“The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.”
~William Blake
The desire for freedom from our personal suffering appears by grace. Who knows how we end up on the spiritual path?
We get tired of things being so-so, or worse. We know there must be another way. And we get intensely interested in the possibility of moving beyond our habits to know the deepest peace and to live it.
I am so moved by each of you reading this and your clear intention to be free. So maybe you have the same question that frequently enters my inbox and gets posted on my facebook page. It goes something like this:
- But I’m still attached…
- I do what you suggest, but it’s not working…
- The memories keep coming, and I’m still sad…
- How do I let go?
- I’m still suffering. How can I be free?
And here’s my answer: the solution lies in the moment. It’s only in this moment when you’re suffering, and only in this moment when you can find your way to peace.
Your Only Goal Is Peace Now
If think you’re going to get rid of any of your experiences, if you think your challenges will go away forever, think again. No matter how deeply you know that your essence is love and that you are one with everything, in the course of ordinary life, emotional reactions, stories, and distorted ways of seeing the world will arise. It happens to me all the time.
These experiences are conditioned, and you can’t control the fact that they appear. But, in any moment, you can control what you do with them.
You can continue doing what you’ve always done that perpetuates your problems: trust your thoughts, feed them with your attention, think and talk about what’s wrong, give importance to your feelings, act out your conditioned tendencies.
Or you can take the path of truth and freedom. In any given moment:
- Welcome the fact that stories are present—but don’t feed their content with your attention.
- Receive every feeling—and feel how it’s expressed in your body rather than getting caught in the drama.
- Feel the urges that pull you to engage in self-defeating behaviors—but don’t act on them.
This is what’s so amazing. You can be at peace with your experience by welcoming it, but it doesn’t have to control you.
Every Time Is a Golden Opportunity—Your Moment
An opportunity is defined as a “lucky chance” or a “favorable circumstance.” Instead of being frustrated when you find yourself caught again in the grip of conditioned reactions, or thinking you’ve done it wrong or failed, take that moment as an opportunity.
It’s a lucky chance you’ve been given to find your way to peace, a favorable circumstance that invites you to return home to the truth of you that is always fresh, whole, and at ease.
It doesn’t matter how many times you get stuck—each one is an opportunity to clear the veils and illuminate your true essence.
Next time and every time you find yourself entangled by problems, say, “Thank you” for the gift you’ve been offered. Then don’t touch the problem with your attention. Lose interest in it—it’s not serving you anyway, is it? Immediately, you’ll find yourself: innocent, undisturbed, and so incredibly alive. Every time.
What About You?
Are problems bothering you? Can you take the opportunity in the moment to untangle the feelings and stories? I’d love to hear… And if you’re reading by email, please click here to comment.
Always in love,
