People are...well, people. One thing we all must understand is the capacity humans have to disappoint and mess up is great. Being emotional thinkers, our species desires to rationalize everything and fit the human experience in a box. Being an emotional spiritual thinker creates a three dimensional view of these same experiences.
If you do not operate under the emotional spiritual thinker umbrella, you will only see the problem and the result. When you add the spiritual component to your existence, you will not only see the problem and the result but you will also see the purpose. It's hard, I know, to want to see the purpose in an awful experience but what we must ask ourselves is this: The person you have become, would you have been a better person without the challenging experiences? Would you understand you will to persevere? If that person would have stayed in your life, would they have contributed to you being a better person or would they have contributed to the development of a careless, loveless, uninspired version of yourself? How can we determine if an absence or presence has truly enhanced our lives to it's full potential of being? The answer to all of those questions is simply, "We simply do not know."
Being the emotional spiritual thinker that I am, I can share many stories with people about hardships, disappointments, mistreatment, abuse, depression, challenges and what feels like missed opportunities to be better but I will say this, without understanding my spiritual purpose, I would never be able to reconcile the issues of the past (and present). Without the peace that surpasses all understanding, I couldn't sleep at night. People ask me why am I so calm most of the time. My answer is when you have gone through some of the storms I have, a drizzling rain doesn't phase you.
We all are examples of the outcomes of our experiences. We are the living billboard for what happens when you approach a problem in a particular way.
People hurt us more than we are willing to confess and some of us can't move forward because we harbor so much anger and hatred for these people. We curse them and carry with us a burden that the person who caused it may never actually know about. What is I told you that while you are so angry at that person for leaving that you are missing that because that person left, it activated your determination to be dedicated and never leave the ones you love? What if that event, for some reason, enhanced your determination to never place anyone else in the angry and hurt position you are in? What the emotional thinkers miss that the emotional spiritual thinker grasp is that after seeing that despite those bad situations, you still have a spirit of survival and overcoming and the person you are is in a crazy way BECAUSE of the hurt you've experienced. Once you can appreciate who you are, not saying that there aren't components in your life you wish were different as a result of the past, you are able to release the hurt little by little. It's not an easy process but it's not impossible. Your past designed the version of yourself.
Forgiveness is not for the person who wronged you. Forgiveness is for your heart and mind. Some people hurt others not because they intend to but because they don't know how not to. I have always believed that God, in his infinite sometimes confusing wisdom, knows what He's doing even when terrible things happen that makes us question if he is really there and if he is, why is he allowing these things to happen. Have you ever heard the phrase "Hurt people hurt people"? Well, it's true but we must make an effort to break this vicious cycle and forgiveness is the tool for the job.
God never said if you live by his will that no pain will befall you. He never said he will ensure you never struggle. He never said that He will remove the storm so you won't experience it. What He will do is be our strength when we are weak. He will carry us when we can't walk any further. He will comfort us when we grieve. He will watch over us when our earthy stewards leave us alone. He will hear your cry and above all, He will answer. The mistake we make is assuming God will answer our prayers and request in the time in which we desire or demand.
God is not our personal valet.
With all that we request from God, we still have a responsibility of our own. With the experiences we are given, we still have to activate our faith and work at it. Nothing is easy and
Someone walked away from you. Your dad left as a kid. Your mom decided she couldn't take it so she walked away. That sister or brother you loved so much decided they didn't want to stay under your parents' roof anymore so they bailed. The experience left you broken, confused and angry. It's important that once you have reached a point where you can stop and reflect on your life that you not focus just on the bad and with a desire for healing understand the events that happened and begin the process of letting go.
As a kid, you see things one sided but the truth is you will never know exactly why people leave and why they felt they had to. If they though it necessary to leave, even for selfish reasons, would you have rather that person stay in your life and be a negative or harmful influence? Parents' split and try to spare the children the truth but sometimes the stories that aren't told leave voids that are filled with angry interpretation of events that may not be accurate and if they are, they cause such injury sustaining memories leaving a person wounded. If you live to reach adulthood and has someone to love you unconditionally, take that experience and let yourself let some of the bad go. The people who love you now, can you imagine your life without them? If you didn't go through the tough times, would you have made it to this level of love that is more than you imagined. The hurt had a purpose and after you realize that it did, it's time to begin the healing process of forgiveness and letting the pain go. Forgiveness doesn't mean the memories go away but once you have peace you may find you don't think of the bad stuff as much and when you do, you grieve for a moment but you say "It made me who I am today" and you keep on pushing.
Life for me, my loved ones, ain't been no crystal stairs but I was allowed to peak over the banister to see a different view of things. I don't do much preaching or advice distribution to people about how to live, forgive or just be but people ask me because they see something. I struggle just like everyone but every so often someone may ask me something out of the blue which lets me know that people do watch you.
One question I'm asked often is "How do you deal with your stress and depression?" There is not cookie cutter answer for that. I just remember that I have made it through other storms and I have faith I'll make it through current storms and if I don't make it, I know I gave it a good fight and didn't faint.
I pray that we, as adults, learn how to deal with, not only the difficult moments of the present but the moments in the past that we still hold onto. It's not easy. Have enough faith in yourself that you can trust that God will give you what you seek. Peace. Wrong doers will have their moment of judgment. Don't wait around so you can sit on the jury. Live. Life fully! Live with love! Live with gratefulness that you have made it to a point of being able to let go. All that's left to do now is let go and live life more abundantly!
Loved ones, I wish you peace and happiness for today, tomorrow and forever.
B@peace!
Stay TRU
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