For over forty years, [Teresa of Ávila ] never spent a single day without physical pain. *** Through this, as in all else, Teresa learned how to let go of her own will and trust in God. She vehemently asserts that we must 'determine once and for all to swallow death and the lack of health,' or there will be no hope for us. - Fr Richard Rohr, "Daily Meditation," April 20, 2020
As I read that I realized two things: (1) the power behind our thank you prayer; and (2) for us bare beginners, long before we ever get to acceptance of "swallowing death and the lack of health," we must needs learn the art of acceptance of life's little nits and nicks. For openers, why we'd best not resist that which another is thinking, saying, doing, being which is not to our liking, but focus on finding acceptance within.
The first part is self-explanatory. Dealing with the second part, we find our difficulty in not resisting lies in our not knowing how to do that without currying favor, or without feeling that we've sold our self out. The fact is, both are simply ego standing in the way of God's will which we suspect is going to go against us.
Interestingly, the first paragraph of Easwaran's "Words to Live By" today gives us the answer: As long as there is something we want to get out of life before we go -- a little more money, a little more pleasure, a chance to get in a parting dig at someone we think has hurt us -- there will be a terrible struggle with death when it comes.
Building on that truth, my contention is that there will be a terrible struggle with our life in the very moment we resist that which is appearing to us. For instance, I did not resist JoB, I did resist Mini-Me...I have been at peace with JoB, I have had to find my peace with Mini-Me. And my peace with Mini-Me has come from seeing the fault in me.
It seems our life is simplified when we look to ourself as the source of our woes. To give up the struggle to change another is to find the change in our own self...ah, peace.
Thank you.
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