negative way, since this type of approach is not generally endorsed by the standards of politeness in our current society. Yet, even if the ego reacts and puts itself up to represent the individual, and denounces the challenge as an invalid approach, this process in itself can be a valuable learning experience for the person.

Mistake: Telling people what they are not supposed to do in order to be "good" according to such and such spiritual principles.

The truth: Each soul has free will to do what they want, and the optimum way of learning life's lessons is not to be put under restrictions on what they should not do. The less optimum way of being restricted should only be employed when someone is not open to reason in their Christ mind, or when too much is at risk by their actions.

An alternative way: One can ask them what the consequences will be if they do this or that. If they conclude correctly what the consequences will be, and these are undesirable, one can ask them if they still want to go ahead and do what they considered. This is an invitation for them to expand their awareness again. If they don't see the consequences clearly, one can present some possibilities for them. When they see the whole picture themselves, it is quite likely that they might change their mind. This is realization from their own Christ mind, and is likely to be taken into account by the soul. An outer direction is often seen as an imposition, and is often rebelled against, at least not agreed on wholeheartedly.

So, spiritual teachings, for teenagers and for anyone, need to emphasize expansion of consciousness instead of contraction. To ask someone what they think about a certain issue, and if they think this or that is possible, is to invite them to expand their consciousness. Telling them what they should believe in, or do or not do, is often seen by the recipient as someone putting a limitation on them, which would result in a contraction of consciousness. We know that optimal spiritual growth comes from expansion of consciousness and our sense of self.

 

10. Optimum Approach to Spiritual Teachings for Teenagers

— The Inner and the Outer Path

It is important to remember that teenagers (and everyone) in reality are spiritual beings. The goal of life for them is to realize their full divine potential, which implies fulfilling their Christhood. To fulfill their Christhood they need to embrace spiritual teachings that lead to Christhood. Please note here the word embrace, which is an active undertaking. It does not say follow or observe or adhere to, which imply passiveness. These are concepts made up by the ego that it thinks it can conveniently use to gain spiritual realization. But this ego can not gain spiritual realization. Instead, the soul must wake up and dispense (in stages) with this ego consciousness.

The soul has the capability to embrace spiritual teachings when it sees validity, or relevance in them. Embracing spiritual teachings will translate into making conscious choices in life that reflect higher and higher spiritual truth, principles and qualities by using one's own spiritual discernment, which is an aspect of the Christ consciousness. It is by making right choices that the soul will gain its victory over all limitations. These choices will often be about choosing to pay attention to the voice of the ego, or to the voice of the conscience, also known as the inner voice of the heart, or the Christ Self. By choosing to trust and abide by the voice of the Christ Self, the soul will embody more and more of this consciousness, and will eventually realize the fullness of its Christ Self.

Embracing spiritual teachings does not mean following any outer doctrine. Instead, it is a process of joyful unification, with motivation coming from within. It means becoming the teaching. It means embodying the principles of the teaching, which is the real measure of spiritual growth. Outer actions will then be natural and spontaneous expressions of this inner process of being the teaching, and optimum spiritual progress occurs. This process of spiritual growth, that is based on inspiration coming from within, is also called the inner path. The inner path is a joyful path, because the soul rejoices in becoming More and in making its own choices to grow.

There is an outer path as well, that is based on aligning oneself in action or belief with an outer authority, principle or rule. It basically consists of following or being governed by something outside oneself rather than having what it takes to govern oneself. Spiritually, the outer path can be useful temporarily for an individual who is not yet able to access inspiration coming from within, from the soul. If the soul has retreated too far into the subconscious, meaning that it is not expressing itself through the conscious awareness of a person, there is value in learning by following outer directions. Constructive habits in life can be learned this way.

However, spiritually, the outer path is limited. Promoting constructive behavior is about as far as it can take an individual. If the soul does not wake up and chooses to embrace the inner path, as discussed, no more spiritual growth is possible. There is even the possibility that the ego in the individual will claim these "good works" to its own merit, and think that performed actions will be sufficient for its salvation. In that case the ego will grow instead, and the individual will regress spiritually. There are many today in major religions who believe in the illusion that the good works they do will compensate for not seeking oneness with God.

The ego is defined and born as being in separation from God, and will not and can not seek oneness with God. If it did it would cease to exist. It will seek to perform well in an outer way, often for others to see, while still maintaining its sense of separation from God, and thinking that God will have to accept this offering as sufficient for salvation. This will of course not happen. What father would accept an outer offering as a substitute from a child who is still in defiance? Only the soul can choose to accept God and thereby come into complete oneness with Him.

Looking at life in general in relation to the outer path, we know that following outer directions is sometimes necessary to prevent destructive behavior. This is the basis on which rules in school and laws in society are in effect. They are designed to provide outer guidelines and rules for appropriate behavior, and we know that they are currently needed in many aspects of people's lives.

However, in our society, outer laws and rules are often seen as ends in themselves, that people are supposed to follow. With this view it is easy to get the idea that the laws are above the people morally, thereby promoting the belief that people will always need them as an outer governing force. Spiritually, this puts a limitation on people, in essence telling them that they will always need outer authority because they are not quite good enough in themselves. This consciousness does not inspire people to be better by their own initiative coming from within. If people are led to believe that they are below the laws morally, they will live up to that belief, and will need them for sure.

Outer rules and laws should however be seen in their proper perspective spiritually. With our understanding that people are spiritual beings, destined to realize the fullness of God's qualities, we can understand that there will be a time, if they choose their destiny, when people will be able to supersede the outer rules, for the simple reason that they will be in alignment with the universal laws of God that govern all life. The universal laws of God are not limited to what is written in law or rule books, yet they will ensure that all considerations in the lives of humans will be satisfied in mutual harmony. Therefore, it is important to see outer laws and rules only as temporary measures, intended to be transcended, and thus not needed any longer when people grow above them. And, people need to be inspired to grow above them.

It is essential for children and teenagers to get this spiritual understanding about rules and laws. When they do, they will get a deeper perspective of what it really means to govern themselves, and be inspired to do so, and they will thereby be less dependent on being governed by others or by rules. This will be a fundamental consideration on their spiritual path, and one of the most important ones. It is also important for them to understand from an early age that the spiritual path is essentially an inner path, that spiritual progress and realization are taking place in a person's consciousness, and are not measured by actual outer performances, even if outer actions can be indications of it.

In dealing with teenagers, and considering what approach to spiritual growth can benefit them the most, we can now understand that our preferred choice will be to inspire them to want to embrace spiritual principles for themselves, by their own choice. If they are in harmony and balance, this will work well as long as the teaching is suited for their present level of consciousness, as discussed generally before, and as will be covered in detail later. Only if they are not responding to positive inspiration, will we use outer restrictions as a temporary measure. This will be a second choice, or plan B. In daily interactions with teenagers who we know, as parents or teachers, we usually find that they are open to positive teaching most of the time, and we likely find it very enjoyable to work with them this way.

If we look at the lives of teenagers, we see that one of the most important aspects of their lives is to define and build their individuality in order to be successful in life. A very important aspect of this process is self-transcendence. We have already discussed that self-transcendence is a central aspect of teenagers' lives. They are often looking for ways to be more than they currently are. They are up to all types of challenges to see if they dare to be or do more than before.

Now, what is the definition of spiritual teachings? It is teachings that teach us how we can transcend ourselves spiritually. What is the obvious conclusion of this? The conclusion is that spiritual teachings have the keys that teenagers are already actively seeking in their quest. These teachings can be a guide to them on how to be more in an ultimate sense, by mastery of their beliefs, thinking, feeling patterns, how to gain independence from what others think, what others do to them, and to find that their happiness doesn't have to depend on their outer conditions, but on their state of consciousness. Teenagers can find teachings like these interesting and inspiring when put into practice. Again, doing is the key, they want to learn by real experience, not by studying or reading about or hearing about.

 

11. Putting Spiritual Teachings Into Practice with Teenagers

For spiritual work with teenagers to be most successful, it is very helpful if we already have a constructive working relationship with them, either as parents or teachers. Or, at least that they willingly participate in a situation where some type of teaching or interaction is taking place with us. Without this important foundation we would be much more limited in what we could accomplish when it comes to spiritual work, or any type of work. So, we need to build and maintain this foundation, which is an ongoing process. Teenagers will have to have a basic trust in us, and have some level of motivation to work with us. This trust and motivation is built in the continual application of all the principles which have been outlined.

Looking at what type of spiritual teachings that can be most applicable for teenagers, we already know that they are actively working on self-transcendence at this stage of their life. So, they will therefore usually find spiritual teachings and principles most relevant to work with that specifically focus on how they themselves can become more and expand their sense of self, and how they can master different conditions that they encounter in life. And, as we know, this is really the essence of the spiritual path.

Young children are still very open to the non-visible aspects of reality. They are still engaged a lot in their imagination and make-believe concepts in play and thinking. Therefore, they are also generally open to teachings about God and angels and masters even if they can't see them concretely. Young children have developed their critical faculties and discernment only to a minor extent. They still learn to a large extent by absorbing their experiences. Parents have mostly found it relatively easy to teach young children about spiritual things by telling them Bible stories or discussing spiritual concepts that they can understand. They have often found it relatively easy to get their young children to participate in spiritual rituals, like prayer. They have usually found it quite easy for young children to accept what adults teach them. Then, when the children have grown up to become teenagers, parents have often found that they are not so easy to teach any longer, or as willing to participate in spiritual activities.

To understand what is happening here, sometimes causing disappointment, it's important to look at the stage of general growth as human beings they are in. Teenagers are in the middle of the process of developing their logical faculties and concrete thinking skills, and are leaving behind the make-believe world of younger children. They see that consciousness as more primitive, which it also is from the point of view of the rational mind. They are therefore very focused on the physical reality and what can be proven concretely, and they will tend to find teachings about non-visible concepts like God, angels etc. less relevant for this reason. They are also very focused on their own being and development, and their interests are often related to what can be of immediate benefit to themselves.

Next, teenagers are in the process of developing their critical thinking skills and using discernment in learning and dealing with life. So, they will naturally question what they are told, and will compare it to what their experiences are, and what they prefer to believe in. They will often shape their beliefs to be in alignment with how they want to see themselves in relation to others. Therefore, they can not be expected to accept what they are told at face value. We will have to accept that teenagers will question what we teach them. This is perfectly in order, if done sincerely, with intent to understand. As has been discussed, we should even encourage them to be willing to question anything they encounter in life, outside in their environment as well as inside themselves in their own consciousness. This skill is part of developing their Christ discernment.

Teenagers are also in the process of claiming their independence from their parents, so they will tend to question what parents tell them for this reason alone. If there is mutual respect in interaction, it is acceptable that teenagers question beliefs and principles they are faced with by their parents. If there is mutual respect, and teenagers are allowed to have their own view of things, they are often willing to accept decisions parents make that involve them. However, if parents try to push their own beliefs or principles on them, they will often find that their teenagers will rebel and distance themselves more from them.

We have to be aware of and accept the natural stage of development that teenagers are in by considering the aspects of growth that are involved in this stage. It would be counter-productive to try to teach them the same way as we teach younger children. Even young children will obviously benefit the most by being approached with open-mindedness and flexibility, but they are also often ready to accept straight instruction as is. Teenagers can also be ready to accept straight instruction from us in specific outer circumstances, but their readiness will be more of a choice they do to work with us. They will be much more motivated to make this choice if they understand that we still respect their growth in becoming independent.

When we work with teenagers in the application of spiritual principles, as well as in all interactions, we have to be sensitive to what teaching can apply to their level of consciousness in any given situation, and use our Christ discernment to decide what can benefit them the most in that situation. This is of utmost importance and can not be overstated. This must be our all-important concern in all our interactions with others. If we have unconditional love, it will be a natural concern. We can help them the most if we give just the right amount of light, qualified for their unique situation, so they can feel inspired to consider transcending themselves just that step that they are ready for right at that moment. Not more. Not less.

If we give too advanced teaching, they see it as unrealistic to live up to, and turn away from it. If we are too persistent, they feel intruded upon, and turn away as well. It must be just right for them. In fact, we can even go so far as saying that, if a teenager who is in harmony and balance, rejects a spiritual teaching or principle, then there is a good chance that it is not right for them at that moment. Also to be considered, if the teaching is below their level of consciousness they don't grow from it, but may descend in consciousness instead.

In observing teenagers, especially if they are in each other's company, we often find that they tend to gravitate toward a collective consciousness that they have agreed to share. This consciousness often includes aspects of the carnal mind, of seeking pleasure, entertainment, or just desire to play with energy. We also find that they often don't hesitate to slide down, at least temporarily, and indulge in the lower aspects of this consciousness. However, if we suddenly come in and appeal to their higher mind, we can often be surprised by how quickly they can respond and be there instead. Because they are young, teenagers are still very flexible spiritually. They can slide up or down with a moment's notice. It's up to us to inspire them to be up, and to stretch their current upper limit.

Because of this flexibility of young minds, we may find it easier in some ways to work with teenagers in spiritual matters, as compared to working with adults, who are often more solidified in what state of consciousness they have adopted. We also find that youngsters will rarely try to hide their real responses to us, whether they accept or reject what we present. If they find it unappealing or boring, we will see that immediately. If they find it inspiring and fun we will also know right away. We will usually know all the time if we are on the right track with them.

Working with adults can be trickier. They will often be more prone to observe common conventions in how to answer in order to be polite or to please us, or they will respond with the intention to appear in a certain way to us or to others. They may say that a spiritual concept is interesting even if they are not motivated to apply it to themselves. It is not as easy for us to see what is really going on in their consciousness. But we can leave the details of those considerations outside of this discussion.

Before we go into specific spiritual principles to work with with teenagers, it is helpful to sum up, and always be aware of two universal principles that will always constitute the essence of all spiritual work we do with them. The first is that they will learn best, and find it most inspiring to learn by example, in other words from someone who is embodying what is taught, as has been discussed. So, it is up to us to be the example of what we intend to teach them.

The second principle is that we always inspire them to come up higher, that we point them to Christ in themselves, in any given situation. If we do this in the unique way that will be applicable to them in that situation, we actually don't have to think further about exactly what teaching or principle we need to be working on. Whatever assistance we can be in helping them to come up higher, will always be taken care of in the simple act of expressing our light for their inspiration.