Have you ever noticed how innocently trusting small children are? They look at you with their big, bright eyes filled with positive expectation. What happens to that? Where does that simple trust in life go?
I saw a TED Talk recently in which a photographer was relating his experiences documenting life in an indigenous community somewhere on the globe. He remarked at how surprised he was to see a young child and her great grandmother constantly at each other’s side. He was surprised because it seemed to him that the two were at such polar opposites of the arc of life that they wouldn’t have much in common.
But others in the community corrected him, saying that they had much in common. The young girl had recently come from the spirit world and the great grandmother was quickly approaching it. They were connected by the unseen trust they both had in the natural flow of what we call life.
But what happens in between the ends of that arc of life? Why do we seem to get caught up by worries and doubt? The curious thing about life is that things happen. Some of it we like, some we don’t. And because of our negativity bias (plenty of information about this on the internet), we find ourselves called into awareness of the things that go “wrong.” We lose a job, a relationship ends, we have financial troubles, we experience betrayal, we become ill or are injured. Life brings us so many things we don’t want, don’t like.
What do you believe about life?
I believe life is continually expanding. As humans we are constantly learning new things, creating new things and experiencing new things. Although it sometimes seems we are doomed to re-create the past, there is always something new about the current circumstance. Nothing comes around exactly the same way twice.
I also believe this is true of the entire cosmos. Our experience as humans it’s just one small part of the dance of the universe. Part of our role is to sift and sort through all that life has to offer and create new desires of what we want in the world. Knowing what we don’t want helps us to know what we do want.
I believe it’s completely natural to find ourselves at the top of the arc of life feeling disconnected, worried and filled with doubt. Life brings us this magic moment in which we are forced to consider life and our role in it. It’s a moment which initiates deeper clarity. It’s the moment we can find a new perspective on what we call troubles. It’s perfectly normal to reach that point.
Viewing our life experiences from the vantage point of either the young child or the great grandmother puts into perspective the relative unimportance of so many things we see as important. Just as witnessing someone else’s tragedy gives us an appreciation for the puniness of our own trials, a spiritual view of the universe helps us to see our worries and doubts aren’t what they appear to be. They are merely moments to help us focus on what we desire.
There’s one statement by Louis Hay that I find to be most helpful when I have trouble trusting. She said, “All is well. Everything is working out for my highest good.” When I view my own experiences through this lens, I realize it’s true. Everything “bad” that’s happened to me has helped me become the person I am today. Nothing’s ever truly gone wrong. All really is well. I’ve decided to trust what comes my way, to trust life. After all, trust is something we decide to do or not do. I find that when I trust, my eyes become brighter and I’m filled with positive expectation. That’s why I choose to trust.
© 2020, Paul Boehnke. All rights reserved.
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