Spiritual voyagers of eternity

We are spiritual beings encased in physical bodies. We are not human beings who have occasional spiritual experiences, but rather we are spiritual beings who have occasional human experiences.

Our bodies are born, our bodies die; but we our selves do neither. We are voyagers of eternity created to learn and experience, to assimilate, to absorb, to observe and ultimately to know.

Once we realise these things, we will be free from the chains that bind us to continue in this unending journey of discovery in the form of flesh. But self-realisation is not the end of discovery, it is just the beginning, for without the enslavement in the flesh; we are free to soar through the innumerable worlds and innumerable planes of existence as freely as the light that shines forth from the countless suns.

Prayer works with faith, patience and perseverance

I have been reading a lot the past few months. Primarily, I've been reading about God and prayer. I have read many authors for the first time and am thoroughly enjoying their work. People like Father James Martin, SJ whose book 'A Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything', Stormie Omartian's Pray Big Series on Parenting, Marriage, Husband, Wife, etc. Currently, I'm reading Michael Harold Brown's 'The God of Miracles' and loving it!

The past few months have been like a roller coaster of life - up and down, then up and then down. I have been going through some difficult times emotionally that I wouldn't like to get into here, but suffice it to say that - PRAYER WORKS!

God has been with me through this storm in my life and remained in the same boat, asleep in the back at first and then woke up and asked me clearly, 'Where is your faith? Peace. Be still!'

Prayers have results. But these results come in God's time, not ours. Patience, faith and perseverance are the pillars of getting results from prayers.

Take the storms of your life not as a curse, but as a blessing that jolts you into thinking more about God than the things of the world. For it is only in these times that you begin to see the impermanence of it all worldly things and the permanence of heavenly things. You begin to realize that life and the tests that come with it are meant to teach and prepare you for the spiritual life that will follow this physical one after we transition from this world to the next. 

Give your anxieties and worries to God

Why be anxious in life? Problems come to each and every one of us sometime or the other. The important thing to remember is to have faith that you are never alone. God is with you through your problems. Just as we read about in the Bible when there was a storm in the Sea of Galilee and Jesus slept in the rear of the boat as the disciples got scared and thought they were going to sink. They woke him up and said, "Don't you care?" (Mark 4:35-41). Jesus rebuked the storm by saying "Peace. Be still." Immediately, the storm calmed. He then asked his disciples, "Why are you so afraid. Do you still not have faith?" 

There are many things in life that we need to be thankful for. But yet, every time we worry about little things that mostly never happen. While there are some more serious events in life that we face where we can get hopeless, worried, anxious and scared about. But this is the time to have faith in God and surrender our worries and problems to Him. Remember that God loves you and will never leave your side. Sometimes we have problems in life, but take this positively. It is only in our problems and how we face them that we learn and grow. Cast your care upon God and have faith that He will be at your side through the storms of life. You have to just weather these storms and learn what you can. No storm is permanent and neither are your troubled situations. Things will always get better. Smile. 

Don't be anxious, pray and have faith in God

When we are faced with anxiety in life, we do tend to worry about it. We think that the worst may happen to us. The uncertainty of life is also something that tortures us. "What will happen to me?" is one of life's most uncertain and perplexing questions.

Recently, I found a small passage in the Bible that has given me a lot of hope.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

During a rather difficult moment in my life, in a moment of tears, I prayed to the Lord to help me and the words 'Philippians 4:6' flashed into my mind. I opened my Bible and read this verse. In that moment of anxiety and worry, imagine how I felt the moment I read the words 'Do not be anxious'. Praise God!

So brothers and sisters, I urge you also, in times of anxiety, fear or worry; do not be anxious. The right thing to do is PRAY and PETITION the Lord and give THANKS to Him. When you do this, the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Yes, this peace of God that comes does really transcend all understanding. A moment of tears can suddenly be followed by peace.

Have faith in God. Do not worry, fear or be anxious. Pray and petition God with thanks and then leave it to Him. Be content in the knowledge that if you hand over the situation to Him, the results will certainly come. Have faith that His will is done and that His will is the best thing for you. The results may not happen overnight (it could though) but it will come in His time, not in yours. Have patience in God.

Most importantly, remember that you are not alone. We all have problems. We all have anxious and worrisome moments, but God is with those who have faith in Him. And remember "If God is for us, who can be against us?" - Romans 8:31 (NIV)

Welcome the problems of life

Life is about learning, growing, exploring and loving. In this process, there are moments where you encounter problems, hardships, difficulties, pain and suffering. You are not alone! Everybody has faced these. This is as much a necessary part of life as the good times where you are happy, joyous and blissful. 

It is when we have these so-called 'negative' experiences that we are able to put our own life in perspective. Mostly people reflect only after something 'bad' happens to them. This is a normal thing. God has His ways of reminding us about the Big Picture. We are here to grow, learn, explore and love. On the way, we all enter into attachments of some kind or the other. Be it to material things, people, ideas, habits, etc. But attachment, though a very normal thing, can be limiting to our own growth and happiness. 

God reminds us that true happiness lies in accepting that all Earthly things are temporary and are to be enjoyed as such. While we are here, we must love and respect one another as fellow Children of God, who are all a permanent resident of the Spiritual Realm as we are, but here on Earth they are as temporary as us. Someday when we all return to our True Home we will sit back and laugh at all the things that we took so seriously while on Earth. We will sit together and see how we faced challenges, grew from hardships, explored the various things that the material plane offers, learned from the experiences that we had on Earth and also how we loved one another. 

Many people who have had near-death experiences have stated that after the transition is made back to our True Home, the being of light at the end of the tunnel is only interested in two things - what did you learn about love? and How did you use the gifts I gave you to help the World? So, reflect on this for a while and do not worry about the problems you are facing. While we are on Earth everybody faces problems. These are meant to learn valuable spiritual lessons from. Every living thing on Earth (without exception) will someday eventually 'die' or make the transition back into the True Home, so do not worry! It is a natural part of life. It is only the uncertainty that we are afraid of. But believe me, you have experienced the transition many time before in previous incarnations. There is just a veil of amnesia that is surrounding you. 

When we return Home, we will look at our Earth lives like a movie that we starred in and use the lessons learnt to further our spiritual evolution.

Cosmic 'justice' in a nutshell

Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, for a minute just assume it is true. It is the perfect explanation for the so-called injustices at birth. Why are some born in very difficult situations and others born into easy situations? The seemingly unjust and unfair nature of destiny at birth has a very simple solution if you believe in reincarnation. The so called 'justice' meted out by God or Universe or Cosmic Spirit or Creator does not necessarily have to happen in this life. The 'justice' itself being the Universe's way of balancing out karma. The goal I feel is not punishment per se, it is actually a lesson. For those of you who believe it, essentially all souls are good and will return someday to their source. However, how long it takes and how many lessons need to be learnt varies from soul to soul. This is what I believe.