Relax! Nothing is under control

Observing the natural world and the implicit order of the Universe provides us a valuable lesson in understanding how very little we actually have control over. All we have to do is look around at nature and even the complex processes of our human bodies. It doesn’t take too long to come to the realization that we are not controlling anything. Our heart beats, food digests and a multitude of other processes happen continuously without us doing a single thing. The sun rises and sets, weather patterns come and go, animals migrate, and a host of other events unfold constantly and continuously without our input, assistance or interference.

We have absolutely no control or hand in any of it. All of this has been unfolding in the universe for nearly 14 billion years. On one level that can be a fearful and worrisome thought. But on another level if we really let the truth of what this actually means sink into our minds it is delightfully reassuring! This alternative perspective would sound something like, “Wow, I don’t have to actually make any of this happen. I can trust that the same energy that created the Universe in all its splendor is acting through me and in all aspects of everything that I encounter – and I have the honor of being here to witness and experience it for a finite number of years in this human body…cool!”

Part of that witnessing and experiencing will include things that excite and delight us and part of it will include things that deeply challenge us and we would rather avoid entirely. Understanding that this is part of the plan from the beginning is the key. It is the foundation for accepting that we live in a purposeful Universe that has our soul’s evolution as the highest goal. Meaning by extension, all that we encounter throughout this human journey is meant to be the fertile ground in which our souls evolve.

It is possible to rest, relax and feel supported regardless of where we are or what we are dealing with in life, but only if our perception of what is actually happening is corrected. Only then will our experience change, because we realize that it is all in divine order…not our own individual idea of what divine order might look like. That means the death of a beloved pet, cancer diagnosis, loss of employment, end of a marriage, etc. does not represent the world being out to get us. It represents the perfect way that the Universe customized our individual curriculums.

As the great spiritual teacher Marianne Williamson so eloquently says, “When we give ourselves over to love and the quantum field of infinite possibility it activates the natural intelligence of the universe which is always working through all units of time and space to bring all living beings and all circumstances to their highest level of creative possibility.” The only control we do have is our power to decide how we respond to the events of our lives, choosing either to embrace what is before us or struggle against life. In the end, what we do as a result of the circumstances that life presents to us is completely up to us.