Embrace Uncertainty

Many of us believe in the existence of a higher power, but like most people in the world, we have moments in life when we question the validity of our beliefs.  It is during these times of hardship and turmoil that we experience events in our lives that solidify our faith in the Source, and reinforces in us the belief of a supreme consciousness guiding the universe. 

All of us encounter challenges in our lives that leave us confused, depressed, and ultimately drains our energy. These challenges could come as a serious medical condition, relationship issue, or a loss of a loved one.  In such severe circumstances, our friends, family members or any amount of finance cannot bear this pain for us. Being unable to foresee a solution eventually leads to fear and anxiety. By nature, in such situations, we pass through the stages of grief that include denial, anger, depression, and finally acceptance. Our mental maturity determines how quickly we can pass through these stages. For instance, some of us may dwell longer in the denial or anger stages, while others may fall deep in to depression.

After acknowledging and accepting the fact that it is a situation that we must go through, it becomes easier to overcome the fear, anxiety, and confusion that arise. We must remind ourselves, that a sailor cannot control the weather or seas, but he can adjust his sails to handle the waves, similarly, we may not have control over the external situation that has occurred, however we can change our interpretation and response. Positively surrendering to a higher power and completely trusting in a divine intelligence follows acceptance. Surrender is considered an extremely difficult attribute to cultivate, because it means giving up control, and for this reason it is often demonstrated by individuals with a deep and unshakable belief system.  Surrender, along with patience and complete faith is often the result of a situation in life where a person feels completely helpless to the point when suicide is even considered, but through inner wisdom or a purpose for living, such as raising a child motivates the person to continue fighting. Surrender does not mean that we must lose hope and not act; on the contrary positive surrender is acting with courage in alignment with our true self by trusting and following our intuition, no matter how unreasonable it may sound.

Once we surrender and go with the ‘flow’ of things; fear, anxiety, and self-doubt will vanish, and we will enjoy the most liberating feeling imaginable. Our inner strength, mental resolve, and the ability to face uncertainty will grow. This unshakable faith and surrender to the universe, and realization that no matter what occurs, the universe cares for us, and only a higher power can help us get through this situation, brings comfort and relief.

Once we understand that there is a divine intelligence underlying all that is, why should we fear uncertainty? When we are children, we trust our parents because they know what is best for us. Even if it means eating the vegetables we hate or gulping down cough syrup. However, when we reach a point where our parents or friends cannot help us, what should we do? We must have faith, it is the only thing that ultimately sustains us and gives us the strength, courage, and tenacity to overcome our challenges. It is with hindsight that we often realize and appreciate the tremendous inner growth and wisdom that we have cultivated by overcoming our obstacles.

As we surrender we will sense an invisible hand guiding us whenever we encounter a difficult or confusing situation. Remember that everything is perfectly orchestrated by this divine intelligence and it simply takes a little bit of awareness and faith to notice the order within the chaos. 

"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a paradise from adversity, or create a prison from blessing." – John Milton