Tags
creativity, Emotions, Experience, God, Loss, Planning, Problems, Spiritual Lessons, Thinking
When times are hard, some people complain. And as they complain about the hard times, they shut themselves off from the opportunities that lie within their troubles.
Other people have learned to be patient. They look for the lessons within their hardships or troubles.
Sri Harold Klemp – Love—The Keystone of Life
My wife lost her car keys and has had to depend on others to get her around until she finds them. It’s a pain, but what’s the lesson? Have a place to put your keys each time you come home? Stop driving around so much?
When things like this happen, the frustration can be utterly maddening. Each day there is the possibility of a problem. Maybe you wake up not feeling well, maybe you get blindsided by a bill you weren’t expecting. Maybe that one thing you always expect to be there, stops working. All of these problems crop up all the time. In some cases, problems crop up that are the same, despite being disguised in different costumes.
I learned over the last few years, that it is best to let our emotions subside before making any decisions. You see the emotions preclude us from thinking of a plan to solve the problem. Have you ever heard the quote: “I was so angry I couldn’t think straight”? This applies here. When we jump into action with a plan while the emotions are still high, we tend to make matters worse. So, be patient. Another quote comes to mind: “This too shall pass”.
This quote reminds us that love is the only way to get the solutions we need. When we complain, are angry, scared, upset, or berate ourselves for being “so stupid”, we cut off the source within us that has a solution. When we relax and the emotions have subsided, we are more clear to begin thinking of solutions to a particular problem. Maybe we do some research to see what others did to solve their problem that is like ours. Maybe we talk to family members who may have had a like problem they had to solve. Sometimes the only place we can go is within.
I came to the realization a while back that there really are no problems. We are the ones who define a problem for what it is. What if we decided that a problem wasn’t one. What if, instead, we decided it was a lesson to learn.
If you look at all the problems you’ve had in life, you’ll discover like I did, that problems come in categories. Health, finances, relationships, etc. You’ll also see that some problems, once solved, never return. This means you’ve learned the lesson.
Like my wife losing her keys, I lost my wallet a few years ago. I accidentally left it on the trunk of my car when I was gassing up. Then I drove off and it fell off alongside the road. I was freaked out when I got home. Luckily, a good Samaritan arrived at our door a few hours later bringing the wallet back with the money inside. I learned a big lesson. Never carry anything more than what you need in your wallet. So now, I only carry my driver’s license and my debit card. Nothing else. Should I have another situation where my wallet is lost, there’s nothing in it that cannot be replaced easily with a few phone calls or website visits.
The key lesson: Let the emotions subside before making any decisions. You’ll make better decisions and solve the problem. Another key lesson: You define what a problem is. In some case, you can live with whatever happens and get on with your life.
If you’d like more insights into solving problems here’s a link to a free e-book: https://www.eckankar.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Secrets-of-Divine-Creativity_ebooklet.pdf One of the messages on the cover is: All problems come with answers.
Here’s a final note. God never gives us a problem we are not capable of solving. So when you get hit upside the head with a problem, realize that there is a solution to it. Most of the time, it is within you.
Have a great Sunday, folks!
Until next time…
Dave
Daily Ramblings... 