Roughed up

Photo image:  Facebook

I began writing this post in the midst of Good Friday afternoon whilst checking my email and Facebook. I have been reading so many beautiful comments and posts regarding Easter/Passover this weekend.  One such comment was by my dear friend, Lisa Brandel, in her ongoing daily series called Thoughts in Images.  She was discussing the concept of God/Universe/Spirit giving us more than we can handle, in direct contrast to that old homily that "God never gives us more than we can handle".  My comment on her post is as follows:

Very wise words, Tinker (my nickname for Lisa). I often say that same thing, that yes, we are regularly given more than we can handle. I think in a way, it shears away some of the extraneous bulk to allow Grace to attach. (blog alert! methinks I need to scurry off to write on this one more!) SDS, 04/06/2012

First, I urge everyone to click the link above to read Lisa's full thoughts on this concept, because they are very deep in wisdom.  She writes with a very sure hand, driven by her personal experiences and losses, yet she always finds that bright spot in every difficult moment.  I agree with her on this subject and have often felt that very same thought - that God/Universe/Spirit DOES give us more than we can handle, and it happens quite often.  I've pondered this from my personal experiences, when I've been quite aware I'm being tested and pushed beyond the current limits of my abilities to adapt.

The following thoughts are what I have come to realize.


The analogy that comes to mind is that some of this being barraged with a huge amount of trial and challenge has the purpose to literally knock off some of the bulk of extraneous energy we build up.  We're good at that building up of defenses and walls, we humans, often creating such a buildup that we are out of balance in a spiritual and emotional manner.  Similar to a sculptor approaching a bulky block of granite and chipping away to expose the image hidden within, perhaps that Divine Source blasts us with large chunks of crisis and strife to shear away parts of us that we simply no longer need.  Those large amounts of challenging energy might not all be completely absorbed by us on an individual level, but similar to the winds blowing sand or water against stone, wood or land....pieces are whittled, chipped and eroded until they finally fall away.  From a logical, pragmatic standpoint, if you're struggling uphill, it's certainly easier to make the climb without carrying a lot of unnecessary baggage.  So, it is within the bounds of reason that challenges help us to jettison extraneous negative habits, behaviors and patterns that no longer serve us well.


Another analogy that I think of often is that a smooth surface cannot bond efficiently with a new addition.  Are you familiar with the process of roughing up a smooth surface to prepare it to receive a new coat of paint, or to join two pieces of wood or metal or glass together?  The roughing up of that smooth surface is necessary, because the roughness gives each separate piece something to bond to.  Two slick, smooth surfaces will not bond efficiently....they will eventually separate and fall apart.  The roughing up of the surface creates texture and that texture becomes a sort of puzzle mechanism for an interlocking process to be achieved.  I find this to be such a strong message - smooth, shiny, slick surfaces are often beautiful to look at, but they remain separate.  Apart.  Isolated.  Lovely, yes, but sterile in a way.  I think this is good reason to celebrate and appreciate how beautiful we are in our flaws.  They create an opportunity for us to find those interlocking relationships, to bond with other people and other experiences and become more beautiful...more real...more unique, through personal growth.  Our flaws allow us to become that better version of ourselves through that refining process.


So, my thought is that when we're bombarded with extreme, onerous levels of challenge, we're being sculpted and prepared for that interlocking process.  We're being presented with new layers of energy and experiences that will ultimately make us stronger and more beautiful in a spiritual sense, but we must first sacrifice parts of ourselves that no longer serve a positive purpose, or that are getting in the way of growth. 


The energy of Good Friday and Easter/Passover is upon us, and I always find the energies swirling around during this particular weekend to be particularly peaceful and uplifting.  It is a quiet, peaceful kind of energy that I feel, while at the same time, I experience a strong upswing on a vibratory level.  I firmly believe this happens around all High Holy Days because the world at large is in a similar mental state, focusing on the spiritual manifestation of that particular day.  I believe that this creates a combined energy that benefits all of us and also benefits this planet we all inhabit.  


Pain isn't fun.  That's an obvious truth.  It comes to us for myriad reasons - as a red flag to alter our course and avoid something unpleasant, as a warning of something of a medical nature that requires attention, as an ending to a relationship through separation of one sort or another...divorce, friendship ending, death, drifting slowly apart.  Sadness and grief are part of the makeup of this world and they are part of the growth process we all face on a daily basis.  These experiences teach us compassion, strength, acceptance and the ability to allow Grace into our personal reality.

Photo image:  Heart Highlights FB Page

On my Facebook wall on Good Friday, another dear friend by the name of Holly, posted a beautiful photo that I want to share here.  The lily and the Cross, both symbols of Easter, of love, redemption and faith.  The Cross is the symbol of one of the saddest historical moments this planet and the human race have ever witnessed, and the lily symbolizes the shining result of that sad sacrifice.  Forgiveness, rebirth, unconditional love, and a promise to us of life everlasting.


I am not one to speak much about specific religions, or to hammer away with specific dogma.  I prefer to concentrate more on the simple and pure source behind it all, which is Love.  I have a deep and abiding personal faith that spans many thoughts and concepts and I do my best to share my thoughts here, at Healing Morning, in a manner that lifts up and encourages.


Easter/Passover is about Transformation.  Shedding of a physical body to rise up in vibration to a Divine level.  We're all here on this Earth School to work towards that same level of Divine energy, and the process requires that we face challenges, be given overwhelming tests and that we experience pain, whether physical, emotional or both, in that refining process.  


In return, we are "roughed up" on our spiritual surfaces in order to accept that next layer of beauty....to accept that higher vibration of pure spiritual progress and growth.  In those moments when you are clearly aware that you're being tested, and you're equally aware that you're being given much more than you can handle, know that there is purpose in all of it.  That which you truly cannot handle is still blasting away at you in a manner meant to chip excess baggage away and reveal a truer version of yourself.  It is helping you to shed layers and emerge cleaner, lighter, yes, but also slightly roughed up and available to receive that new layer of Grace more effectively.  Whether each of us chooses to accept that attachment of Grace is a personal choice, obviously, but something in me stubbornly believes that Grace does attach, even for those who turn from it.  It is simply there, showering down on us all, waiting for that available space, minute or hugely expansive, to attach and brighten each life.  When I am going through my own challenging moments and I feel I cannot take another ounce of it, the thought that a lot of negative energy is being blasted away, and I'm being prepared for beautiful energies to attach brings me back to calm and focus.


Where ever you are in your life currently, as you read this, I wish you a Good Friday and a blessed Easter/Passover.  Be with those you love and celebrate the fact that we have been given this incredible world to experience all the highs and lows of life and emerge triumphant, changed and showered in Grace.

*Photo image annotation:  the first image of the diamond and charcoal was taken from Facebook, but I was unable to track it to an originator or a specific Facebook page.  In this case, I am only able to annotate to Facebook as the origin of this photo image.*