As much as we might want to, it is very hard to escape what is going on in the world around us. If we have not been personally affected, we have friends or family who have lost their jobs or are in severe financial crises. We only have to tune into the nightly news to hear how grim the situation appears. It often feels like it is too much to take in as we try to make sense of how this will improve. People tell me they often feel overwhelmed, describing that they can feel the stress in their bodies. It is true, that never before have we experienced this kind of stress and anxiety about the state of our circumstances. We are in uncharted waters and are fearful of the things we know and paralyzed by the things we don’t know.
This kind of fear and anxiety zaps our precious energy, limits our ability to solve our own problems and skews our perception in a way that causes us to lose hope. Consciously we are a hopeful in the face of adversity, but people are feeling the need to be reminded of that now more than ever.
Stress is most often described as something that happens outside of our selves. It is the unexpected life circumstances of which we have little control over that shake our foundation, leaving us feeling vulnerable and at the mercy of life. As common as this belief is, deep down we know that it is not true. Stress comes from the way that we react, emotionally and spiritually, to the things that are happening to us. That is how one person’s blessing is another’s worst case scenario; it all depends on how we choose to view it. I learned this profound lesson while on a mission trip in Tanzania. We had the privilege to stay among the people in a village called Idunda. One morning my friend and I were watching the sun rise over the mountain top in this poor, but beautiful place. As we were watching this magnificent sight, we saw women coming toward us carrying 5 gallon pails of water on their heads. This is a common sight in Africa, but what we noticed was something more profound. As these women carried these pails of water on their head, some with babies on their backs, they were singing and joyful. My friend and I were almost moved to tears when we realized that our perspective would be very different. The people in Africa have this deep connection to Spirit that helps them trust in things they don’t know and believe in things they cannot see. They have this perpetual hope that in the midst of the poverty that surrounds them that they can imagine a world where all things are possible.
It is true our world looks somewhat grim and there appears to be no easy answers. In times like this we are asked to not judge what is possible by what is in front of us but by what lies within each of us. It is imperative that we build a relationship with the spirit that lives within us and through us. Einstein said that we cannot solve a problem with the consciousness that created it and we won’t solve our problems now either unless we embrace a higher perspective that includes this connection.
You and I are being called to imagine a different world than the one being presented to us through the media. We are being asked to go back to the long forgotten idea of looking inside ourselves for the answers. We are not different than the people of Africa because we are being asked to imagine the world as we would like to see it, knowing our thoughts and actions will make this vision a reality. Remembering that we are spiritual beings and our connection to what is deep inside of us, gives us a way to look at the world through a different lens. Within each of us lies this untapped possibility choose to choose which lens we wish to view our life our life and world through. This perspective helps us begin to imagine the world we would like to see; it is up to each of us. There as never been a more important time to embrace the spirit within, and begin to trust without knowing and believe without seeing. Blessings on your journey.
This article was written by Sandy Thibault and first appeared in the Savage Pacer, Feb. 2009.
Sandy Thibault is a life coach and Director at InnerLight Healing Center and co-founder of the Institute for Peace and Joy. To find out more about individual coaching sessions or speaking, you may call 952-435-4144 or email inpeaceandjoy@msn.com
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