If there’s one thing I love to do most with this bulletin it is to offer words of encouragement. So here goes for today:
The best is yet to come!
Do you wonder how I could say that?
Are you wondering if I can’t hear the collective moan coming from our local community, communities all across the country, and, in fact, all of humanity?
Times are tough, We are losing ground, it seems.
I hear it. I hear us wondering if we have reached a culmination point of sorts. Environmental toxins, technology (eg, artificial intelligence), and teetering political systems threaten life as we know it, if not the very essence of our existence.
It’s easy to think we’re more broken than ever, in a new territory of brokenness, in every way.
I hear my patients wonder, “Could our circumstances now be more challenging than ever before?”
Looking Back
So many details were different in the past, but I would argue that a certain level of concern has always been present.
100 years ago, the concerned citizen said, “Ever since the invention of the short-wave radio, clarity in our thinking and, therefore, the certain acquisition of freedom will remain an ever more lingering question.” (That’s actually how they spoke.)
Or they said, “With so many people losing contact with the Earth as they abandon ambulation for bicycle transportation, what will be the implications for the social health of our communities?” They were different, I know, but they carried concerns and felt the challenges of their day.
You can go back even further in history. 200 years ago time moved slowly. If your father was a blacksmith, you were probably one, your son would probably be one, and your last name was probably “Blacksmith.” The idea of the day coming when blacksmithing would be replaced by technological advances was nearly unfathomable. But even with life moving slowly and predictably and with less ubiquitous toxins in the environment, people still had plenty of challenges. There were fewer tools against illness, for example. Death would sometimes come quickly, unexpectedly, and to the young. There was plenty of worry, for sure.
Today, even though we are dealing with rapidly evolving and greatly sophisticated changes within humanity, I don’t think we can be sure we have it any worse than our ancestors. Many would say we have it better. If that’s the case, why is there such a large amount of despondency?
Here’s my point: No matter what life you live, you are guaranteed challenges. There’s no point in making comparisons to some other time. Show me life and I’ll show you challenges. The only question is how do we respond??
The first game we play is to try to avoid the discomfort. It’s an honest approach. We shield ourselves and soothe ourselves.
Confusion, uncertainty, and pain always accompany challenges. It’s uncomfortable, but to avoid is an incomplete technique and causes despondency because it doesn’t work. It’s a losing game. The real game is to embrace the chaos and learn to flip the script.
Growth mindset
Challenges belong. Do you know why? Because they are here. A growth mindset says challenges are nothing other than fuel for one’s own development. Challenge and development are inseparable. With every step of one’s development, more goodness comes. Since we can all wear the label “work in progress,” it means to me that the best is always yet to come, and it comes with our growth.
This points in the direction of a high-level orientation to life that you discover if you seek it. It says that you get exactly the challenges that you need, and nothing more than you can handle. Acceptance is embedded here. Advanced healing practitioners know that alleviating a symptom is not the highest end. Alleviating a symptom should always be accompanied by something more. The highest end is assisting a patient in creating something new out of the challenges of their life, helping them adjust their philosophy and find new tools to grow with and through things.
This special healing approach could be embodied in a voice that comes from far away. It holds a perspective so big that it goes beyond a single lifetime. The wisdom in the voice echoes back from beyond the grave and gives us guiding wisdom that can carry us through any challenge. It speaks this:
In time you will realize
That everything unfolded exactly as it needed to.The timing of events, the doors that closed,
and the ones that never opened were all part of a greater plan.Each step and step back has been leading you to the place you truly belong,
Preparing you for the opportunities that are meant for you.You’ll see that the detours and delays were never setbacks but stepping stones
Leading you towards a greater purpose.Trust in the process and have faith in your journey.
Every experience, both good and bad,
has been shaping you into the person you are meant to become.Embrace the uncertainty
for it is often the catalyst for the most profound transformations.In time you’ll look back
and realize that every twist and turn was necessary for your growth and destined path.Keep moving forward with an open heart and an unwavering belief in your future.
The best is yet to come.
— author unknown
I came across that beauty this week and wanted to pass it on to you. The best is in each of us, waiting to come forward in every moment. Thank God for our challenges; they belong. They help us shine our light. Let’s just make sure we are playing the right game — the one that sees challenges as our greatest teachers.
“Give thanks to God when we are feeling pressed
and give thanks to God when we have needed rest.“
You got this!
