Striking Thoughts

[Sunset Dragon]

I was holding a book called Striking Thoughts, which contains quotes and messages by Bruce Lee. I asked God to help me receive a message from him via this book after trying to have a conversation with him about my obstacles, many of which I fail to deal with without damaging my health. I knew there was a good chance that this approach would land with me an incorrect message, but I proceeded, opening the book at random and placing my finger down without looking. I received the following message:

'There was a fine butcher who used the same knife year after year, yet it never lost its delicate, precise edge. After a lifetime of service, it was still as useful and effective as when it was new. When asked how he had preserved his knife's fine edge, he said, “I follow the line of the hard bone. I do not attempt to cut it, nor to smash it, nor to contend with it in any way. That would only destroy my knife.” In daily living, one must follow the course of the barrier. To try to assail it will only destroy the instrument. And no matter what some people will say, barriers are not the experience of any one person, or any one group of persons. They are the universal experience.'

Remembering the things that I had said, I wondered if the knife was a representation of me, and the barriers that of my own. By trying to push through my obstacles, I was damaging myself, perhaps needing to accept that these barriers were a part of myself (like an addiction for example), and could not be defeated in a single moment. Things take time, and we must realise that the defeat of some obstacles cannot come until the defeat of others. You must go through the army itself before you can reach the king, or conquer 'A' before you can conquer 'B'. I needed to accept this.

Wishing to take another step further, I then asked if the angels could provide me with a message. Using the same technique, this is the message I received:

'Frankness and truthfulness to myself and to the one I love. Truthful between two as one. You are part of my life, no pride, vanity, or anger involved.'

I took this almost as a follow-up, a message reminding me to treat myself as I would a lover, to be frank and truthful and to accept them as a part of my life. I need to love myself in order to accept me and my limitations at this time, rather than hate myself and charge blindly into battles I'm not ready to conquer. I need to be honest with myself and shed my pride and anger.

Intrigued, I decided to go one step further and asked my guides to contribute a final message. This is what I received:

'Without respect, love cannot go long.'

Surely I'm not alone in seeing how the third message connects to the second and then the first. It was as if God was telling me to accept my limitations in order to preserve my wellbeing, the angels telling me to love myself in order to do so, and the guides reminding me that love for myself would not last without respect. Self-respect. How can I truly love myself if I cannot respect myself? And so I must say that I found these three messages to be quite impressive.