Difficulties give me an opportunity to exercise focus and determination to take care of the issue(s) at hand. In so doing, I learned that a calm soul makes life conquerable in trying times. I concentrate on maintaining a calm soul and this approach helps me to conquer the challenges that I face.
I spend time nurturing my mind and spirit in silent meditation and physical exercises are an important part of my daily routine. Every morning I hit the nature trail for a brisk walk with a friend allowing myself to breathe deeply in and out. I use this opportunity to chat, vent, laugh and cry when necessary. In spite of all the mixed emotions I train myself to keep calm even when it seems to be the least natural approach. It forces me to develop the will to overcome the toughest situations. I ask myself ‘what will Jesus do’? I say the Lord’s prayer and feel relieved.
When I encounter resistance, my first step is to silence my soul. I ignore the feeling of impatience and anger that tug at my heart. I block them out completely as I do not wish to dwell on negative emotions.
Giving in to negativity will worsen the situation and set you back. The focus is on overcoming the challenge at hand which will only be accomplished with positive and peaceful thinking.
With experience and wisdom dealing with trying times encourages me to act from a place of calm reasoning. When my soul is calm, I am able to think things through. By rejecting unease at my core, I am able to make smart choices that produce best results.
Today, I am a conqueror. I can overcome any obstacle.
With serenity, I see the value in all my life experiences. Even obstacles become worthwhile and meaningful when seen in this light.
One might ask:
What exercises can I undertake to help me develop a consistently calm soul?
Rabbi Harold Kushner reminds us that everything that God has created is potentially holy. Our task as human beings is to find that holiness in what appear to be unholy situations. He suggests that when we can learn to do this, we will have learned to nurture our souls.
It’s easy to see God’s beauty in beautiful things like a brilliant sunrise, the smile of a little child or the snow covered mountains. But can we learn to find the holiness in seemingly ugly circumstances like difficult life lessons, a struggle for life or a family tragedy?
When our life is filled with the desire to see the holiness in everyday things something magical begins to happen.
- A feeling of peace emerges.
- When we begin to see nurturing aspects of daily life that were previously hidden from us.
- When we begin to remember that everything has God’s fingerprints on it that alone makes it special.
- If we remember this spiritual fact while we are dealing with a difficult person or struggling to pay our bills it broadens our perspective.
- It helps us to remember that God also created the person you are dealing with or that, despite the struggle to pay your bills you are truly blessed to have all that you do.
The fact that we can’t see the beauty in something doesn’t mean that it’s not there. Rather, it suggests that we are not looking carefully enough or with a broad enough perspective to see it.
Somewhere, in the back of your mind always remember that everything has God’s fingerprint on it. No matter what obstacles come your way a calm soul makes life conquerable in trying times.