“We cannot cure the world of all its sorrow. But we can participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world.” ~ Joseph Campbell
Happy Sunday!
I was watching Abraham-Hicks’ videos this week and there was one person’s question that was different from the rest.  Most people ask about getting into alignment to raise their vibration so they can get what they want in this life.  The video that stuck with me was called “The biggest missing piece”. A very eloquent man, who claimed he understood about ‘law of attraction’ and vibration, said that after consideration of the teachings of Abraham he just felt the message was too naive and simple; the world was just too full of violence, pain, and that people are cruel.
Abraham was so kind and supportive in response saying several times that he is correct in his perspective but that he was choosing to create that reality. Below is an excerpt from the webpage www.abraham-hicks.com:
“Here is the most significant thing that we want to say to you. It is not important to us what you believe because what you believe is yours to believe. It IS important to us, what we know to be. We have discovered that by knowing what we know, our life is one of joy, and you’ve discovered that by knowing what you know, your life is one of misery. We just want to explain to you that there are choices.”
As this video was on my mind I also saw during the week other people questioning to understand the pain that is in this world.  I too asked to understand.  But now as I am taking the time this morning to put together my thoughts I find that I am not so concerned with understanding the pain as I am with taking in Abraham’s message that we truly do have a choice and that by our choosing we create our reality.
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi
Can I choose to be happy when pain or suffering is present?
Earlier this week I had a root canal procedure and I did choose to keep my vibrations up.  It ended up being a very good experience.  I stayed in a place of appreciation for what I knew would be a healing and purification.  I appreciated the work and assistance of the doctor and nurse recognizing that their intension was for my comfort and healing.
I wrote last week about acceptance as ‘what you resist, persists’.  I am thinking that pain and suffering in the body due to illness is easier to accept.  There are many people involved, such as family and medical personnel, who are all intending well being for me.  And with awareness I can intend my own well-being as well as strive for understanding of what may be causing the ill health and make a change.
But what about when another person’s intension is to cause me harm?  When one nation intends to destroy another nation?  Or, when a government or corporation’s intention is focused on power or profit over the well-being of people?
Would I be able to find acceptance and be happy under these circumstances?
And what if it wasn’t just me suffering but also those I care for?
Would I still be able to stay conscious enough to choose wisely?
I find I have several answers flowing through my mind.
The first is ‘to be the change’ which means to me to hold onto the Love and kindness because that is what I want for the world.  If I am being injured and oppressed I still have the choice to Love – perhaps I will not survive but I have faith that my choice will have an impact on the future.  Jesus knew this and did this.
The next is acceptance.  I wrote down back in June a significant lesson from an episode of “Iyanla, Fix my Life”.  An older married couple was choosing to divorce.  Iyanla asked one of the sons what he felt.  He responded that there was nothing he could do.  Iyanla said to him that that wasn’t true; he could take action by choosing to accept. She added that by saying there was nothing he could do he was choosing to be a victim.
Lastly, Abraham said to the man in the video that “your vibrational offering is what you receive back” according to the law of attraction (evidence that you do reap what you sow).  This is where the difficultly lies for most of us – can we hold onto faith long enough to realize the reward of joy at the end of great suffering?
Joel was speaking of this in his sermon this morning.  That we must have ‘bend-ability’ to make it through the storm and he used the analogy of a palm tree making it through a hurricane.  God gifted this tree over others with the ability to be extra flexible.  Of course this tree evolved to be flexible because of the harsh environment it evolved in.  Are we also like this, more able to be flexible if we live if a harsh environment?
Abraham said something else in this video I watched, he said “it is the best of times, it is the worst of times”.  I am wondering if our perception of life, death, happiness, and suffering are quite altered from what they were of the past.  It is only 100 years that we have mass media where we hear of news around the world.  Before that time did people have some of the fears we hold today of mass suffering due to wars, terrorism, natural disaster, economic failure, asteroids, nuclear bombs?
I am thinking that life was more melancholy in the past, hardships came in the form of disease and poverty.  Painful events such as war or natural disasters just came through without warning and you just had to pick up the pieces afterwards.  Death and loss were just an expected part of life. Men went off to fight and might never be heard from again.  Many women died giving birth.  Many children died at a young age.  I expect life was not so precious and Faith in God and an afterlife was more important then the times we are now living through.
Perhaps today we have the greatest potential for suffering by being aware of all the pain and potential for pain around us.  But, we also have the greatest opportunity for happiness and joy because we can see and know all the beauty and blessings that this life provides to us.  Today we have science that brings us understanding of the natural world and to the surprise of all, with understanding comes even more awe and reverence for the natural world.
Today, life doesn’t have to be a constant struggle just to survive.  As we move above the struggle to just get by day to day, our ability to realize that we can choose to be happy becomes more apparent.
Thank you Lord for the good and the bad.
“A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi