How do we use the stories of difficulty in our life in order to grow as spiritual people? How do we not get stuck in the stories and how do we use them in order to move forward?
    
We are a society, a group of people of human consciousness that loves stories. But most of us do not use the events and stories we experience as opportunities to grow our awareness and build our light. Spirit has shared with me, that the events, the experiences, the challenges we have in life that become our stories of difficulty are given to us as an opportunity to practice the many faces of love: kindness, compassion, patience, wisdom, gratitude, grace, and tolerance. These are just some of the many physical manifestations of the love that is our inheritance, that we are asked to practice, to bring to the forefront when a situation arises that ultimately creates a story of difficulty.
     
For many of us Awareness of this does not take place. It’s not understood that the purpose of life’s experiences is to practice a manifestation of Love. What usually happens is that an event occurs and people get stuck in the actual situation rather than using it as an alarm clock, an announcement that asks ”Which of the energies of love will you practice?”
     
When a situation arises and we know it’s an alarm clock and we look to see which energy of love, which face of love to go to, then we can use the experience and move beyond it.

We can shift ourselves accordingly, respond to the situation from the energy of tolerance, patience, and kindness. We’ve gotten the juice that we needed. We have energized the world in light. We move on and that situation becomes just another piece in the fabric of our life rather than becoming the story that we tell over and over and over and over again sitting in the energies of the difficulty, of the disconnect, of the disrespect or whatever it was that we created and that we experienced. You can feel this. You can feel the difference. For when a situation is used to practice love, it’s open. It’s expansive and we grow as beings.

When we don’t have the consciousness that this is the reason that these opportunities happen, and I do call them opportunities, then we go to fear. It becomes a dark place. It becomes another scar. It becomes another piece of the story that we tell so that we can wallow, sit in the pain and misery of why things don’t go well in our lives. Then negative energy is created. Not just for us, but because we are part of the oneness, it’s created for all.

How do we use the alarm clock option and stay in love rather than go to the story? It really starts with choice. It really starts with awareness. Know you have a choice. Every time an episode arises. Every time you feel the twinge of pain, the aggravation, the discomfort, you can very clearly say to yourself, “Aha! This is a moment for me to shift. I know what is happening. I feel the tightness in my chest. I feel aggravation. I am annoyed.”

Whenever you feel distress simply say, “Cancel that. This is an opportunity for me to go to love. I choose love.” Then ask: “What is the best face of love for me to practice now?”

If you are driving down the road and someone cuts you off and you feel yourself immediately go to a curse word or to a feeling of disrespect, say “Cancel that!” Shift your perspective and say, “That person must be in a rush. Let me bless them. Wish them a great day.

In the beginning, this may feel a little bit awkward. But, I guarantee you, that as you notice each of your negative responses and say, “Cancel that,” (because we’re canceling the energy in the world ) and you replace it with a blessing, a blessing for you, a blessing for them, you are creating light. You will feel lighter. The situation will go away sooner. It won’t be the story you tell at the office or to your friend in a conversation because there are better things to talk about. There’s more positive, wonderful energy to create. The story that you’ll tell is the shift that you’re making — how you are able to see yourself in a state of difficulty and how you chose to change it, how you chose to shift it.

Difficulties are alarm clocks. You can use them to shift your life. You can use them to change the energy in the world. The choice is yours. Choose wisely.

Selina Maitreya is a teacher of PRACTICAL SPIRITUALITY (www.selinamaitreya.com) helping beings to use their daily life as the practice pad for spiritual growth and enlightenment. Download Selina’s gift for you, a powerful mediation that will leave you relaxed and calm here: selinamaitreya.com/golden-light-meditation.