"God doesn’t give you more than you can handle." This is a very
biblical saying that implies that when life appears to be falling
apart, are we to assume it is God doing this to us? No. I
don’t think so. I believe that when difficult things
happen, one right after the other, what is truly "falling apart" at
that time in our life, is an illusion that comes from listening to the
voice of our ego. Don’t get me wrong- I, as much as anyone, get
caught up in illusion and have spent much of my life trying to control
the outcome of many situations. It’s when things happen to us
that are truly out of our control, in which we are tested to the
maximum. All pain in life comes from wishing things were
different than they are. So conversely, peace and happiness must
come from accepting life as it is and breaking through the barriers of
illusion to do so. Often, when something looks really bad, there
is something else to replace it that is far better, right around the
corner. The challenge is always moving to the next bend, or fork
in the road, with eyes wide open and not allowing our fears to hold us
at bay from connecting with spirit and our true Self. Pema
Chodron says to, "move toward your fear," and since fear is born from
the ego it can be our best guide and teacher. Many of us, when
life gets tough, decide to numb out through addiction or adopt a
"victim mentality" that keeps us from facing our fears and discovering
what that better thing around the corner may be.
Does this mean we just sit like Buddha, in lotus position, and allow
life to be what it is without effort, hard work, and aspiration?
Not at all! On the contrary! It means we question our internal motives
and desires to notice and have the courage to ask: what voice is
speaking to me in this moment? What voice is navigating my
direction? Is it the voice of the ego or is it my true
Self? The problem is, many of us are unaware when our ego is in
charge and we are living unconsciously. Chances are if you are
listening to the ego, unaware, it is ruling you and leading you
astray. The ego can look pretty good, sometimes, but as the true
self whimpers and cries to be heard, eventually a path of love will
create the circumstances for ego to disintegrate. And so,
sometimes our lives appear to be temporarily falling apart right as we
are going to experience a rebirth of spirit.
This past November I attended a week long spiritual retreat called "The
path of love." I can’t say too much about "the process" because in
order for each person to receive the maximum benefit, it is important
for him or her to go into the workshop with a level of trust that
happens by not knowing what comes next. I will say, though, that
the greatest gift that I realized in this process is when we feel
broken down to our lowest point, and we are fully exposed and
vulnerable where we identify with nothing, it is here we find innate
love and compassion as our source of life. And, we all come from
the same source. I can tell you that there have been many times
in the process of losing my beloved that I have felt completely broken,
but never alone or without love. When life appears to be falling
apart on the worldly level, rest assured that all will be well
spiritually and your true self is calling you to emerge. In fact,
the more dramatic life changes that are happening usually indicate that
your authentic self is screaming to be revealed!
As we wake up, which often happens in suffering, we realize that it is
not the circumstances of life that make us or break us, but rather our
relationship to ourselves and an indwelling source of love that allows
us to move forward on the path of life. We can see that sometimes
life gives us what we need, not what we think we want, so that we can
choose to find our innate joy as the source of happiness that resides
inside each and every one of us, in love.
Join the Live and Love in the Moment Challenge!
If you have been inspired by
the message that you
received from a friend, based on our new book "An Hour to Live, An Hour
to Love" please consider joining our "live and love in the moment"
challenge. At the heart of personal growth is intention. We issue the
"live and love in the moment" challenge to help inspire your commitment
to yourself to treasure the gifts of life and love. [click here]
