Positive role of suffering.
April 7, 2020
The spirit, energy, love, compassion, and warmth that is God is with each of you. That presence is with all human beings, and the healing reality of that presence is truly available to all. We know of your anxieties. We know of your fatigue, fatigue in spirit as well as fatigue in body. But it is vital that as you continue to experience these difficulties that you become even more clearly aware of the evidence of God everywhere.
You experience God through others, and you experience God through nature. But most importantly you experience God in a very personal up front kind of way, for your sense of God’s presence is not just fed by the beauty of those around you, but rather by a calming increase gradually of a sense of peace inside. The evidence of God is external for some, but for many, the experience of God’s presence is known internally.
If you want to know of God’s presence in a very personal way, consider your awareness of the light within now as opposed to past experiences. God is a strength that is known now. It is a strength that is seen especially when there are events that you experience that may bring into question the very existence of a loving God.
We’ve often stated that a light is strongest in the darkness. Its presence becomes very evident when all around, one experiences the dark. It is not God’s will that such suffering, pain, and loss is occurring, but it is God’s will that all human beings have the true strength to open that inner awareness and draw upon it, and in doing so, you become more conscious of that sacred presence. It is not true that you must suffer in order to know God, but it is true that your understanding of that presence can be heightened, strengthened, and illuminated when surrounded by darkness.
Relationships function in a very similar way. You have family and friends who love you, and yet the presence of that love is not always so evident as it is in times such as you now experience. Consider for a moment how frequently people reach out to others, how frequently they are on the phone, how frequently they find other ways of communicating with those they love. Those communications take on such heightened significance when all face such living unknowns. God’s strength is never more evident than in the darkest of times. You don’t welcome those times, but you use those experiences to open the heart to others, to open your own personal, internal awareness of God’s presence and the loving presence of your guides.
We are, of course, always with you, but it is in experiencing what you now know as a reality that you are more willing to turn to us for the peace that you seek. Humankind will get through this difficulty. Lives, of course, will be changed. It is through all this outreach that people will become more aware of the value of being close, being close in spirit, being close in all ways.
There is a magic and meaning to the physical embrace, and when you are denied that opportunity, its value is increased. The connection that you have with others becomes more valuable, more sought after, more a part of your life. For having gone through this, there will be a stronger commitment to the place that all people have at the table of God’s nourishment. You are actually blessed, not by the difficulties but by the growth that occurs. You are blessed in your reaching out. You are blessed by the reaching out of others to you. The connections that you have with all others become more sacred.
If an individual goes through a period of great hunger, that person never forgets what it means to be fed and nourished. There is an appreciation and gratitude for the very act of physical nourishment. It takes on a profound presence to that person. And so it is with you, for all have been deprived of parts of their lives that provide nourishment, encouragement, affirmation, warmth, yes even love.
Coming through this experience, therefore, is a reaffirmation of what is truly important. For some, that recognition will come quickly. For others, there may be a kind of bitterness, a resentment, a desire to place blame, but none of that serves any good purpose. One doesn’t look back at these experiences with anger surrounded by negativity. It is God’s will that all human beings have within them the potential to take what has been experienced and move forward with light.
There is much speculation about where this virus originated. There are all kinds of theories that have been expounded upon that lay blame in one corner or another of humankind. It is, of course, important to know the genesis of this virus, but understanding the genesis is a way of dealing with it going forward. It is not a tool for placing the blame looking backward. This will be a long period of time for each of you. It will test patience and perseverance as it will for everyone, but accept this current reality as a means of understanding in a clearer way “why life.” What is it that gives you life? What is it that provides meaning to your life? What is it in your life that reflects the presence of God, and what part of your inner life affirms that constant healing light?
You are given strength. You are given vision. Use that strength and vision. Be willing to commit yourself to living according to your perception of what it means to be a creation of the loving Spirit Center that you call God. Be willing to find that vulnerability that allows you to see love offered by another. Express that gratitude. Show another what it means that that person or those people are a part of your life.
All human beings are equally an essential part of God’s creation. All have a role to play. No two people will exercise a loving understanding of God’s presence in their own lives the same way. For some, it is being present in prayer. For others, it is offering support in other more tangible ways. You are asked to serve others as your guides nurture and serve you with love and healing light.
Impatience is merely a momentary lack of vision. When your sense of belonging to God is clouded, impatience and fear can arise. By keeping your thoughts anchored in the loving light and healing presence that is God, the impatience, fear, and anxiety is lessened. It is, of course, human to experience those emotions, but when they are experienced, look inward for signs of God that you really feel, and look outward for signs of God that are all around you, that are in the nature that surrounds you and in the people that surround and care for you and for others.
You are blessed in your efforts to see God inside. You are blessed in your efforts to see God working through others. Be grateful for each glimpse, for those brief moments of vision contain within them all the strength you need.
You are surrounded by God’s light. You are surrounded by our love and care. You are surrounded by those who love you, and you are surrounded by those whom you love. Engage in those connections. Yes, rejoice in those connections! Find peace, affirmation, and total love as you open the vision of your heart and allow the energy to nurture and strengthen your spirit.
Amen.