My THREE LESSONS of Life

I plan for this to be a very short, succinct post. I don't know why, but I feel very strongly compelled to compose and publish this, even though I'm right in the middle of posting something completely different. I don't know why, but that's okay; I don't have to know why I feel inspired to do this, I just need to do it.

In this post, I plan to share with you the three simple but all-important lessons that I have learned in my long, long life. I'm in my eighth decade of life on this plane, and I've learned many things, but I believe that the important lessons can be summarized in these Three Lessons of Life:

I

I believe that every situation in my life can be placed into one of two categories: Things I can do something about, and Things I can't do anything about.

If the situation I face is one which I can change or do anything else about, I pray for or affirm or muster up the strength and courage to do it. If it's a situation that I am absolutely powerless to change, I muster up or pray for or affirm that I have the strength and courage to accept it. Of course, it's fundamentally important to know which category any particular situation should be placed in, so I have to pray for wisdom and guidance in determining that.

Many of you will see that these are the principles underlying the famous Serenity Prayer, one version of which says:

God grant me the

Serenity to accept things I cannot change, the

Strength to change things I can change, and the

Wisdom to know the difference.

II

I believe that the will of God for me is always more wonderful than anything I can possibly will for myself; it is always for my true happiness, soul unfoldment, and only what is good. So, I can --- and should  --- try always to entrust everything in my life to the loving care of my Father in Heaven.

III

I believe that God is always blessing me, whether it seems like it or not, but that I must accept His blessings willingly; God never forces anything --- including blessings --- on us. Except for life itself, I believe that the greatest gift God gives to His children is freedom of choice.

When the sun is shining, gentle winds are blowing, birds are singing, and I feel wonderful, healthy, and energetic, it's easy for me to acknowledge that God is blessing me. But I firmly believe that it is at least as vitally important for me to remember that God is blessing me even when things do not seem to be going well. In general, the tougher or more seemingly negative things appear to be, the more lessons I can usually learn from them, the more I can usually grow from dealing with them. Any single thread may be plain, or even ugly; but, as I back away and see that thread interwoven with other unique, often ugly individual threads, I can see how they all fit into a beautiful tapestry. Likewise with my life: Any specific incident or situation may seem terrible, but when I'm able to put it in perspective, I can see how it fits into and becomes part of the beautiful tapestry of my life.

There is a three-part mantra which has been a vital part of my life for several years now, and I can tell that it has made a very big difference in my life, even though I have faced some horrendous financial and health challenges over the last few months. Very regularly throughout each day --- especially, immediately upon awakening, immediately before falling asleep, and whenever I feel overwhelmed by a particular situation or incident, I remind myself that God is blessing me now...God is blessing me now...God is blessing me now...

After a period of repeating this to myself, I am just as emphatic in reminding myself that I accept God's blessings now...I accept God's blessings now...I accept God' blessings now...

Then, very importantly and very emphatically, Thank You, Father!

I don't do this exercise in order to convince God of anything or to do anything; it's to remind me of what God is already continuously doing for me, and thanking Him for it.

As I said above, I don't know why I feel absolutely compelled to post this right now instead of completing another post that I've already started, but I do feel so strongly about this that it's what I'm doing. At some point down the line, sooner or later, maybe I'll know why. Or not.