We can all be philosophical...
when it comes to trying to justify why there is so much pain and suffering in the World and perhaps refer to religious scriptures for an explanation. When we or a loved one are struck down with a debilitating condition it can then be that our own belief structure is most put to the test.
As a healer, I have seen my share of very sad cases and despite having such strong spiritual beliefs, I will nevertheless sometimes find myself asking the question why some people must have to endure so much pain as well as endure the frustrations and indignity of a physical body over which they may have little control. Added to this are all the children born into a world with severe physical disabilities or genetic defects whose life span may be cut short, or their quality of life at the very least severely impeded. If we also consider all the millions of children as well as adults who every year die of starvation or disease, then it should not be difficult to understand why so many people wrestle with a belief in the existence of a God or ‘Supreme Being’ who is capable of ‘unconditional love’.
The Christian faith, for example, teaches that we have only one life and so it can seem even more unfair that it comes down to pure chance as to if we are born healthy and in a part of the world which has enough resources to meet our physical needs. For faiths which embrace the concept of rebirth or reincarnation, at least there is the belief that we will experience many lives of different quality through which we will have the opportunity to develop as spiritual beings.
The words which follow are presented as a prayer which was given to me from my ‘higher self’ when I was having difficulty in coming to terms with the prolonged suffering of one of my patients who was in the advance stages of Multiple Sclerosis. Her name was Sue and I had at the time become frustrated at my inability to do more to help her and had begun to question why such a lovely young woman should have been struck down with such a terrible incapacitating disease at such an early age. The words which follow give an insight into her quality of life as seen through
her eyes and embrace an understanding of Karma and give further meaning to human suffering.
Lord, I have known the pleasures of a young body full of vigour and vitality, responding to my every need. To be able to walk and run. To pick the fruits of your creation. To appreciate all the beauty around me. To hold in my arms my loved ones. To be free to live my life to the full.
But this is not my way of life today. I now have a body over which I have little control. I cannot run or even walk. I can no longer take food or drink through my mouth. I must now rely on others to take care of almost all my physical needs. I now rarely go out and can no longer enjoy all the wonders of your creation. I constantly suffer pain and discomfort. I can no longer speak properly and must bear the frustration of often not being able to communicate my feelings. I have no hair on my head. I am barely half way through an average life span. I have been struck down by a terrible disease for which conventional medicine still has no cure.
My Father in Heaven, although I now endure many indignities and have little to look forward to in my present life, I try not to be disheartened or resentful of my condition. I know that I am a minute part of the 'ONE', which is you, and if by my example I can draw others closer to you, then my life will have achieved real purpose and my physical disabilities will have been no more than a means to an end.
Teach me Lord, not to think of myself as a single entity, comparing my lot in life with that of others. Although through re-birth, we may develop as spiritual beings, I know that there are no prizes for being on a higher rung of the ladder, which stretches out to you. Only when each and every soul is reunited with you as our divine creator will your true purpose be revealed. Some of us therefore, must turn back and help others who have lost their way or have become stuck in this material world.
I thank you, divine spirit, with all my heart for letting me use this life with all its limitations and difficulties to show others the way through giving testament to your unconditional love.
Sue
(Photograph by kind permission of her mother - Connie1)
1Deceased 2010