Transforming Suffering

Affirmation:  I choose to find the blessings that arise from my suffering.

 The newspaper article explained that the Doomsday Clock has been moved forward to two minutes before midnight.  It is closer now to the bewitching hour than it has ever been since the end of World War II and the creation of the atomic bomb.   The Doomsday Clock is an internationally recognized design that conveys how close we are to destroying our civilization with dangerous technologies of our own making. First and foremost among these are nuclear weapons, but the dangers include climate-changing technologies, emerging biotechnologies, and cyber technology that could inflict irrevocable harm, whether by intention, miscalculation, or by accident, to our way of life and to the planet. (http://thebulletin.org/overview#sthash.KlhM9quB.dpuf.)

I wasn't surprised.  The world as we know it will end.  I've seen all of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator movies and the ones about the meteors and the aliens.  How about a worldwide virus or the bird flu?  Hollywood and fiction writers have been predicting our demise since its inception.  How about the Walking Dead or the movies about the Rapture?  Yes, the destruction of our lives as we know them can happen in many different ways and any day now.  If the world doesn't blow up, it’s also true that our own personal world may implode or explode. 

Recently the magazine Cincinnati had an article about being prepared for the challenges of life, especially as we age or as our loved ones age.  It was about being aware and taking steps to bolster our resources.  As you probably know if you read this blog I am the ultimate Girl Scout.  "Be prepared" is their motto.  I am the queen of preparation and while it's true I see the changes taking place in my life and the lives of my family and friends, I don't want to walk around always waiting for the "other shoe to drop."  It is so very easy to await the next mishap or disaster.  It's so easy to allow my mind and imagination to go to the difficulties that might arise, to enter into "the cave of phantoms."  So, I'm working on finding a balance between being overly prepared and letting go of the probability of pain and suffering. 

The word "transform" keeps showing up as I search for an answer to this question.  The first time it appeared was in Richard Rohr's, The Art of Letting Go.  He talked about developing the ability to transform our suffering because everyone does suffer and the longer one lives the more suffering one will experience.  Oh my!  Therefore, you need to find a way to transform it or it will transform you into a sad, mean, worn out human.  The second time the word appeared was in Father Ryan's sermon at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church.  He used it to describe what happens to someone who finds themselves connected to the Divine, either through prayer or when they receive the Sacraments.   

The secular approach to pain and suffering is to simply be the obverse of whatever is, not to judge it, not to get caught up in the dualistic mind of good or bad, right or wrong, black or white.  It's one of life's simple concepts that is without a doubt one of life's most difficult to practice, impossible to master. The Christian faith, however, takes the simply observing concept to a whole other level.  That which we judge as pain and suffering, if laid at the foot of the Cross or placed in the arms of The Christ is transformed into blessings beyond our wildest imaginings.  The naked, tortured body of God, nailed to wooden beams over two thousand years ago was the ultimate gift.  His message was not clear as he was going thorough His persecution. Once He had given up His spirit, however, this poor, itinerant, misunderstood preacher turned our civilization inside out and upside down. 

Many can't and don't fully appreciate how he changed the value of human life and dignity.  If we lived in some of the third world, repressed regimes today we might better appreciate the impact of Christ's teachings.  He came to teach us that no matter what happens to us it is all redeemable and we get to choose how we perceive our lives.  We can see ourselves as victims or as victors.  His message was that we are all children of the Divine and we are loved.  Our afflictions are not punishments. 

I once heard someone say, "Suffering is one of our common denominators."  We all suffer.  Some suffer more than others, of that I have no doubt.  It doesn't take too much awareness to know of the horrors that have taken place or are taking place in our world today.  Once we head out into the world figuratively or in reality and listen to the ailments with which so many of our fellow humans are dealing, we are faced with story after story of sadness and challenge.  If one has not developed the ability to simply be an observer of one's suffering, how is it to be transformed? 

I don't know.  I want to place an answer here for everyone who is suffering and I know there are the wise, learned people out there who might be able to do that but I've decided I am not one of them.  In bringing this topic to several of my friends and guides the only "answer" that has presented itself is for me to look at how I personally can and do transform my pain and suffering.  What has worked for me in the past?  How will that work for me in the future? 

My personality lends itself to looking at the bright side of most situations.  It can be quite obnoxious for others but it sure has helped me get through some really tough experiences.  I've studied what is recommended to help one deal with life altering challenges and have taken note of those skills, which I believe will strengthen me when I am again faced with those issues.  Simply writing that last sentence out gives me a sense of strength and hope.  Hope.  I carry hope in my heart.  I believe, truly believe that every event I label "daunting or miserable" I will eventually see as a blessing.  I believe each challenge no matter how sad it makes me is an opportunity for something amazing.  I know on my own, I may not be able to transform all the difficult happenings in my life into something wonderful.  There will be many times I need the support of my family and friends.  Let them come!  I accept.  And I know I will also need my faith. 

What has worked for me has been to trust God, not that nothing difficult or unpleasant will happen to me but that I will be able to transform what happens to me into something that will give glory to God, or at least peace to myself.  Even if I'm faced with the end of the world, I am hopeful that with my trust in Christ, His Blessed Mother and all my Angels and guides that whatever comes my way, I will be that person who sees the good, who rises to the high ground and if I can't, I am trusting that someone will come along who will help me overcome my grief or my despair. 

How have you dealt with your pain and suffering?  Have you developed a philosophy that will support you in the future?  What can you do today to "be prepared" for the adversities that life will surely present to you?  Be a light for others.  Share your coping mechanisms.  Perhaps one of your pearls of wisdom will be exactly what someone needs to help them turn their suffering into a blessing.