Things happen FOR me

In A Thousand Names for JoyByron Katie says:

Everything happens FOR you, not TO you.

When I first read that statement, it took me by surprise. I went back and re-read it.

But, the more I think about it, the more it resonates with me.

It makes sense to me that everything that's going on around me is supportive to me in some way.

I admit that it's not always apparent to me what the benefits of some "difficulties" are.

However, I've noticed that, since I've adopted the attitude that everything happens FOR me, I've felt a lot more open to waiting and finding out what the benefits are when they're not immediately obvious.

That openness feels much calmer than the knee-jerk reactions that used to be more common in me.

Reality spectacles

After completing Byron Katie's Judge Your Neighbour Worksheet a few times, I feel as if I have a new set of glasses through which to view my world.

The transformation is amazing.

My judgemental thoughts about the so called problem dissolve, my story about it evaporates, and happiness replaces suffering.

It's hard to describe. As the saying goes, I had to experience it to believe it.

I've found that the process does require some humility. Each time I've completed the worksheet, I've discovered that I have been guilty of the fault that I'd been seeing in someone else. As Katie says, "Forgiveness is the discovery that what you thought happened, didn’t."

However, any price that I've paid has been more than worth it. A few moments of embarrassment quickly have given way to relief and joy.