[tmtranscripts] N. Idaho TeaM 2/8/04

[rickgiles]

North Idaho Teaching Mission Group
Topics: Self Worth, Your Worth to the Master Craftsman.
Teachers: Elyon, Machiventa

February 8, 2004

*	Elyon (Jonathan TR):  Blessings to you, your friend Elyon 
here.  I greet you.
	It has been mentioned in your discussion your idea of self 
worth.  I wish to increase your sense of worthiness by 
describing for you the dynamics that contribute to feelings of 
worthiness or feelings that detract from worthiness.
	You have a saying that goes: I have owned this hammer all my 
life.  It has had a few new handles, and I replaced the head 
once, but I have had it all my life.  The makeup of your being 
is very much like this.  When you are feeling unworthy you are 
often focusing upon an element of your personality makeup 
detracting from the whole of your being while magnifying a small 
element.  You observe that your actions do not portray what you 
define to be a son of God.  You observe your hammer handle 
split, weakened, thereby making you less useful to work at hand, 
and that that flaw may even be disruptive to your integrity.  To 
one who values their tool the observation of a weakness will be 
readily remedied; the handle will be replaced.  For one who 
cherishes a tool in good working order there is no hesitancy to 
remove the weakness.  The love for yourself implies willingness 
to replace your flaws with sound elements.
	What is it that continues to make this hammer the same 
hammer when all parts over time have been replaced?  It is the 
configuration, the pattern.   If you were to replace the head 
with a hatchet you would have changed the pattern and lost the 
continuity.
	Each one of you is personality.  It is your pattern.  This 
pattern is eternal.  That which contributes to personality is 
very much like the parts that make up the hammer: your mind, 
your body.  The thoughts that flow through your mind, the 
nutrients that flow through your body, come and go.  When you 
feel lack of self worth, you are confusing your personality 
presence with the elements that contribute to your configuration 
as a living entity.  Hesitate not to replace your parts, to 
transform your mind, to transform your body.  These alterations 
will not remove the pattern that you are.  Remember that this 
pattern that is you is given by God, emerges from the absolute 
pattern of Father personality.  Replacing your flaws extends 
rightly from a sense of self worth.
	Recognition of your faults implies that you are alert and 
care about the condition of those elements that contribute to 
your entire being.  They should be recognized with joy, for you 
now can strengthen yourself, better your abilities.
	As you have only gained experience in a few short years of 
this earth life, you have yet to, in full awareness, experience 
many transformations of yourself.  These as they accrue begin to 
reveal to you that element of yourself that changes not.  You 
can realize the permanency of your personality without 
undertaking these changes, but it is only to one diligent in 
observation, one astute who can draw such conclusions.  For many 
it is a matter of surviving transformation in experience and 
recognizing the you that remains regardless of any change.  Why 
do you not cease to be?  Why is that hammer still a hammer?  It 
is because the owner loves that tool, in your case the Father in 
heaven loves you and will go to all ends to keep you in working 
order, to preserve your presence.  Trust the Father’s evaluation 
of you.
	Do not fall prey to judging yourself as a supersedure of the 
Father’s worth placed upon you.  You will continue to change 
throughout eternity.  I can say you will change only because you 
remain at the core of that which changes all about you.
	I hope that I encourage you to continue your work at the 
development of your being.  While you are keen toward assisting 
your fellows in understanding their cosmic relationship, for you 
are observant of their needs and desire to minister, you must 
also remember that you are a tool of God, that a good tool is 
kept in good working order.  Ever be ready to swap your parts 
that you may be prepared for the job at hand.
	Thank you for receiving my words today.

*	Machiventa (Mark):  I would share this forum with Elyon who 
so adequately describes the function of the transformation about 
you and around you  while your core remains steadfast.  I would 
build upon his platform to expand his presentation.  This is 
Machiventa.
	As Elyon so adequately portrayed, you see yourselves largely 
in the minute sense of the flaws, whereas your master craftsman, 
your Father, chooses to see you as the pattern in which you 
continue to be useful.  Why is this that the master craftsman 
has so carefully gathered you and so carefully and tenderly 
watches over your needs as a cherished tool?  That is that each 
one of you, though you may follow some similar patterns, is 
entirely unique in your appropriateness and usefulness to the 
master craftsman.  All hammers do not appear similar because 
they possess different functions and purposes.  A variety of 
tools is necessary to accomplish any intricate task, because 
each tool is uniquely suited to do the job for which it is 
accustomed.  Therefore does the master craftsman cherish each 
tool in his tool box as equally important in its own way and for 
its own task.
	Nevertheless I understand that you live in a world where you 
are judging those tools around you as to their usefulness, and 
the mindset of your world at this time can be one of a 
disposable or throw-away mindset.  But I tell you this is not 
the way of the Father, not the way of the master craftsman who 
cherishes his tools as they become more and more honed to be 
more effective the longer they are used and the more experienced 
they become.  As only one in an arsenal of useful tools any 
given individual may come to question their worth amongst all 
the other valuable tools.  In this regard I would like to 
overlay the image of the importance of the network involved.
	Any good soldier may become disillusioned when isolated and 
left to his own self examination.  But when this same soldier is 
reinforced with the attitude and knowledge that he is part of a 
vast support network which, not only knows of his contribution 
to this network but is in very fact dependent upon all aspects 
of this web of support, he then feels the increased importance 
of his position.  Although it may be at an outpost far away from 
the main activity, when he feels connected by this sense of 
support, he gains great courage and strength and self worth by 
knowing that he is needed by his commanders to be performing 
exactly the function he is performing.  This is the position 
each of you is in to the master craftsman, to the lieutenant in 
charge.  It is required of each of you that you maintain your 
post and fulfill your duties, each one to the best of your 
ability, functioning as the best tool possible so that the 
commander may rely upon you to be the leverage and apply the 
pressure where necessary and when necessary to bring about large 
scale movement and change.
	It is not the single, lone, individual acting unconnected 
who causes great movements and shifts.  It is the united 
partnership of individuals working together which provides the 
necessary momentum to effect great change.  Therefore, while you 
are but one tool in the master’s tool box, you are the unique 
tool the master requires to effectively manipulate the outpost 
in which you reside.  In this manner you are as valuable to the 
whole as are your commanders-in-chief in that, without you and 
your effective use of your tool, the entire plan cannot be 
accomplished.  That is the importance placed upon you as 
individuals.
	I relate this description because at times it is easier for 
individuals to rally their self worth when they believe that 
others are depending upon them, that others believe them to be 
worthy, that others bestow upon them this sense of worthiness 
through placing the trust of this entire endeavor on the 
individuals involved.  If any one personally may doubt from time 
to time that they are up to the task, they are adequate to 
perform their function, just remember that your commander-in-
chief believes you to be adequate to the task, in fact has 
appointed you to this task, in fact needs your unique leverage 
to accomplish this task.
	The burden of this is light when one realizes that you are 
acting in concert with your Creator, your brother, your Father, 
for the upliftment of your world and those around you.  It 
becomes a joyous task to undertake, and this matter of self 
worth becomes washed from your being as you immerse yourself in 
the task at hand.  It is human nature to encounter these 
feelings of limitation, and it is spirit nature which navigates 
you through these feelings, and divine nature that cleanses you 
of all doubt.  May we all work together for this united purpose, 
for this upliftment of your world.  For the fulfillment of 
Michael’s mission may we all be of one heart and of one mind to 
fulfill this purpose.  May we all rise to the challenge, grapple 
with our feelings of inadequacy, and rally to the cause.
	Thank you for hearing me today.

	Jonathan:  I request that you help us all keep our edges 
sharp and our handles oiled so we can serve the master craftsman 
in being about the work of the Father.

*	Machiventa:  We may lead you to this crossroads, but in the 
end it is always you individually who decides the depth that you 
explore the cracks in your handles and the willingness you show 
to be about the restoration of any shortcomings.
	I will bring up the discussion you had earlier about your 
shortcomings being the opportunities for your areas of concern.  
If you notice that your hammer head is marred, then it becomes 
your choice as to how to deal with that.  Do you ignore that?  
Do you decide to take your hammer to the grinding wheel and buff 
it down to a smooth finish again?  If your hammer causes you 
splinters you could choose to still use it and sustain minor 
injury.  You could choose to be about the larger task of 
replacing the hammer handle.  Greater effort is required to 
replace the handle than to wrap it up.  You are the ones who 
decide at what point the handle is no longer serviceable and 
must be replaced, and you are willing to put forth the effort to 
do so.  Or perhaps the hammer handle can be useful for a little 
while longer, as it is until the time that you feel that you are 
ready to supply the necessary effort to upgrade the existing 
pattern.  These choices fall to you as an individual to find the 
time and the effort necessary to hone your tools, sharpen your 
blades, sharpen your handles in preparation for the tasks ahead.
	I am sure that each one of your here is well up to the task 
of your personal assessments.  You have proven repeatedly you 
are willing to invest the necessary energy to polish yourselves 
in preparation for these tasks.  I have no reason to suspect 
that it will be otherwise as time proceeds.

	Jonathan:  I infer that we ought to not stall in any task 
because we recognize a flaw.  We can wrap that handle in duct 
tape and get the job done knowing that we will need to get rid 
of that defect, but we can put ourselves to useful work until 
the change time.  Is that right?

*	Machiventa:  Human nature is to stall.  The tendency of the 
human outlook is to patch the existing reality, to limp by with 
the existing pattern until or unless that becomes no longer 
serviceable to you.  At that point you will decide that the duct 
tape no longer fulfills the requirements for your use of that 
tool.  If you determine early on that the handle is badly 
cracked and requires immediate attention, then you don’t 
hesitate to focus on the task ... your tool more serviceable.  
If you notice some small cracks or dents in your surface you may 
decide that your effort is best put in another venue at that 
time, and you are willing to use the tool in the condition that 
it is.  However, you come to find that when the tool is put to 
its task these more minor flaws are brought to the surface.  
When you need to put the tool to a severe test you may find the 
handle breaks off in your hand and requires your immediate 
attention.
	It is of little consequence in the long term perspective 
that it took you longer or shorter time to administer these 
changes.  The Father is only concerned that you desire to 
maintain the hammer.  The hammer is important to you enough that 
you will service the hammer and provide what it needs to keep it 
functioning in your lives.  The sooner you are about the task of 
providing service to your tools, the more effective your tools 
become.  You do not find yourselves falling short when it is 
time to provide the leverage necessary and your handle at that 
point gives way.  Every one of us as we follow the ascension 
career notices cracks and weak points in our tools from time to 
time.  We may decide that sometime that may need attention but 
for right now I have bigger issues to deal with and neglect the 
replacing of the handle until we rally the necessary energy to 
be about that.  But in the end it is the fact that you will 
maintain this hammer and you will use it.  If it breaks you will 
fix it.  If it is marred you will polish it.  Your devotion to 
this hammer in the end is the important aspect.  The condition 
of this hammer is the measure of effectiveness you will have in 
this equation.

	Jonathan:  Thank you.  You hit the truth nail on the head!

*	Machiventa:  And the hammer head sustained no damage.
	As you note in your own lives some of your favorite 
possessions may be marred or damaged or chipped or dented but 
nevertheless they are quite serviceable to you as what they are.  
In fact, you come to have a sense of security with these tools 
the way they are; the chip in the handle fitting in your hand as 
it did last time gives you a sense of stability.  So long as 
that is the case it is not necessary to change this.  If in the 
course of its use it proves unsatisfactory, then is the time you 
consider replacing the handle with the chip.

	Jonathan:  You call to mind Jesus’ acceptance of the 
apostles with all their personality traits, his willingness to 
have Judas even though he knew all was not well in the mind of 
Judas.  Also it calls to mind the Biblical account of Paul 
requesting the thorn in his side be removed.  Alas, he accepted 
the fact it was not the Father’s will.  A flaw may be 
acceptable, that the time is not nigh for its changing.

*	Machiventa:  You speak to the fact that Michael when he was 
here was intent on establishing the pattern, the hammer.  He was 
content to act with the hammers at hand, his apostles.  
Nevertheless he, for his time and all subsequent generations, 
established his pattern, the hammer, for all time.  The various 
examples of the hammer, the apostles and disciples, have come 
and gone throughout time, many with chipped handles and dinged 
heads.  Nevertheless the pattern he chose to establish lives on, 
and the followers live on as a pattern.  Therefore is the 
enduring aspect of his relationship and his, as you say, 
acceptance of the limitations of the pattern which he developed.
	One slight more bit of imagery:  The Father needs not only 
hammers.  The Father desires a wide array of tools in his tool 
box.  Even chisels, even wedges are useful to the Father, though 
the very idea of a wedge separating something and breaking 
something apart, has its useful aspects in the Father’s tool 
box.  There are many patterns acceptable to the Father in the 
form of his useful tools.  We all must not think of ourselves as 
some derivative of the hammer.  There are many tools that we may 
find ourselves replicating the pattern of, all of which are 
useful and beneficial in the service of the Father.  These are 
the outworkings of our individual characters and personalities.  
We may be more suited to be the wedge at times than we are the 
hammer, although both are required to fulfill the job.  
Therefore do not become hard on yourselves at any time for 
thinking as though you do not look like a proper hammer.  There 
are numerous other valuable tools which you may come to resemble 
that are not hammers which are equally valuable to the Father in 
your unique position.  We only use the hammer as a means of 
illustration of pattern, but there are numerous patterns 
involved and available for your representation.
	That is all I will offer for today.  Thank you.