One Saturday morning, you wake up with a sore throat and stuffy nose. You had big plans for the weekend and now this. You're coming down with a cold. You immediately think, this is a bad thing. You think about all the minor discomfort that goes with getting a cold: the coughing, runny nose, sore muscles, fever and congestion. What if getting a cold was not a bad thing? What if getting sick had a larger purpose that ultimately made your life better in some way?
Every single event that happens in our life is for our higher good. We learn some important lesson about ourselves or about life in general from everything that happens. We always gain something positive and meaningful from every life experience, even our most painful experiences.
Most of us have learned to immediately judge whatever happens in our lives as either good or bad. We believe that there isn't a deeper meaning or purpose of our life experiences when we judge. We can't see the learning opportunity of whatever circumstance or situation we find ourselves in, when we judge events as either good or bad. Judging our experiences as either good or bad takes us down the road of being a victim. You know the familiar thoughts of "Why is this happening to me?", "Why does this always happen to me and not anybody else?" or "Life isn't fair." We start to wonder if there is some great conspiracy against us and wallow in self-pity. It is impossible to see the lesson when we are feeling sorry for ourselves.
An experience is just an experience. Whatever thoughts we give the experience, makes it bad or good. When we accept each event as an opportunity to learn something, we open ourselves up to recognizing and receiving the gift that accompanies it. Life is never against you, no matter how many painful life experiences you have had in the past. From this day forward, challenge yourself to ask "what is this experience trying to teach me?" instead of "why is this bad experience happening to me?".
Some of our greatest life lessons come disguised as painful events. We hear stories of people who found the true meaning of life after getting diagnosed with a fatal disease or experiencing a life-changing accident. Our job is work through the pain and discomfort of a situation to reach the other side that contains the lesson. We have to be open to discovering the lesson through reflection. We must also be willing to accept the lesson and use it in our lives.
Getting back to that Saturday morning, when you wake up with the early signs of a cold, what is the lesson or gift from the cold? A cold could be a wonderful opportunity to slow down and rest without feeling guilty. When I have a cold, I shamelessly nap most of the day and really don't do much in the way of work. I have time to think about important issues in my life while I'm relaxing, so it brings clarity to my mind. A cold is also a reminder to me to get more sleep and take better care of myself.
Whenever something happens in your life, try not to judge it as good or bad. Ask yourself, "what is this trying to teach me?" instead. By focusing on what you can gain from the experience, you open yourself to being on the lookout for the lesson.
Copyright©2006 Jeannine Robinson All Rights Reserved