WHEATHERING THE STORMS OF LIFE

“ I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship”

-Louisa May Alcott –

Life is a journey filled with good and bad moments. I would like to write this article about how to weather the storms of life with peace. Life storms are in many cases unexpected. The surprise element may be the reason why they shake us to our core. I would like to illustrate the storms of life with a metaphor. Imagine we are the captains of our own ship. We are learning to navigate safely; but a storm becomes so severe that we feel we will drown because the fear makes us weak and doubtful.

 I am an avid reader and love to apply  to my life the wisdom from many inspirational writers. I enjoy sharing those experiences with my readers, because of the help I have received from them, in moments of personal crisis. One of my favorite writers is Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, who passed away a few years ago. In the book “There is a Spiritual Solution to every Problem” , he shares how in the autumn of 2000, he went through a health problem that really scared him. I share here some parts of the book’s foreword.

“ In the autumn of 2000, I was literally brought to my knees while alone in a hotel room. I could barely breathe. My chest felt like it was in a vise. I was sweating profusely and soon found out that I had had a heart attack. But something was dreadfully wrong with this picture. I do not smoke or drink; I am not overweight; I exercise every day and have done so for twenty-five years.”

 “For the first twenty-four hours I lay at the hospital in a state of shock and disbelief. It is called denial. I felt sorry for myself. I refused to acknowledge that such a thing could happen to me, and I was, to be honest scared. After the first day I began to examine what I has written in this book “There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem”. I remembered that I could bring the energy of spirit right there to that hospital room.”

“The facts were the facts. My heart had been injured. Now it was up to me.”

 “ I began to view the hospital and the many healing professionals with awe, love, and respect rather than with thoughts of fear and anxiety. I looked for what was right about that place and experimented gratitude for everything my senses witnessed.” “Surely the presence of God is in this place”.

“Certainly, the reality of the heart damage did not magically disappear but in my mind, where the “problem” existed, I had introduced the higher energy of spirit and the “problem” disappeared permanently. “All fear, worry, anxiety, doubt, and darkness left me.”

Dr. Wayne Dyer went through a medical procedure to unblock the artery that was blocked and went back to normal in a few weeks.

The reality is that we are the captains of our ship and we can guide the ship in the right direction to a safe port, if we learn how to navigate through the storm. What are the worst enemies to navigating safely in the middle of a storm? I would say fear and anxiety, because they rob our peace and plague our minds with doubt and negative thoughts.

Some tips to successfully navigate the unexpected life storms regardless of its causes: Health, loss, financial challenges, family issues, the list could be infinite…

• FAITH : We need to strengthen our faith through prayer, meditation, scriptures, inspirational reading, and any other tool that help us to trust that there is a Supreme Power watching over us permanently and that power is available to us always no because of our worthiness but because of the unconditional love of God for his children. Faith unleashes spiritual powers.

Isaiah 41:10

“ Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear I am your God. I will make you strong as I protect you with my arm and give you victory”

A parable about Jesus life that reminds me of the importance of faith is  when Peter walked on water

Mateo 14: 28-32

When Jesus asked Peter goes out of the boat and walk on the water to come to him, he walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink. Then, he cried out: “Lord save me”. Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him saying “O you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when they got into the boat the wind ceased.

Fear sink us. Is there any fear that is blocking the miracles that God wants to bless you with?

• CALM:  When the storm is so strong that your ship loses direction, you need to be calm to think right. You are powerless to calm the storm, so stop trying to do that. Instead,  calm yourself and think positively on the things you can do to take the ship to a secure port. The storm will pass, is temporary, but your state of mind defines the route you will take.

• MINDFULNESS:  Daily  mindfulness meditation practice is a wonderful way to maintain a state of peace, foster feelings of  acceptance, love and compassion toward yourself and others which are excellent tools to weather the storms of life. It is important to remember that mindfulness is not only the meditation practice, as you grow into the practice you start to notice the very moments throughout the day when you are allowing negative feelings or emotions to take a whole of you. Once you recognize them, it is easier to change the nature of your thought. Remember you will not be the same person after you weather the storms of life. You will be stronger, and wiser than ever before.

Keep in mind that sometimes to weather the darkness of a storm you will have to bow your head, pray, and listen the small voice of the spirit.

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