(Times of India, Speaking Tree Column, Edit Page, October 20, 2015)
Unless we experience darkness, we will never value the light. Everybody has experienced or is experiencing some kind. Sometimes it is a lonely place to be in. You get the feeling of being alone and disconnected. Worry and doubt seem to be ‘solutions’ when in reality they only make you sink further into the hole of misery.
The truth is: You are never alone! Worry and doubts are not the answer and always remember that this period of darkness will pass. But the first thing you must do is to recognise your situation for what it is. In Reality it is nothing but one of the many experiences that we have signed up for on this journey we call life. And whether we know it or not, God is always with us on the journey with all its ups and downs.
Unless we participate in life’s battles we will never succeed. We must approach all our problems in life as opportunities to grow and learn. Just as the on who wants to build his body needs to exercise, so must we go through problems in life for our souls and characters to grow. Just as lifting weights makes our muscles stronger by overcoming resistance, our soul need some resistance as well to become stronger. we are here to learn lessons; and many more lessons are learnt through defeat than through victory. This does not mean that we are here to fail; far from it. We are here to win; but often times victoryis not complete without lessons learnt and no matter how much we wish otherwise, most lessons are learnt through our defeats more than our victories.
Hard times should be learnt from and accepted as a part of life but should never lead to unhappiness.
Faith in ourselves and in a power higher than us is the key element to both happiness and success and through that, moving from darkness to light. Let that peace, hope, happiness, contentment, love, joy and abundance consciousness permeate our subconscious minds so that our circumstances appear to manifest these into our living reality.
To climb the highest mountain, you often go through a series of hills and valleys before you can reach th summit. For that to happen you must keep on moving, navigating the valleys and thorns as a matter fo course in order to reach the goal. Let us take life in our stride and deal with whatever cards life has dealt us. No matter how hard it may seem, faith can truly move mountains and you can overcome every difficulty or obstacle in your path.
It is only when we have known the darkness, do we realise the value of light. Despite seeming elusive at times, light could be just around the corner. Like the light at the end of the tunnel, or the dawn that follows the darkest night, or the sun that appears from behind the clouds-your light is there, too, even though it plays hide-and-seek. These are the moments in life when you need to sit it is you are here to do.
When you believe that you will find light, when you believe that the darkness is only a phase and treat it as nothing more, your light will become visible and you will shine as a beacon of hope to many.
