Jun 01, 2014

The last post discussed the Whisper of God that fills everything we do and are. But sometimes the Eternal Wisdom uses a roar, a major EVENT, to attempt to awaken us from the sleep we so often slide into, despite our best intentions. This event is usually considered catastrophic in nature: loss of a job, the loss of a home, or the loss of a loved one. These major disruptions in our lives serve as signposts where major decisions occur and we either turn to God to ease the pain or away from God in fear and anger.

Our Eternal Wisdom is always present, and is especially powerful in the cataclysmic moments that everybody faces during their lifetime. I have heard many cry out during these times “Why me!” or “God has abandoned me!” Even Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have You abandoned me?” as he was dying on the cross. These events prove decisive moments where paths are cleared and ways made clear, if we allow it. And that is the rub. We have to surrender to the moment, as Jesus did, when he said “into your hands I commend my spirit”, for usually there is little we can do to prevent the event.

Our lives can go along for years with nary a ripple, and we slide into a routine that is comfortable and easy. Rise in the morning, do our morning ritual, prepare for work and/or get the kids ready for school, send the kids off, go to the office or our work station, have coffee breaks, lunch breaks, return home. These routines go on for years, with little to break the habits we form, the habitual process that we fall into. Oh yes, our kids may be involved in sports that take a large chunk of time, making us make choices on what we do with our time. Usually things like Church and our time with our Eternal One goes by the wayside.

Then an EVENT happens. We lose our job, are ‘downsized’. Our house may burn down. Both is these events happened to me. How we approach these events sets the tone of our future in many ways.

We can take the “wailing” approach, and cry “Woe is me!” That leads to handwringing, getting stuck in the event, falling apart. This can lead to a breakup of a marriage, getting lost in the shuffle of life, spinning wheels when times are difficult. God never abandons us, no matter what we feel at the moment. The Eternal Wisdom, the Loving One, will continue to pursue us during our reaction to an EVENT.

I was laid-off in November 1970, along with 750 other engineers at my place of employment on Long Island. Many of those laid-off sat around all day and wrung their hands with no plan to move forward. I attended a couple of coffee gatherings that were held every morning to bemoan their plight. I was fortunate, being part of a strong spiritual force, and had a mystic as a mentor who guided me firmly to my truth. I had a new job. I had five children at that point, the oldest being eight. My new job was to find a job. I spent eight to twelve hours a day researching a job. My wife went to work in the men’s department at Gimbels Department Store to keep some cash flowing. My wife’s mother looked after the children if we were both working. We put our hands into God’s hands, and knew, absolutely knew, that things would work out. I was offered a job that required a major move to upstate New York, and we (yes, my wife is a major part of any serious decision) accepted it. My wife’s mother was living with us at that time, and she insisted that the family came first, and we had to do what we needed to keep our life together. That move set the stage for the wonders of our life since that time.

God’s Roar to me was that we were meant to be be upstate, where we could raise our family in nature, and Our Eternal Wisdom had missions set for us in that part of the world. Now our Loving One had set the stage for the move by giving us the thought that preceding summer of 1970 to have a vacation, and we rented a pop-up trailer and we decided to camp in the Finger Lakes region. We had a wonderful time, and were enraptured by the scenery. I recall asking as we drove through Binghamton, NY what people did for a living, as I was a specialist in high resolution television, so what could I do here? I found out, and had a job there, right at the place where I had asked that question. We found a wonderful location on a mountain top, 8 acres, 1/2 acre pond, hidden from view, with a breathtaking view where we still live.

At the time of our decision to take the job, I had two job offers, both requiring a move: one to Connecticut, the other much further to upstate New York. What would have happened if we had taken the other job in a different location? We will not know, but God would have found a place and mission for us there as well. But I am convinced that we ended up exactly where we were supposed to be for that time of our life, and for my wife and I, all of our life.

When our house burnt down to a hole in the ground in October 1984, we again used the force of our Eternal Wisdom to move quickly to rebuild. We had seven children at that point. We had three in college, so available cash was minimal, but with the aid of friends we had rebuilt in less than four months to the point where we could move back into our new home. (It took six more months to complete.)Yes, our Eternal Wisdom was guiding us, putting us in just the right places, where we could not just survive, but find joy in the process. It was amazing the the joy that filled our house at Christmas in an apartment loaned by a friend. Imagine nine of us in a two bedroom, tiny apartment, filled with joy and love that all were safe, even our dog and two cats. We slept on the couch in the living room, and sleeping bags were scattered everywhere.

God’s Roar at that point had more to do with our outlook on life than any grand mission. We had to learn humility, and accept the gifts from friends to help us, as clothing was needed, food, new kitchen, — we were starting over with nothing but the clothes on our backs.

And we above all learned the value of life. We lost all our things, but all were safe and unharmed, even our dog and cats. What blessings we had!

Depending on, and surrender, to God does not mean not taking responsibility for our end of the Event. It means leaving no stone unturned, doing everything humanly possible, listening to the ‘gut feel’ of the moment, and knowing that the Eternal Wisdom will pull all together for the best outcome.

But how does one cope with a major loss that can not be covered? A death of a loved one? A never ending loss of a relationship? A loss that is not covered by insurance or other means? Those are much more difficult. These blows, such as a long illness of a loved one, (think Alzheimer’s), or ourselves, that leads to death after years, and similar losses that have no end in feelings and emotional impact, require the highest level of spiritual surrender. These are Events that help us to become the best that we can be. It is great when everything goes along smooth and clear, but when some major catastrophe comes along with no apparent redeeming factor, it always pushes us and provides the path, as painful as it may seem, to a point where we either change our perspective or emotionally collapse in the process.

A wonderful book has helped countless souls in this predicament: “When Everything Changes, Change Everything”, by Neale Donald Walsch. Yes, the same author of the Conversation With God (CwG) series. Neale applies the principles from the CwG books and goes through a careful analysis and guide. He teaches the process of changing our perspective to see that even though it seems so overwhelming, we can shift our perspective in such a manner that significantly alters the impact of the event, so we can deal with it, even if the Event requires years to resolve, in a manner that all, including the ones suffering if that is the case, benefit and handle the situation to the growth of all concerned. Not a panacea by any means, but a process that helps us to see the working of the Eternal Wisdom, the Loving One, in the process of living out the day to day situation.

Meditation

My Eternal Wisdom, guide us when these major events enter into our life, so that we see Your Guidance in the center of the Event. We are blinded by a lack of knowledge of the future, but we have confidence that You will hold us, cradling us in Your Love, during these dark moments when all appears in chaos. We know You are there, enshrining all with Your Blessing, but we can not see that perspective at this point. Grant us the wisdom to trust that we see that the final outcome will be a blessed event, as it always is from Your perspective. We know that all concerned have chosen this path when choosing this life, and we understand that we must have negative events to appreciate and rejoice in the positive events, and that these catastrophic events give us the knowledge to grow in Your knowledge, the unwrapping of our soul in this process. We have full confidence that the results, since our new perspective is correct, will give us the strength to see Your overwhelming Love in all that occurs.