About Suffering

Suffering is an intriguing subject for anyone seeking or walking a path with heart. We cannot go through life without suffering. By virtue of some invisible process, the most difficult things are the most worthwhile. Most Eastern belief systems teach, in one form or another, that suffering is as necessary a part of life as night and day. They also teach that it is good to embrace suffering as a potent source of healing.

I should define what I mean by suffering. In Western culture, suffering is viewed as a negative thing, that something "bad" is happening, so we must be doing something "wrong." Nothing is further from the truth. No matter who we are or how carefully we move through life, stuff happens. And sometimes the effects of stuff causes discomfort, or suffering. It seems that the more important we consider ourselves to be, the more stuff happens to us. We live in an equal-opportunity universe, and suffering is part of it.

The opposite side of the suffering coin is joy. And in-between these opposites is serenity. No one can be joyful 100% of the time, neither can one suffer by the same amount. Serenity is a dynamic balance of the two, each co-existing with the other.

Problems are our teachers, guides and servants. They are not here to punish us or make life hard in any way. If you believe they are, then you are judging yourself and life. Napolean Hill taught that each problem has a priceless gift in its center; this gift is the solution.

I used to believe I was a broken, worthless human being. Frankly, only my belief in the spiritual kept me going at times. I suffered. Every time I have trusted spirit, it has delivered every time. As I go through the work of healing back into life, I sense the joy of arriving. Suffering is your guide and protector, as it is mine. Listen to its whisperings, and it'll give you the solution to your problem.

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