Every time you are faced with a crisis situation in life, you have a choice to react in two ways. Either you strengthen your resolve, renew your faith and face the situation, or you become shaky, demoralised and start questioning your beliefs.
How we deal with trials and obstacles determines who we become in life. What I want to say is that life is unfolding the best possible situation for you at any given moment. So you must have faith in life. Gather your will power and face up to the challenge. Only then will you evolve to your Higher Self. When you accept a situation, do so with gratitude because the purpose of this situation is to teach you some vital lessons. If you want to change it, then do so without fear. If you have decided to fight, do it like a warrior, not half-heartedly. In any case, helplessness is not the solution because you are an intelligent consciousness.
The ultimate goal of this human life is to attain Self Realisation. In knowing yourself, you will achieve your complete potential and express your unique identity. In the process you will have found your purpose in life. When you have done so, name, fame and satisfaction will follow, regardless of whether a situation is aligned with you or against you.
If on the other hand, you adopt the path of non-acceptance and mistrust in facing a situation, you create a separation between yourself and life. Since you reject the lessons of life, wisdom will not dawn on you. So open up your heart and surrender to life. I am reminded me of this beautiful mantra:
Om purnam adah purnam idam
purnat purnam udachyate
purnasya purnam adaya
purnam eva avasishyate
It means that each one of us has emerged from the wholeness of the Infinite and every one of us is complete. Therefore everything that happens to us is complete. Since every situation is in itself complete, what we become from these situations is also complete. The new situation is no less complete that the previous situation, which led to this one.
So when you come across challenging circumstances, know that something complete will result from it. Another classic children’s poem illustrates this simple truth of life.
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream,
Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream.
In rowing your boat, you are meant to work hard and face up to your challenges rather than run away from them. ‘Going down the stream’ implies that you must go with the flow of life and only then will life support you.
And you must do so cheerfully and merrily. Be happy today for this life is just a dream, an illusion behind which awaits the Ultimate Reality.
