We all know that the best laid plans of mice and men sometimes go awry, so we shouldn't be surprised when the best laid lifeplans go awry, too.
What "looks good on paper" doesn't always look as good when it comes up in your life, especially if - like so many of our learning experiences - the person or the situation that we're dealing with proves to be less than a positive experience. If we planned it all ahead of time - if we made arrangements before we came into this lifetime to experience certain things under certain circumstances with certain people - then why is life so difficult? Shouldn't we just be born, experience everything that we planned to experience with all of our soul-level friends, learn and grow together in perfect harmony, then die and start the cycle all over again? Where does all this stress fit into our "perfect little lifeplan?" And why do we experience so many more negative emotions than positive ones?
The answer is obvious: a plan is only a plan. It's a suggestion as to how we should do things; it's not a mandate, by any stretch of the imagination. In the early adult years of our lives, we may plan to put something aside each payday to support us in our old age. We know we should, and we know why we should. We know what will probably happen to us if we don't. It's a good plan, but it only works if we consistently "stay with the plan" until the whole plan has had a chance to play itself out. It takes a lifetime of planning - and a lifetime of follow-through - to be financially secure after retirement, and it takes a lifetime of conscious commitment to the learning process called life to be spiritually secure when that lifetime draws to a close.
Part of knowing where we are on our life path in knowing whether we're working with our lifeplan, or against it. Our life itself - not as we choose to see it in order to make ourselves feel okay but as it really is - is the only trustworthy measure of how far we have come on the path we choose for this lifetime before we came into it.
In looking at our lives, we have to remember that there are two variables at play for each of us, variables that can - and most often do - have a tremendous impact on the way our life plan works itself out and determine whether we follow our spiritual path or live our lives as powerless victims of circumstance.
The first variable is the critical one: we may or may not consciously recognize the order in our lives. We may not yet have achieved the level of inner understanding that reminds us that we are in this life because our soul developed a plan that was intended to accommodate the growth experience we need in order to grow spiritually, and that we - as human beings - are our soul's vehicle for growth.
The second variable is other people's choices, and the effect those choices have on us and on our learning experiences. Every human being enjoys the blessing of free will and conscious choice, because - without it- we could never grow. Growth comes from thinking about who we are and the way we relate to the rest of the world, and choosing whether to stay the same or change into someone working from a more spiritual position. Our choices create our reality, it's true, but other people's choices can sometimes have a stronger impact on our day-to-day reality than our own. Our lives are continually affected - and therefore changed - by the decisions other people make every minute of every day, whether those decisions affect us directly or indirectly.
When we're not aware of the impact that other people's choices have on our lives, and on our life plans, it's easy to draw wrong conclusions about what our life plan really is. If we incorrectly assume that every negative and difficult situation in our lives is there because we planned to use it as a learning process, we may focus our energies into experiencing things we have no need to experience and "learning" life lessons that we accomplished lifetimes ago. Awareness enables us to clearly see the difference between the experiences that we planned ahead of time for our own growth purposes and the experiences that are a part of our lives because we - or somebody else in our life - made conscious choices that put us there.
No matter how well we may have planned, we couldn't possibly have put together a life plan so comprehensive that it takes into consideration all of the variables that come into play in any given situation, especially when that situation is dependent on the other person's conscious choices. That's why - when we're seeking to identify the path defined by our life plan - we are forced to look inside ourselves - to our inner self - for guidance, since only our soul knows for sure which experiences are part of our pre-chosen path for personal evolution and which experiences are obstacles to that path because they exist only because we chose - in the present moment - to be a part of them.
Lois Grant-Holland is a Life Path Focus Counselor offering Life Path Focus Sessions, Karmic Astrology Charts, Channeled Guidance, Intuitive Readings and Classes and Workshops to spiritual seekers on all positive paths, and is the site facilitator at The A.N.S.W.E.R. - (The Seeker's Resource Guide to Alternative, New Thought, Spiritual Growth, Wellness and Enlightenment Resources.) You can visit her website at http://www.loisgrantholland.com
Many of our great religions hold that numbers contain hidden... Read More
We come into this world alone, we experience physical life... Read More
When the storms in your life are raging, just believe,... Read More
For some of us, spirituality is considered a religion, and... Read More
*Advice on living a humane and compassionate life.According to text... Read More
The possibility of almost 400 Old Testament prophesies coming to... Read More
After more than three decades of church ministry, I have... Read More
I'm at that place in life many refer to as... Read More
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.... Read More
Natural laws exist that serve to maintain order in the... Read More
Last Saturday, the children were down at their grandparent's house... Read More
What is Enlightenment?What do we really mean when we talk... Read More
What could be a scary thought for some? How bout'... Read More
Many consider anger a normal human emotion and continue to... Read More
I cringed lower into the seat of my grey metal... Read More
You are a spiritual being. You recognize something in you... Read More
Not going to church has the advantage of having free... Read More
As I listen with pastors and preachers in the body... Read More
There are many contradictions in life and none more easily... Read More
As a Coach and Psychotherapist I have found that the... Read More
We, a group of ordinary people who believe in Jesus... Read More
In life, sooner or later, we come to the midnight... Read More
When I first heard Donnie McClurkin's song, "We Fall Down... Read More
One of my favorite movies is "The Green Mile". A... Read More
It would be nice if the planet - like so... Read More
Do you know where your current path is taking you?Education,... Read More
"Quantum Physics is the science of gods? Newtonian Physics is... Read More
Contrary to popular beliefs, we are not our mind, our... Read More
Let Your Family and Friends Know That You Are A... Read More
Love is mentioned well over 350 times in the Bible.... Read More
It will all be clear in a minute, but first... Read More
Anyone who tells you that the path to self-actualization is... Read More
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself... Read More
It is important and necessary that we regularly spend time... Read More
Fanny J. Crosby's famous hymn, "Tell Me the Story of... Read More
What is success? It probably means different things to different... Read More
African-American people are natural caretakers. We do a great job... Read More
For many years of my life, I thought the spiritual... Read More
I am sure many of you reading this article have... Read More
Is your hope in God? Or, is it in people?I... Read More
Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in... Read More
Shamanism is an ancient form of mysticism. Although... Read More
When the Tsunami struck Asia and East Africa on December... Read More
An etheric body, also known as the aura, surrounds every... Read More
Hopefully you're reading this article because you're intrigued by the... Read More
I had visions of my daughter for about five years... Read More
I finally went to the dentist today. I had been... Read More
(Channelled)I have been trying to ignore this title "A Man... Read More
I am deeply drawn to the above Irish Blessing.This blessing... Read More
On January 13th 1982 an Air Florida flight crashed off... Read More
Connor, a man in his late 40's, has achieved everything... Read More
Healing is a special gift that any human being can... Read More
You decide! We are often asked to make decisions. Decision... Read More
"Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as... Read More
Last Friday night, I met a Christian at a prayer... Read More
Life is growth. For many people life is like a... Read More
Coming face to face with yourself in the space between... Read More
Throughout history, what is portrayed in all religions as being... Read More
During my childhood days, I disliked Lenten season because radio... Read More
For me, the best poetry stirs my soul; it awakens... Read More
Whadda ya know?Seriously. With absolute certainty, what do you know?... Read More
Do you want victory in your life? Do you have... Read More
Were you lied to as newborn Christian? I was...let me... Read More
The 'As Above, So Below' law that is the combination... Read More
Now, I will recount in full what happened to me... Read More
It is within us to... Read More
Spirituality |