I Appeal to You
... through Bertha Dudde  - 30.06.1944 

3176   Course of life predetermined depending on will ....

The human being’s course of life corresponds to the soul’s state of maturity at the time of its embodiment on earth, that means, God so delineated its earthly life that it provides the soul with the best possibility for higher development. If the human being has the interest of his soul at heart he will indeed make use of every opportunity and reach his goal while he is still on earth, he will adapt himself to the eternal Deity by living a way of life according to God’s will. But he can also let all opportunities pass by without making use of them, and this signifies spiritual standstill, a deficiency in his development. And this shortcoming shall be balanced out again, therefore life often makes great demands on him which require all his strength if he wants to comply with them. He is effectively offered another opportunity to practise neighbourly love insofar as something is expected of him which requires all his will but which presupposes helpful neighbourly love. If he lives up to these requirements he must activate his will and work for the benefit of his fellow human beings. And this activity can lead to the soul’s maturity, because its driving force is neighbourly love and this is the most effective means to attain maturity of soul. If the human being practises neighbourly love from an early age, he will use every opportunity offered to him for his spiritual advancement, for then he will also brightly and clearly recognise the meaning and purpose of his earthly existence.

If, however, he is half-hearted and sluggish and if his heart is hardened towards his fellow human beings’ suffering, then he will also let every possibility for development pass by, he will only think of himself and ignore his fellow human beings’ hardship, then he will also live in complete ignorance of his actual task on earth and therefore will not consciously strive to ascend. It is possible that the soul, prior to its incarnation as a human being, can already have been exceedingly willing, and this willingness led to its earthly life in which it can attain a very high spiritual level, for according to its will God provides it with the opportunity to become active. Thus the human being will find life relatively easy insofar as his soul will not offer resistance but willingly strive to fulfil the commandments of God because it receives strength as a result of its willingness. For it is the strength of love which results in activity of love again. A willing soul does not resist carrying out loving deeds because love dwells within it and because a loving heart will constantly stimulate loving activity. And therefore he will be offered an abundance of opportunities, regardless of how he uses them. The less a person resists his inner urges the sooner the soul will mature, for then it will be constantly driven to carry out deeds of love, and thus the soul gradually changes into love, it complies with its task on earth, and every experience contributes towards its higher development. For the soul’s earthly life is predetermined depending on its will, which it can therefore cover with great success .... so that it will attain the maturity on earth which allows it to enter the kingdom of light immediately after its physical death ....

Amen