As we near the end of March, I am reminded that the UCOH community is almost complete with the first quarter in “The Courage To Imagine” year-long spiritual journey we are experiencing together. In the first quarter, our main theme has been “The Courage To Come From Within.” As I have worked with this idea in consciousness during the first quarter, I have experienced a sense of deeper trust in my capacity to connect with the indwelling “Spirit of truth” and rely on the wisdom of its guidance in my life.
So many life changing things have happened in the last ninety days in my life, I wouldn’t even know where to begin telling the story. However, I am clear that I have learned a deep lesson from my recent experiences; or, perhaps even deepened my understanding of something I already knew. Simply stated, it is this: Divine order is always in divine order, even when I cannot see it.
Divine Order Is Always In Divine Order
In times of change and transition, there is always a purpose. Old paradigms and ways of living are eternally falling away, so that new forms can emerge. This is the way that creation proceeds and evolves towards its highest expression. In the midst of even the most critical moments of turbulence in our lives, divine order is present, even when we are unable to see it.
The universe has been going about the process of creation and evolution for far longer than you and I have been alive. It has experienced far more change and transition than we can even conceive. No matter how long we live, or how much change we experience, we will never eclipse the amount of change experienced by the Universe. We are always and perpetually at a deficit in both time and experience. Notwithstanding this insurmountable deficit of time and experience, the energetic dynamics of change and transition are precisely the same for me and you, as they are for the universe. The only difference is how the experience of change and transition is experienced.
All Things Must Pass
From the Universe’s perspective, change simply is. The Universe is impersonal in the sense that it does not have an opinion of the principle of change. The Universe does not suffer the changes in the ways that humankind tends to experience them. The universe simply changes, perpetually transforming and giving way to new forms, even as it holds in place the underlying creative law and order that binds it all together into a harmonious, unified system of creative life.
The Universe is in a perpetual and eternal state of active creation. It is constantly in change and transition in every moment, on a moment to moment basis. Connecting in consciousness with the awareness of this perpetual, never ceasing activity is how we enable ourselves to see that the true nature of the Universe is change. All things must pass. Change is an integral, even essential, creative component in the divine order of the universe.
In all of Creation, the only permanent state is the state of impermanence. Change is. We can align ourselves with this truth, or resist it. But, change happens either way. The principle of change is impervious to whether we agree with it or not. Change is unconcerned with our attachments to the way things are, or the way they were. Change is, and change will forever be. All things must pass. If we ever stand a chance at experiencing personal peace, accepting this foundational truth is mandatory.
This Too Shall Pass
When someone needs encouragement through tough times, they may hear a well-meaning friend or loved one say, “This too shall pass.” And, it’s true. The life challenging circumstances they are experiencing will pass. In such instances, hearing someone say, “This too shall pass,” serves to remind them to fear not, to have hope. These circumstances pressing upon their soul are passing away even now. One day soon, the challenge will have passed. They will smile again. This too shall pass.
However, the greater truth is all things must pass. In this light, this too shall pass is the same as all things must pass. They both apply to the good times, as well as the challenging times, although we typically only use this too shall pass in challenging times. To cultivate a consciousness of peace in our lives requires a willingness to acknowledge and accept that change happens, regardless of whether we want it to or not. Yet, even in spite of the changes, and the apparent chaos and stress they can sometimes bring, divine order is always in divine order, even when we cannot see it.
Divine Order Is Like Breathing, Like Yin and Yang
In equal measure, we should be neither attached to the good, nor the bad, to the victories or defeats, to the wars or the peace. They are all equal under the law of creation. None is greater than the other. They rise; they fall. They come into our experience, they leave our experience. Just like breathing in and out. This challenge shall pass. This good shall pass. It is the divine order of things that they do.
However, take heart, they pass so that they might come again. One passes, so the other may temporarily take its place. Like breathing in oxygen, and exhaling carbon dioxide. Like yin and yang, chaos and order. Both are complementary aspects of the unified, divine order that binds the life processes of the universe into harmony and eternal creation. Both are equally necessary to the process of creation, and both are necessary for your soul’s development and the realization of your divine potential.
So, next time you find yourself in the midst of changes, challenges, or life turbulences of any kind, remember: Divine order is always in divine order, even when you cannot see it. There is a purpose to the apparent chaos, just as there is a purpose to order. That purpose is your personal transformation, the development of your individual, divine potential. Simply being willing to affirm the presence of divine order in the midst of chaos empowers your creative potential, fortifies your faith, and buoys your spiritual confidence in ways that will yield inestimable benefits in your life. And, you still have to be willing to see it, even when you don’t. So, say it with me one more time now: Divine order is always in divine order, even when I cannot see it. And, so it is.
