During the Pandemic I found that I kept getting tested. I had had time to develop this wonderful spirituality that finally seemed to resonate with my authentic self. I felt confident, joyful, and for the first time in over twenty years, connected. Then….my cat got sick. Then…I got called up for jury duty. What is UP Universe!?!! I thought. I can NOT handle one more thing. But, the Universe answered, this was not the point.
There is always a lesson in the heartache. No matter how slowly I go-kicking and screaming-to understand it. The moments of pure bliss we spend with our spirituality are, in truth, no different than our moments of challenge. The difference is in how we react to it. The trick is to find the joy, acceptance, and perspective even when we can’t control the outcome. This is no easy task. Sometimes the road to Joy takes a circuitous path. It doesn’t always fly direct.
A friend of mine told a poignant story of uncertainty in her own life. Her son had just gotten married in January when, in June, he told his mother he was getting a divorce. She was heartbroken and frustrated with his lack of persistence in the relationship. As time when on she accepted his decision, but her heart remained heavy in the process.
Flash forward to a scant year later her son remarried. Although my friend appreciated his new wife, her resistance to his divorce still, somewhat remained. What’s interesting is that she then discovered she needed a liver transplant-and her new daughter-in-law was a match. And a willing donor. Her previous daughter in law would not have been.
Life sometimes fools us by masking the bigger picture. Sometimes we cannot even see this picture for all of the moving parts it contains. Everything must fit together JUST right in order for the greater plan to work out, like my friends successful liver transplant. She most likely would not be here today if not for her son’s divorce. Something, at the time, she thought was one of the worst things that could ever happen.
The trick is to find Joy in whatever moment you are with. Accept and surrender-will, as the Matthew says worry really add one more day to your life? Even if it would, how enjoyable would that day be if you were so focused on the what-could-be that you missed the beauty of what is? Even in loss there is a beauty in appreciation of the moments shared. Even in pain the birds fly, the sky expands into the most breathtaking sunsets and a hug from a loved one can provide a poignant comfort.
Joy is waiting in these moments. Pull back the veil. What you appreciate, appreciates. Scavenger hunt for Joy into your life. Be patient and kind with yourself while you look. Joy is waiting on the other side of your next rainbow.
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