Today, my heart is aching just a bit, and I thought that, in an effort to stay with my feelings, I might take a moment or two to jot a few things down. Writing has always been so meditatively therapeutic for me. For some reason, the practice of expressing my innermost thoughts on paper seems to help me stay with what’s going on inside. And this “staying,” always seems to help me feel better.
Nothing in this life is wasted. Nothing. All of it is used. Without exception. While the complete utility of suffering is something that largely transcends my understanding, I have come, in recent years, to view suffering as something to be befriended rather than shunned. Life is our greatest teacher. If I didn’t learn what I needed to learn previously, life will provide additional opportunities. Suffering is, I think, crucial to the awakening process that needs to occur in all our lives. In the book of James, James wrote that when trials and tribulations come, welcome them as friends. Befriending suffering? That’s a pretty radical thought. The interesting thing I’ve discovered, though, is that turning from discomfort always seems to increase the discomfort. Always. The exits we take in life are what life uses to discern where we are and what we need. Resisting suffering always results in more suffering. Non-resistance however, will, eventually, lead to a reduction in suffering. Turn toward the pain, lean in to the sharp things, let life nail you right where you are, and new dimensions to living will arise. This is the wisdom of no escape. I write of this from personal experience.
Life on earth is not fair. In many ways, it is one great big battle, and things more often than not do not turnout the way we might want. But the present moment is as it is, and, in the end, things will work out just the way they should. Life is good, and we are all a part of that goodness. Life is lonely, but we all share that loneliness together. Amazingly, I have discovered that embracing the unfairness in life, not resisting it, not even labeling it as “unfairness” can help us stay present, which, I think, is the true secret of happiness. Life is a battle, and we are all warriors to one extent or another. I call myself a warrior…a tender-hearted warrior…for the battles I fight are mostly on the inside…the battle for peace, the battle to deescalate my own aggression, the battle to be happy, the battle to live and be in the here and now. With all that is within me, I urge you to stay in the "here and now" and to fight the good fight. Be kind to yourself, engage your wisdom mind, rise above your thoughts, and make peace in and with the present moment by keeping an open heart and by not shutting down. “Peacemaking” begins within your own soul…with your own choice to receive peace, to BE happy. Being happy takes discipline. It is, perhaps, the greatest discipline one can ever hope to master. Become a master of your own happiness by BEING happy…all the time. Then, from that place, allow your happiness to bring peace to those around you. Be happy, my friends…all the time…without a reason in the world.
When Jesus hung on the cross, He participated in our sufferings and took upon Himself death itself. The good news is that it didn’t stop there. No, in exchange for death, He gave us life in return. I believe that He is the only One Who’s ever been able to do that fully and completely. As a human being who loves Jesus and wants to follow in His footsteps, I want Him to continue His ministry through me. I want to do some of the things He did. Rather than shunning those things that make me feel uncomfortable and hoarding that which feels pleasant, I want to take unto myself at least some of the pain and suffering in the world around me and give back the love of God. There’s a very interesting scripture passage that has fascinated me for many years now. It’s found in Isaiah and Jeremiah…
“So they will be called ‘oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD,’ that He may be glorified.”—Is 60:21; Jer 17:7, 8
When we breathe, we breathe in air (that which gives us life), and we breathe out carbon dioxide (that which brings us death). It is a biological representation of what each of us does emotionally and mentally…we want to take in good feelings, and we want to get rid of those things that are causing us pain. For most of my life, I’ve been captivated by the ways of nature. Right now, I’m thinking particularly about trees. Trees are pretty amazing. Among many of the functions they serve, very interestingly, they take in carbon dioxide (that which kills us) and exchange it with oxygen (that which gives us life). To be an “oak of righteousness,” I must, as a planting of the Lord, take unto myself that which takes life and give away that which gives life. I must do the opposite of what I naturally want to do.
There are many who suffer in this life. Let us join together and become a forest of oak trees, tender plantings of the Lord, breathe in the sufferings of those around us, and exchange it with the peace and love of God. May the breath of God flow through you, and may it give life wherever it goes—not just to your suffering brethren, but to all creatures who suffer in this world. As someone wrote a very long time ago, “I am a hole in a flute, through which the breath of Christ flows. Listen to the music.” The ears of my soul are open, and I can hear the music of the souls all around me as well as those who've gone on before. And it sounds pretty incredible. And--wouldn’t you know it?--I’m already beginning to feel a lot better. Stay with it my friends, go to the places that scare you, and don’t forget to breathe…
Note: In addition to the authors of Holy Scripture, I am indebted to the following authors, who have helped me in my thinking on some of these things: Pemma Chodron and Dan Millman.
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