In our budding “love and light” culture there seems to be a rising misconception about how the universe operates.

We appear to have turned the universe into a suggestion box for us to neatly tuck our ideas into while we sit back and watch our hopes and dreams effortlessly manifest into tangibility.

It’s as though we have asked our favorite Friday night hotspot to consider putting french fries on the menu. Upon this request, we sit back and do nothing but eagerly await the verdict, expecting management to call an emergency mid-week meeting to discuss the prospect.

We fantasize all week about the sense of accomplishment we’ll have when we open up the menu and see an emblazoned starburst with the words “Now Serving Fries!” Oh, the satisfaction we’ll feel from knowing we single-handedly enhanced the world by simply “putting it out there” will be so sweet.

We, alone, had the courage to inform the restauranteurs that, “hey, people like french fries.” A lot. In fact, some people can make a whole meal out of a plate of fries, particularly when there is an obscurely flavored aioli on the side.

As seemingly flawless as this sounds, it is time we come together and realize that “the universe”—the true connection with the great beyond, the spiritual matrix—doesn’t quite work in such a convenient fashion.

It is, by nature, a much more demanding beast.

Its requirements are considerably more tedious than voicing a want and observing the pieces move into place. Brace yourself, friends, for an ugly word, because there is no delicate way to put it: diligence.

The universe requires us to have diligence.

That’s right, it has the gall to actually make us do the work ourselves if we want to achieve our inner most desires.

And to make it worse, all too often the work involved seems terribly unfair, insurmountable, and at times, unnecessarily cruel. It can be so brutal that we think the wires must have gotten crossed and someone else is living our happily-ever-after, leaving us to toil away in the mines day after day.

There is no easy way out. It is in these moments of absolute hopelessness that we must have the fortitude to pause and realize that the path we are on is the one that is meant to be—we are never somewhere that was unintended. Each step, no matter how miserable or gut-wrenching, is necessary.

When we think that we have maxed out and absolutely cannot handle anything more, it’s critical not to collapse. Instead, we must channel that emotion into devotion and patience, allowing us to become even more invested in our pursuit.

So, the next time life has us on our knees, begging the universe to deliver us from evil, pleading to be thrown a f*ckin’ bone, shouting “my time is now!” let’s step back and remember that if it were truly time for the rocky road to be over, it would be.

Instead of wailing to be magically ascended from the pits of hell, let’s simply ask for the strength to continue on our journey. Let’s ask for the confidence and ability to maintain the course, be diligent about the fight for what we want, and appreciate that without all of the harsh reality along the way, we would never truly appreciate grace when we arrived.

And then of course, when our pity party has lost its intrigue—we should have a guilt-free plate of french fries with some lemon curry aioli on the side for our dinner, because—damnit—being a human is a marathon, and we ought to drop the big picture every once in awhile to simply revel in small, salty miracles.

 

 

Author: Autumn Connolly

Image: Wikimedia

Editor: Callie Rushton