Photo by Toa Antiva@Unsplash
Christians celebrate Jesus’ birth as the revelation of a God-realized human being of humble birth. A true lover of humanity, Jesus’ life demonstrated to us how the light of a pure soul can illuminate darkness without ever becoming dark itself. Life will always feature contrast, Sensitive Soul: darkness and light, love and fear, what you want, and what you don’t want. Your beliefs and your mindset determine how you will experience the events that unfold in your life. Since much of what happens is outside of your control, you can avoid adding to the suffering that is already part of life by refusing to lend your energy to negative things. You can name what’s dark, fearful or unwanted without making it your enemy. You can make an effort toward creating better circumstances without blaming another. You can separate from what does not serve your highest good without making it wrong. Remember that blame is toxic to your soul: Dwelling in fear, judgment or rage is like taking poison and hoping that the other person will die.
Jesus is the Light of the World -- and So are You!
Jesus’ example shows us the power of a human soul that has evolved in unconditional love, beyond the distortions of ignorance, fear and lack. The darkness we observe in the world can sometimes summon what’s worst in us instead of amplifying our stellar qualities. The powerful forces of human hatred, greed and domination have destroyed life and caused untold suffering in every generation. We can be tempted to succumb or to fight back fiercely against what’s dark. When you take sides and make darkness your enemy, you end up in a downward spiral that will eventually contribute momentum to what’s dark and fearful. Fighting evil only adds to evil--war is proof of that.
By instead aligning with a force for unconditional good, without denying whatever is unfolding that may be unwanted, your actions will build momentum for more positive outcomes more often, for more people. You will not get sucked down in a whirlpool of hatred and blame if you act bravely on behalf of the good and invite grace to help you let go of the outcome. If you place your faith and your focus on an enduring, eternal good that always prevails, then that is what you will experience more of, even in the midst of apparently bleak situations. Remember that what matters most deeply in life can never be threatened by outer circumstances, Sensitive Soul.
Life is Beautiful
Set during World War II, Roberto Begnini’s Oscar award winning film, Life is Beautiful, features the character Guido, a jovial, free spirited optimist, who finds himself caring for his young son Giosue’ in a German concentration camp after being separated from his wife. Despite the horrific examples of man’s inhumanity to man which surround him, Guido does not fall into hatred and despair. Instead, he manages to protect his child from the brutal reality of their circumstance by telling Giosue’ that it is all a game: the train ride to the camp, the rationed food, the uniforms. He comically impersonates commanding officers and makes a game of the degrading daily rituals. To protect his child’s innocence, Guido makes a playland of a living hell. In this film, Begnini somehow captures a love and dedication beyond all human expectations in the midst of horror. He preserved his humanity and his child’s innocence by refusing to hate those who hated him. Paradoxically, Guido’s passion for life and all its experiences reveals the absurdity of the Aryan ideology of a superior race.
We must wait and work with hope inside of the darkness while never doubting the light that God always is--and that we are too. That is the narrow birth canal of God into the world--through the darkness and into an ever-greater light. ~ Fr. Richard Rohr
Faith is the Opposite of Control
If you have faith, your happiness is not dependent on the absence of life’s sorrows. If you have faith, your peace is not threatened by chaos. Faith invites you to first align with what’s good before acting, trusting that life is beautiful, with all of its joys and sorrows. Faith displays a paradoxical belief in an unseen goodness that permeates all life, even when everything seems hopelessly dark. When you embrace the possibility that you can birth God into the world through any amount of darkness, such a faith can restore your natural joy and reverence for life, even in dark times, Sensitive Soul.
Thanks for the sage advice, Katie. It’s a balancing act for sure, learning how to juggle the opposites. You say….” You can separate from what does not serve your highest good without making it wrong.” That’s a tough one for me because I am tempted at times to want to judge, either/or, right or wrong, true or false, falling into that dualistic kind of thinking. It’s definitely a challenge. I appreciate being reminded to “align with a force for unconditional good, …and to let go of the outcome.” Keep writing. Happy Christmas!