As I continue to explore the mystic idea of experiences defining a relationship with the Divine, I find myself pondering junctures of resistance. As human beings we are stubborn by nature, even when this trait creates barriers to progress on the spiritual path. In instances when the correct way forward is clear, we may choose the path of least resistance rather than the path that will ultimately lead to our salvation and a deep and personal relationship with the Divine. It is a choice so often made that it deserves some reflection.

Why do we make life so hard on our own accord? If I had the answer to this age old question, I would be well beyond the place in which I find myself.  You see, I am as guilty of this as the next, always stubborn in the face of pivotal life moments. I sometimes refuse to look in the mirror and see that the person I am is not the person that I aspire to be. That would be too raw of a revelation and one that I am not always prepared to accept. To face oneself in moments of disappointing behavior is to face one’s most intimate self. The dark night of the soul draws out the shadow side that all of us possess. It is a humbling and painful process of self-awareness and reflection.

“Faith is the door to the full inner life of the Church, a life which includes not only access to an authoritative teaching but above all to a deep personal experience which is at once unique and yet shared by the whole Body of Christ, in the Spirit of Christ.”

-Thomas Merton

Most fascinating is the reality that we often go back for more, living in the shadow and rejecting the light. We resist the light with a knowing that to travel there would be uncomfortable. Again, this is human nature.  Why travel the more difficult road when one that appears less treacherous is right before us?  A response to this is that what we choose to resist, persists.  The shadows do not go back to the darkness without some very deliberate work. We resist this path for many reasons. Fear, sadness, anger are all emotions that cause hesitation and waves of indecisiveness. Some can sit in this limbo for long periods of time, effectively making the decision not to move towards the light simply by not making a choice. I am a firm believer that not taking a stand or making a decision is in fact a decision to remain unmoving whatever the circumstance. Many may not see this as such. Excuses will pepper a person’s speech caught in limbo.  “No one is doing that!”, “I have no choice, the world is against me!”, or “So and so made me do this, I had no choice!” This is denial at its worst.

How do we get beyond limbo if we find ourselves stuck? Surrender to the process. Surrender does not mean giving up or allowing life to work against us.  In my view, surrender is to let go of resistance to the journey and to allow oneself to fully experience both light and darkness.  It is through these valuable experiences that we can truly let go of resistance and say goodbye to uncertainty. We begin to expect the unexpected and learn how to navigate these difficult moments with grace, humor and acceptance rather than rejecting them completely.

 

“Spiritual growth is the gradual, I would say, transition from a God of tradition to a God of experience.”

-Neville Goddard

Life is difficult, that much is true.  No amount of preparation will protect us from the collateral damage that we all suffer simply by living fully. Resistance is futile.  When learning how to float in the water as a child the instructors would repeat that the swimmer need relax and not fight the water.  We are all striving for that state of floating as we go through life’s ups and downs.  Should you resist this, troubles will persist and as the metaphor goes, you will sink slowly back into the deeps of the water.

It makes no difference what challenges one is faced with. Finances, health, family, spiritual, all require movement to get beyond. There is no measure of one difficulty being more treacherous than another.  For each person the experience is personal and the hardship is very real. No comparison of troubles is useful; it is a waste of time and energy.  Know that whatever you encounter on the spectrum, all come with a possibility for growth.  If you find that you continue to make the same choices and continue to have persistent challenges, consider making a different choice and allowing rather than resisting. This is the only way to achieve a different result.  It is our choice to either move toward the path of surrender or to resist and stall progress. It is always only in our hands as individuals.