Article for New Vision, The Hamblin Trust magazine
When we rely only on our outer selves, life’s experiences can sometimes be extremely overwhelming and often very painful. It is so hard to understand pain and suffering with simply the outer human mind. We resist it, we resent it. We cannot understand why when we try so hard to do the right things, life throws a spanner in the works and we face conditions or circumstances that are hard and difficult to overcome. It’s often harder when it affects people we love.
However, when we begin to look at life’s experiences through the eyes of spirit, when we know that there is a purpose behind all circumstances, this gives us the opportunity to react differently to these tough and demanding conditions. Even so, understanding the purpose and reasons, does not in themselves make things go away, it does not necessarily make it less painful or arduous. But it does however, enable us to reach deeper within ourselves, to find that courage and strength, to see the wisdom of the lesson experienced, and above all to see with a wider vision where this lesson is taking us. This is truly the path of the soul, this is the opportunity that comes to each one of us when we walk the pathway. Our lessons, our life’s experiences, however painful they are, are not something that the Creator decided to throw at us as an experiment. These are the results of our many lifetimes’ experiences, our sowing and reaping, our karma. Our karma is not a punishment, but come rather as an opportunity for us to grow wiser, stronger, in other words, each experience brings us an opportunity to develop and unfold more soul qualities.
All life’s lessons are about unfolding and developing soul qualities. The degree of this unfoldment is related to the experience we find ourselves in and whether we choose to be positive or negative about it. It is truly about our reaction to life’s lessons that matters. We always have the choice.
Walking the pathway can be joyful and also painful. The beauty of the path of the soul is that we do have within us all the qualities we need to cope with life’s experiences. Each time a new experience comes, it enables us to become aware of yet another soul quality, and unfold this to perhaps a greater degree of consciousness. We have all the courage and strength, wisdom and understanding to go through every experience of life. The problem is that we don’t really know ourselves, we don’t know what we are really made of. We don’t truly understand what is deep within. So these experiences come to help us go deeper within and get in touch with that centre of Light, that centre of Love within us. Because it is only through the Love, which brings us gentleness, patience and wisdom, and through the understanding, the Light, that we truly begin to know ourselves, to go through and overcome difficult circumstances and to meet each of this with an understanding heart.
