By Susan deCaussin
Many people who are focused on their spiritual journey can easily spout phrases like “everything has Divine purpose”, “it’s all for the highest and best”, and “everything happens with Divine Timing”. However, the real test of growth for anyone occurs when the rubber hits the road. You really don’t know exactly how you’re going to react to a situation until you’re in the midst of it. The deeply held beliefs in your inner mind may conflict with those newfound concepts which are now drawing you in as a part of your spiritual growth.
Life altering events don’t usually come one after the other, with no breathing room in between. However, on the occasions when they do show up, the choices we make on how to move through and beyond them can sometimes take us by surprise. All of that stuff about Divine purpose and timing is overrun by fearful thoughts and the “why me?” and “what now?” state of mind. But, you have the ability to strengthen your level of resiliency, in preparation for those times, by practicing on smaller situations each day. It’s just like strengthening a muscle in the body.
Now, let’s be honest. Accepting that difficult life events are for your highest and best can be a tough pill to swallow if you haven’t practiced that manner of thinking on the smaller things which happen day-to-day. Much like purchasing insurance provides peace of mind, building faith in the Divine nature of our existence allows us to move through every situation with a sense of security and calm acceptance. That more confident state of mind then allows for a level of comfort and stability. I’d like to share one way that I continuously work to maintain and build upon my ability to reinforce that our loving Creator has everything under control and all is well.
How many people get completely unhinged when they find that traffic conditions are slowing their commute and they’re going to be late for work or an important appointment? At the risk of harm to themselves and others, they speed up, weave in and out of traffic, and cut off other cars in an attempt to save travel time. Ironically, these cars usually end up parked right next to you at that red light a couple of miles up, having made no forward progress whatsoever.
In those moments when you’re witnessing this behavior in others (or even yourself), remember those people who missed making a flight, only to find out that the airplane went down in a crash. What about all of the people who, for one reason or another, were unable to get to work on 9-11 at the World Trade Center, and had their life spared from that horrible event? These are two examples, but there are many less tragic moments in life when, after the fact, it becomes clear that certain favorable outcomes would not have been possible had that difficult circumstance not showed up when it did.
Don’t resist … in order to exist. Stop struggling against the flow of life’s events and timing. Let go and surrender with a grateful heart, trusting and knowing that everything ALWAYS happens, exactly at the right moment, with Divine purpose, for the highest and best. Look for and appreciate the goodness that comes out of events of each day. Then, when the big stuff hits, you’ll already be practiced at peacefully accepting and embracing it all with trust and gratitude.
The way I see it, you have a couple of different options. Either you can conclude, in every situation, that all of life’s events are there to help you grow in faith, and that we’re always watched over and protected. Or, you can choose to conclude that everything is just haphazard and life’s difficulties are punishments that are randomly handed out. Which one is going to leave you in a state of peace?
Susan deCaussin CHt
