Don't Quit!
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and debts are high,
And you want to smile, but have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down more than a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t ever quit.
Life can be strange with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns.
But many a failure can turn about,
And we could be winning, if only we stick things out.
Don’t give up, even if the pace appears to be slow.
You may succeed, with just one more blow.
Success is failure turned inside out.
It’s the silver tint on the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close to it you are,
It could be near, when it still seems very far.
So, stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit.
And when things seem at their worst.
That’s the time when it’s most unwise to quit.
John Greenleaf Whittier
The way I see it, when things sometimes seemingly go wrong in our lives, it is always us who are out of step with the Universe and not the other way round. It is then more than likely that the energies it is currently putting at our disposal wish to tell a different story and are trying to steer us and our life into a different direction. If one seemingly runs into one invisible wall after another, when obstacle after obstacle rears its head, it is a safe bet that the Universe is attempting to give us a message that somehow we are barking up the wrong tree. It may well be the case that it has something much better up its sleeve for us, if we but pay attention.
The world around us is a mirror of what is taking place inside us. Through the actions and reactions of the people around us it is constantly trying to provide us with some kind of feedback. This is known as Universal guidance and we do well to listen to what the Universe has to say. And whenever things in our lives are not going the way we would want them to, almost certainly this is a signal from the Highest that for us the time has come to take stock and make some changes. Making an effort to attend to the special lessons we have agreed to learn in the course of our present lifetime, long before we entered into it, re-aligns our energies with those of the Universe and we get back into harmony with ourselves and the predestined pathway of our life.
Because we earthlings have been given freedom of choice by the Universal forces, whenever there is an indication that we should make some changes on our lifepath, nobody forces us to make them. Wise ones, however, pay attention to the guidance that comes their way in the form of something appearing to go wrong. They respond by trying their hand at something else and looking towards channelling their energies into different avenues of expression. For a long time we are unaware that the Universe is constantly offering us choices and that in truth no-one forces us to do anything we do not like or to believe things that do not sound true to us. There is always a choice and it has to be made – by us. But, before we can choose wisely, we first have to become aware of the fact that we are allowed to choose. Try not to overlook that not choosing also amounts to a choice.
Humankind’s much cherished freedom is comparable to a dog going for a walk on a lead. We are the dog and our Karma is the lead which our Highest or God Self holds in its loving yet stern, undeviating and unrelenting hands. It alone knows our true needs and whatever is the right thing for us in any given moment. It constantly guides us into our next adventures on the Earth plane. For each one of us this is the only authority in the whole of Creation who really knows which lessons still have to be integrated by us and which tests and trial are necessary to lead us home into the oneness with God.
If at any given time evil desires of our lower nature rise to the surface of our consciousness, we are free to decide whether we wish to follow them and act them out or not. The more highly evolved we become, the easier it becomes to acknowledge and accept such things as part of our lower animal nature, which have outlived their usefulness. Whenever this happens, wise ones reach for the hand of their Highest Self and request its help to change and transmute the energies of the desires that are no longer in our interest into something that serves the highest good and greatest joy of all life.
It is possible to save ourselves many disappointments when we bear in mind that doors will only ever open for anyone when they are meant to. And when one of them does, the experience can be likened to something that can usually only be seen in funny films. Having so got used to pushing and shoving uselessly at far too many doors, there may well come a moment, when – metaphorically speaking – we have at last found the right one. In that case the door flies open so suddenly that it makes you feel almost as if you were shooting out through the window, at the other end of the room. Why not try it out for yourself sometime?
In every human being true and lasting faith in ourselves and the goodness of the life the Universe has bestowed upon us can only grow through learning from our own first hand experiences. When things go wrong, as they sometimes will even for wise ones, when they have unsuccessfully tried one door after another, yet none seems to be willing to open, no matter how hard they try, these people take a break from their efforts. They go into quiet reflection mode and enter into a bit of a dialogue with themselves that goes something like this: ‘Let me see, what I am presently trying to do cannot be meant for me. Maybe the Universe has something else for me in mind, possibly something better. If so, I’ll be patient and wait for another opportunity that will surely come, especially if I ask for it.
‘Are things really going wrong in my life or is it merely the Universe’s way of asking me to change direction? Could this be happening for my own good, because the Universe loves me and knows my true wants and needs better than I do? Might it be protecting me against myself, so I can find what is rightfully mine? Is it possible that something superior to what I had in mind is in store for me? Let’s wait patiently for a while, so that another opportunity can come my way.
‘Ah yes, I like this. What an improvement on despairing or even swearing at the Universe for not fulfilling my wishes. After all, I am a beloved child of the Great Father/Mother of all life and my true nature is love. Show me how to walk the loving way instead, with love in my heart for myself and everybody who will be touched by my enterprise. All right, here I go! I love you and trust You, Great White Spirit, as You love and trust me. Ah yes, that feels much better!’
So, dear Friend, if your funds are low and your debts are constantly too high, the time may be right for some soul-searching and asking yourself: ‘Why am I not taking part in the Universe’s abundance? Is it because I am not sharing my gifts and talents, of which we all have many, sufficiently with others? What about increasing my input of good things into life, so that in due course it can return nothing but more of the same to me? Do I need to be less selfish and think more about the good of the whole of society, life, our beautiful planet and the Universe? Why don’t I stick my toes into the water and see what happens?’
Recommended Reading:
• ‘You’ll never walk alone’
This article is a chapter from ‘Healers And Healing’.
If it has whetted your appetite to read more, please follow the link below:
‘Healers And Healing’