What
If?
“Every
particle of creation sings its own song of what is and what is not.
Hearing what is can make you wise; hearing what is not can drive you
mad.”
Ghalib
(Sufi Poet)
Do
you ever get caught up in the “What if's” of life? What if my
husband/wife falls in love with another and leaves me? What if one of
my children dies before I do? What if the market crashes and I lose
all my investments? You know the drill. Every now and then, I fall
into that sump of quicksand. What if I can't pay my bills and have to
sell my house, etc, etc. This sort of madness keeps you awake in the
middle of the night wrangling with the unlikeliest of scenarios. What
if a thief breaks in while I'm at work. What if my clothes dryer
catches fire and burns the house down? We humans are capable of
imagining almost anything, and when we're paranoid, or feeling
vulnerable, we can be truly creative in our dire what ifs.
To
be sure, there are many dreadful circumstances in the world today—in
war-torn areas, in famine-stricken places, in countries where despots
are beating their people down—and even in America, where the wealth
gap has doubled since 1980, and cost of living is once again on a
steep incline, where fires are raging in the west, and snow is
burying the east. There are many terrible things that could happen,
and that do happen. I don't for one minute make light of that. But I
ask myself, what can I do about it? If there is indeed something I
can do, whether it's make a donation to a relief agency or the Red
Cross, or go and actually put my hands to work, then I do that. But
torturing myself with imaginary scenarios is folly.
The
way I have found to quell these irrational fears is to replace them
with affirmations. Right now, I have everything I need. In this
moment, I am at peace. Today, I am calm and secure. Today, I will do
what I can to help others. Today, I will remember the words of
Jesus—“Be at peace. My peace I give to you. Do not be afraid, for
I am with you.” I will take comfort in these promises.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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