Hello everyone, I apologize that I haven't posted in a while. I'm dealing with some family health issues. As soon as everyone is healed I'll resume my bipolar posts. Prayers for my family are greatly appreciated. Have a wonderful weekend! More snow predicted here. :)
Friday, January 31, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Emotional Deprevation Disorder
Hello everyone! I find I have the time again today to write another blog, so here it goes. My therapist recently gave me a handout about emotional deprevation disorder. He told me to take it and read it and we'd discuss it the next time I visit. After reading the handout I became aware that I most definitely have this disorder.
Emotional Deprevation Disorder is a syndrome which results from a lack of authentic affirmation and emotional strengthening in one's life. A person may have been criticized, ignored, neglected, abused, or emotionally rejected by primary caregivers early in life, resulting in that individual’s stunted emotional growth. Unaffirmed persons are incapable of developing into emotionally mature adults until they receive authentic affirmation from another person. Maturity is reached when there is a harmonious relationship between a person’s body, mind, emotions and spiritual soul under the guidance of their reason and will. Source
I was not abused, neglected, or ignored as a child. I was harshly critized though. I've been tough on myself since I was a child and it has never gone away. I do know that my relationship with my mother was odd. She was tough on me and at times acted more like a sister than a mother. A sister I don't get along with, lol. When we would fight when I was younger we would race to the door when dad got home to tell him our side of the fight. We still do this, only by phone now.
The symptoms of Emotional Deprevation Disorder are as follows (I've highlighted my particular symptoms):
Insufficiently Developed Emotional Life
Abnormal Rapport
o Incapable of establishing normal, mature contact with others
o Feels lonely and uncomfortable in social settings
o Capable of a willed rapport but not an emotional investment in relationships
Egocentric
o Childhood level of emotional development
o Feels like a child or and infant and others must focus their attention on the individual just as an adult would focus on a young child.
o Incapable of emotional surrender to a spouse
Reactions Around Others
o May be fearful in nature or courageous and energetic
o More fearful people tend to become discouraged or depressed
o More courageous and energetic persons can become more aggressive
Uncertainty & Insecurity
Fear or anxiety
o Can be in the form of a generalized anxiety
o Fear of hurting someone else’s feelings
o Fear of hurting others or contaminating them (e.g. with germs or a cold)
o Need for frequent reassurance
Feels incapable of coping with life
o Worry that they’ll be put in a situation they can’t handle
o Can be easily discouraged or depressed
o May pretend to be in control in order to mask inner feelings and fearfulness
Hesitation and Indecisiveness
o Difficulty in making decisions
o Easily changes mind
Oversensitivity
o Overly sensitive to the judgments of others, criticism or slights
o Easily hurt or embarrassed
Need to Please Others
o Pleases others in order to protect self from criticism or rejection and gain approval of others
o Easily taken advantage of or exploited
o Fear of asking for favors or services needed
Self-consciousness
o Worried about what other people think
o Self-doubt and need for reassurance
Helplessness
o Do not dare to say “no” for fear of rejection
Inferiority and Inadequacy
Feel Unloved
o Believe that no one could possibly love them
o Feel devoid of all feelings of love
o Believe they are incapable of loving others or God
o Suspicious of any token of affection – continually doubt sincerity of others
Physical Appearance
o May have feelings of inadequacy due to physical appearance
Feelings of Intellectual Incompetence
o May have difficult completing projects
o Repeated failure or fear of failure
Show Signs of Disintegration in New Circumstances
o Fear of new situations and challenges
o Difficulty coping with new job, landlord, moving, etc.
Sense Impairments
o Undeveloped or underdeveloped senses (touch, taste, sight, smell)
o Lack of order, disorganization
o Fatigue
Further symptoms found in some individuals with emotional deprivation disorder:
o Deep feelings of guilt
o Kleptomania
o Need to collect and hoard useless things
o Paranoid condition
Source
Apparently the "cure" I've found online is Affirmation Therapy.
Affirmation therapy involves the therapist’s affective, not effective, presence with a client—in other words, it is a way of “being” with a person as opposed to “doing” something for him or her. Affirmation therapy can be formally described as a way of being affectively present to another human person in a therapeutic relationship in which the therapist reveals to the client his or her intrinsic goodness and worth. Affirmation is a profound way of being with someone that should not be mistaken for a set of simplistic techniques such as giving a pat on the back or a superficial or shallow compliment. Any actions or interventions on the part of the therapist are secondary to the therapist’s affective presence and are only healing in the context of the loving and nurturing environment created by the therapist.
All human beings have an intrinsic need for human love. With the exception of Divine intervention, it is essential to receive human love in order for an individual to feel good, worthwhile, and lovable—and have the capacity to love others. In essence, we must first be loved in order to love.
In affirmation therapy, the therapist’s role can be likened to that of a parent—nurturing, loving, understanding, giving example, teaching moral truths according to the capacity and belief system of the client, and seeing to the individual’s intellectual, emotional, and spiritual needs.
The therapeutic relationship involves a mutual sharing of the client’s life experiences, emotions, fears and anxieties, as well as an exploration of past and present as it relates to the symptomatology of the client. Most importantly, the therapist reveals the goodness of the client to the client through his or her gentle affective presence, which allows for the client's emotional, intellectual and spiritual growth and allows the client's symptoms to be outgrown and gradually disappear.
Source
I suppose when I meet with my therapist next we'll have to discuss this. I really have doubts that a therapist can fill the hole that my mother has left. I feel that these attributes of Emotional Deprevation Disorder I possess are so engrained in me that I can't be fixed. I guess time will tell.
Emotional Deprevation Disorder is a syndrome which results from a lack of authentic affirmation and emotional strengthening in one's life. A person may have been criticized, ignored, neglected, abused, or emotionally rejected by primary caregivers early in life, resulting in that individual’s stunted emotional growth. Unaffirmed persons are incapable of developing into emotionally mature adults until they receive authentic affirmation from another person. Maturity is reached when there is a harmonious relationship between a person’s body, mind, emotions and spiritual soul under the guidance of their reason and will. Source
I was not abused, neglected, or ignored as a child. I was harshly critized though. I've been tough on myself since I was a child and it has never gone away. I do know that my relationship with my mother was odd. She was tough on me and at times acted more like a sister than a mother. A sister I don't get along with, lol. When we would fight when I was younger we would race to the door when dad got home to tell him our side of the fight. We still do this, only by phone now.
The symptoms of Emotional Deprevation Disorder are as follows (I've highlighted my particular symptoms):
Insufficiently Developed Emotional Life
Abnormal Rapport
o Incapable of establishing normal, mature contact with others
o Feels lonely and uncomfortable in social settings
o Capable of a willed rapport but not an emotional investment in relationships
Egocentric
o Childhood level of emotional development
o Feels like a child or and infant and others must focus their attention on the individual just as an adult would focus on a young child.
o Incapable of emotional surrender to a spouse
Reactions Around Others
o May be fearful in nature or courageous and energetic
o More fearful people tend to become discouraged or depressed
o More courageous and energetic persons can become more aggressive
Uncertainty & Insecurity
Fear or anxiety
o Can be in the form of a generalized anxiety
o Fear of hurting someone else’s feelings
o Fear of hurting others or contaminating them (e.g. with germs or a cold)
o Need for frequent reassurance
Feels incapable of coping with life
o Worry that they’ll be put in a situation they can’t handle
o Can be easily discouraged or depressed
o May pretend to be in control in order to mask inner feelings and fearfulness
Hesitation and Indecisiveness
o Difficulty in making decisions
o Easily changes mind
Oversensitivity
o Overly sensitive to the judgments of others, criticism or slights
o Easily hurt or embarrassed
Need to Please Others
o Pleases others in order to protect self from criticism or rejection and gain approval of others
o Easily taken advantage of or exploited
o Fear of asking for favors or services needed
Self-consciousness
o Worried about what other people think
o Self-doubt and need for reassurance
Helplessness
o Do not dare to say “no” for fear of rejection
Inferiority and Inadequacy
Feel Unloved
o Believe that no one could possibly love them
o Feel devoid of all feelings of love
o Believe they are incapable of loving others or God
o Suspicious of any token of affection – continually doubt sincerity of others
Physical Appearance
o May have feelings of inadequacy due to physical appearance
Feelings of Intellectual Incompetence
o May have difficult completing projects
o Repeated failure or fear of failure
Show Signs of Disintegration in New Circumstances
o Fear of new situations and challenges
o Difficulty coping with new job, landlord, moving, etc.
Sense Impairments
o Undeveloped or underdeveloped senses (touch, taste, sight, smell)
o Lack of order, disorganization
o Fatigue
Further symptoms found in some individuals with emotional deprivation disorder:
o Deep feelings of guilt
o Kleptomania
o Need to collect and hoard useless things
o Paranoid condition
Source
Apparently the "cure" I've found online is Affirmation Therapy.
Affirmation therapy involves the therapist’s affective, not effective, presence with a client—in other words, it is a way of “being” with a person as opposed to “doing” something for him or her. Affirmation therapy can be formally described as a way of being affectively present to another human person in a therapeutic relationship in which the therapist reveals to the client his or her intrinsic goodness and worth. Affirmation is a profound way of being with someone that should not be mistaken for a set of simplistic techniques such as giving a pat on the back or a superficial or shallow compliment. Any actions or interventions on the part of the therapist are secondary to the therapist’s affective presence and are only healing in the context of the loving and nurturing environment created by the therapist.
All human beings have an intrinsic need for human love. With the exception of Divine intervention, it is essential to receive human love in order for an individual to feel good, worthwhile, and lovable—and have the capacity to love others. In essence, we must first be loved in order to love.
In affirmation therapy, the therapist’s role can be likened to that of a parent—nurturing, loving, understanding, giving example, teaching moral truths according to the capacity and belief system of the client, and seeing to the individual’s intellectual, emotional, and spiritual needs.
The therapeutic relationship involves a mutual sharing of the client’s life experiences, emotions, fears and anxieties, as well as an exploration of past and present as it relates to the symptomatology of the client. Most importantly, the therapist reveals the goodness of the client to the client through his or her gentle affective presence, which allows for the client's emotional, intellectual and spiritual growth and allows the client's symptoms to be outgrown and gradually disappear.
Source
I suppose when I meet with my therapist next we'll have to discuss this. I really have doubts that a therapist can fill the hole that my mother has left. I feel that these attributes of Emotional Deprevation Disorder I possess are so engrained in me that I can't be fixed. I guess time will tell.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
The Ripple Effect Teachings: Positive and Negative Energies
Hello once again everyone. I've decided to try to be productive in my depressed state so I composed another blog here following Betty J. Eadie's text The Ripple Effect, Our Harvest. Betty has had one of the most complete near-death experiences ever recorded. Yesterday I covered her insights from beyond the grave pertaining to the search for meaning in this life. Today I'd like to cover positive and negative energies. The following contain excerpts from The Ripple Effect, I hope you enjoy.
To understand the power of the "unseen world" we should understand what it is comprised of. Everything in the universe is made of energy, including our bodies and spirits. All that exists materially and spiritually, contains energies which vibrate at different speeds. Each organism and each particle of matter has a unique level of energy.
In addition, associated with the vibration of energy is the possession of sound. Energy of living and non-living entities create unique tones. Light is also associated with energy - particularly life-force energy. An aura of light projects from all living things, sometimes static, but often moving and shifting like the aurora borealis in our polar skies.
The light's intensity increases as the energy producing grows. Life force energy can also expand by merging with other energies, often referred to as synergy.
Spiritual beings can inhabit the space around us and share their energy with us. These beings come from God or Satan, simply depending on which energy we open ourselves up to. Because like attracts like, a spirit's influence always produces after its kind. Whenever we are near someone, we are either affecting them or being affected by them, usually both.
All energy exists in two forms, positive and negative. As mortal beings we have the power and agency to choose which of these to draw from and to create in. We are what we think. We are what we say, what we do, what we fill our lives with.
Betty saw that people who unthinkingly repeat negative phrases are changed and twisted by the power of their own words. They create a disposition of negativity which may grow into true meanness of spirit. Connecting to either form of energy can become habit-forming. People who have suffered major trauma can compound and lengthen their suffering through chronic negativity.
Those (like myself) who suffer from depression intensify and extend anguish through choices that let them taste their pain gain and again. This can cause unrelated negative experiences.
Breaking the cycle of negativity begins with awareness. We need to consciously understand where our energy comes from and whether its is positive or negative. When we feel fearful or discouraged, we need to honestly look at what is happening. Are we adding negativity to an already negative situation, or are we experiencing an opportunity for spiritual growth? The original negativity is natural, but we may make it unnatural by choosing to sustain it. By recognizing this mistake, we may break the cycle much more easily.
Besides awareness, gratitude also helps ward of negativity. Being grateful for the good things in life invites their continued influence. Remaining positive in difficult times requires a maturity that comes from experience. Being positive doesn't mean forcing ourselves to overlook negative ordeals. Failing at something over and over happens even to positive people. It can break our hearts and bring temporary despair, but it can also increase our endurance and strengthen our character. Looking for the positive effects of negative experiences helps us develop higher wisdom. Being positive means opening ourselves up to insights, solutions, and even miracles.
A simple way of doing this is visualization. Ask God to surround yourself with positive energy and then consciously absorb it. Betty envisions a shaft of pure white light coming from God filling her up like a cup.
Positive energies bring us to love, while negative energies bring us to fear, one of Satan's greatest tools. Many of ourselves, including myself, are held back by fear of failure, of the unknown, or of change. I personally am terrified of these things and I'm consciously working to resolve this. It is a daily struggle.
We have to remember that nothing is in vain if we can learn from it. Constant worrying is the fear of life. Having faith in God and his plan for us implies that we don't weaken ourselves or others through chronic anxiety. We must trust that he is aware of our situations, trust that if we have made mistakes, he is able to bless us to do better now and in the future. The anxiety produced by doubting his will or his judgement can literally drive us crazy. We need to learn to walk in faith to smother these fears.
Depression is a natural home for negative energy and can be as crippling as any physical illness. Those of us suffering from depression cannot escape without great effort. We have often lost the energy required to give that effort. The cycle of depression is seductive, so we must be watchful and we must evaluate the little things in life that either sustain or defeat depression. The music we listen to, the shows we watch, the words we use, and the thoughts we let enter our minds must be carefully selected in order to diminish the negative and expand the positive.
True and lasting happiness does not come from circumstance, but from within. Problems may surround us, but we have the power to transform them into teachers. It is never the situation but how we choose to react to it that really matters.
I hope Betty's insights are helpful. I know they have been for me. I'm no where near perfect, or even that positve. But, I'm working on it. I was raised in a downtrotten woe-is-me negative energy household. It's tough to break these negative patterns that have been engrained in me from a young age. One day at a time. :)
To understand the power of the "unseen world" we should understand what it is comprised of. Everything in the universe is made of energy, including our bodies and spirits. All that exists materially and spiritually, contains energies which vibrate at different speeds. Each organism and each particle of matter has a unique level of energy.
In addition, associated with the vibration of energy is the possession of sound. Energy of living and non-living entities create unique tones. Light is also associated with energy - particularly life-force energy. An aura of light projects from all living things, sometimes static, but often moving and shifting like the aurora borealis in our polar skies.
The light's intensity increases as the energy producing grows. Life force energy can also expand by merging with other energies, often referred to as synergy.
Spiritual beings can inhabit the space around us and share their energy with us. These beings come from God or Satan, simply depending on which energy we open ourselves up to. Because like attracts like, a spirit's influence always produces after its kind. Whenever we are near someone, we are either affecting them or being affected by them, usually both.
All energy exists in two forms, positive and negative. As mortal beings we have the power and agency to choose which of these to draw from and to create in. We are what we think. We are what we say, what we do, what we fill our lives with.
Betty saw that people who unthinkingly repeat negative phrases are changed and twisted by the power of their own words. They create a disposition of negativity which may grow into true meanness of spirit. Connecting to either form of energy can become habit-forming. People who have suffered major trauma can compound and lengthen their suffering through chronic negativity.
Those (like myself) who suffer from depression intensify and extend anguish through choices that let them taste their pain gain and again. This can cause unrelated negative experiences.
Breaking the cycle of negativity begins with awareness. We need to consciously understand where our energy comes from and whether its is positive or negative. When we feel fearful or discouraged, we need to honestly look at what is happening. Are we adding negativity to an already negative situation, or are we experiencing an opportunity for spiritual growth? The original negativity is natural, but we may make it unnatural by choosing to sustain it. By recognizing this mistake, we may break the cycle much more easily.
Besides awareness, gratitude also helps ward of negativity. Being grateful for the good things in life invites their continued influence. Remaining positive in difficult times requires a maturity that comes from experience. Being positive doesn't mean forcing ourselves to overlook negative ordeals. Failing at something over and over happens even to positive people. It can break our hearts and bring temporary despair, but it can also increase our endurance and strengthen our character. Looking for the positive effects of negative experiences helps us develop higher wisdom. Being positive means opening ourselves up to insights, solutions, and even miracles.
A simple way of doing this is visualization. Ask God to surround yourself with positive energy and then consciously absorb it. Betty envisions a shaft of pure white light coming from God filling her up like a cup.
Positive energies bring us to love, while negative energies bring us to fear, one of Satan's greatest tools. Many of ourselves, including myself, are held back by fear of failure, of the unknown, or of change. I personally am terrified of these things and I'm consciously working to resolve this. It is a daily struggle.
We have to remember that nothing is in vain if we can learn from it. Constant worrying is the fear of life. Having faith in God and his plan for us implies that we don't weaken ourselves or others through chronic anxiety. We must trust that he is aware of our situations, trust that if we have made mistakes, he is able to bless us to do better now and in the future. The anxiety produced by doubting his will or his judgement can literally drive us crazy. We need to learn to walk in faith to smother these fears.
Depression is a natural home for negative energy and can be as crippling as any physical illness. Those of us suffering from depression cannot escape without great effort. We have often lost the energy required to give that effort. The cycle of depression is seductive, so we must be watchful and we must evaluate the little things in life that either sustain or defeat depression. The music we listen to, the shows we watch, the words we use, and the thoughts we let enter our minds must be carefully selected in order to diminish the negative and expand the positive.
True and lasting happiness does not come from circumstance, but from within. Problems may surround us, but we have the power to transform them into teachers. It is never the situation but how we choose to react to it that really matters.
I hope Betty's insights are helpful. I know they have been for me. I'm no where near perfect, or even that positve. But, I'm working on it. I was raised in a downtrotten woe-is-me negative energy household. It's tough to break these negative patterns that have been engrained in me from a young age. One day at a time. :)
Monday, January 13, 2014
The Ripple Effect Teachings: Searching For Meaning
Hello Everyone. Sorry I haven't posted in recent days. I've been dealing with some personal issues and my depression is getting the best of me. I want to write to you today with some inspirational quotes from one of my favorite books. The Ripple Effect Our Harvest by Betty J. Eadie. I have referenced her work, Embraced by the Light, in previous posts. Her near death experience is one of the most complete ever recorded. In The Ripple Effect she dives into things she learned while in Heaven. Today I'm going to focus on her chapter addressing our missions here on Earth. I've found it comforting in some of my darkest moments. Hopefully it will touch you too.
Betty begins by explaining that a great Awakening has begun. People around the world are opening their minds to their spiritual nature. They are beginning to see who they truly are and have always been - beings with an eternal past and a glorious future. God may or may not let our missions be known to us, but they are missions to be completed regardless.
Leaving the peace and security of Heaven to come to Earth was a willing sacrifice on our parts. We agreed to come here for the same reason we spend thousands of dollars on college in an effort to graduate. As long as we have life here we're learning, our spirits are growing, and we are coming closer to the divine, even by the things we suffer. We may not always know what to do, but we are growing. We are here only for divine purposes, the greatest of which is to love. Even when we are confused or imprisoned by choices we have made, we can always learn to love.
Each of us has come to earth on a personal mission to be loved or give love. We are to learn the value and price of love. Other parts of our mission include learning patience, humility, self-discipline, and other virtues. These attributes are part of love. Every encounter we have, even if brief and seemingly unimportant, may have more significance than we know. A brief encounter may begin a greater ripple that reaches its intended purpose years later. Everyone who comes into our lives may be part of our mission, and we, a part of theirs. Understanding this can give meaning to the common events of life. By being positive and helpful towards others, even in casual moments, we can make the most of our time on earth.
One way to discern if we are on the correct path is that it brings us great joy and fulfillment. Because our spirits remember the plan we chose for this life, we are often drawn to people or situations that impact us in important ways. This is often the force behind "chance" encounters. Betty was told there are NO coincidences. However, making the most of these opportunities is up to us as we exercise our free will.
There is nothing wrong with not knowing your mission. Instead of wasting time trying to figure out our mission we should live into our purposes by following our hearts. Betty was told to follow God's promptings, to be flexible and moldable. Our part is to seek to improve ourselves and, above all, to love others more fully. By praying for guidance and letting love rule our hearts and minds each day, we will eventually accomplish our many purposes.
God desires that we accomplish our missions and return to him spiritually stronger than when we left. But free will causes many people to spend their lives missing the very opportunities they chose in the pre-mortal life. Some are distracted by materialism and worldly appetites. Some let themselves be ruled by fear or negativity - two of Satan's greatest tools.
Even failing is part of our mission. It brings valuable experience and knowledge that facilitates our growth. We need to be careful in judging whether or not someone has fulfilled his mission. A person who appears to be failing may be in fact learning more quickly than a successful person. No one knows what God wills for his children. No one can judge character or intent but him.
On the other side Betty was told that each person's life is like a river. The destination is set, but the method of our journeying is up to us. We can cruise down the middle of the river at top speed, or we can hug the shore and spin in eddies. We can crash over rapids, slum along the bottom in the mire and slime, or we can glide along the sparkling surface where the air is clean. The river is ours from birth to death. How we navigate it is determined by the hundreds of small choices we make each day.
To discover our mission in life we must see challenges as opportunities to grow and face them head on. Each challenge measures our strengths and progress. Suffering focuses our attention on what matters most, and with God's help, we can strengthen our spirits by learning patience, tolerance, and love.
Each soul will attain a different level of accomplishment here. But whatever size ripples we make, we must learn to be grateful for the trials and gifts our Father gives us in our journey. There is magic in gratitude. It frees us from worry and competition in life. It opens our hearts and hands to genuine love, ironically allowing our hearts and hands to be filled again.
Our Father knew that, in trying to find our missions, we would make mistakes. He knew we would hurt each other and follow false ideas instead of truths. So he prepared a way for us to return - each having learned from our experiences and grown from the things we suffered.
I hope this helps you understand why we struggle with bipolar on a daily basis. Only trough strife can we grow and better ourselves to more fully allow love in. It's a learning experience we need to be grateful for. We need to always look for the silver lining. Have a great Monday and please feel free to comment, share, and follow!
Betty begins by explaining that a great Awakening has begun. People around the world are opening their minds to their spiritual nature. They are beginning to see who they truly are and have always been - beings with an eternal past and a glorious future. God may or may not let our missions be known to us, but they are missions to be completed regardless.
Leaving the peace and security of Heaven to come to Earth was a willing sacrifice on our parts. We agreed to come here for the same reason we spend thousands of dollars on college in an effort to graduate. As long as we have life here we're learning, our spirits are growing, and we are coming closer to the divine, even by the things we suffer. We may not always know what to do, but we are growing. We are here only for divine purposes, the greatest of which is to love. Even when we are confused or imprisoned by choices we have made, we can always learn to love.
Each of us has come to earth on a personal mission to be loved or give love. We are to learn the value and price of love. Other parts of our mission include learning patience, humility, self-discipline, and other virtues. These attributes are part of love. Every encounter we have, even if brief and seemingly unimportant, may have more significance than we know. A brief encounter may begin a greater ripple that reaches its intended purpose years later. Everyone who comes into our lives may be part of our mission, and we, a part of theirs. Understanding this can give meaning to the common events of life. By being positive and helpful towards others, even in casual moments, we can make the most of our time on earth.
One way to discern if we are on the correct path is that it brings us great joy and fulfillment. Because our spirits remember the plan we chose for this life, we are often drawn to people or situations that impact us in important ways. This is often the force behind "chance" encounters. Betty was told there are NO coincidences. However, making the most of these opportunities is up to us as we exercise our free will.
There is nothing wrong with not knowing your mission. Instead of wasting time trying to figure out our mission we should live into our purposes by following our hearts. Betty was told to follow God's promptings, to be flexible and moldable. Our part is to seek to improve ourselves and, above all, to love others more fully. By praying for guidance and letting love rule our hearts and minds each day, we will eventually accomplish our many purposes.
God desires that we accomplish our missions and return to him spiritually stronger than when we left. But free will causes many people to spend their lives missing the very opportunities they chose in the pre-mortal life. Some are distracted by materialism and worldly appetites. Some let themselves be ruled by fear or negativity - two of Satan's greatest tools.
Even failing is part of our mission. It brings valuable experience and knowledge that facilitates our growth. We need to be careful in judging whether or not someone has fulfilled his mission. A person who appears to be failing may be in fact learning more quickly than a successful person. No one knows what God wills for his children. No one can judge character or intent but him.
On the other side Betty was told that each person's life is like a river. The destination is set, but the method of our journeying is up to us. We can cruise down the middle of the river at top speed, or we can hug the shore and spin in eddies. We can crash over rapids, slum along the bottom in the mire and slime, or we can glide along the sparkling surface where the air is clean. The river is ours from birth to death. How we navigate it is determined by the hundreds of small choices we make each day.
To discover our mission in life we must see challenges as opportunities to grow and face them head on. Each challenge measures our strengths and progress. Suffering focuses our attention on what matters most, and with God's help, we can strengthen our spirits by learning patience, tolerance, and love.
Each soul will attain a different level of accomplishment here. But whatever size ripples we make, we must learn to be grateful for the trials and gifts our Father gives us in our journey. There is magic in gratitude. It frees us from worry and competition in life. It opens our hearts and hands to genuine love, ironically allowing our hearts and hands to be filled again.
Our Father knew that, in trying to find our missions, we would make mistakes. He knew we would hurt each other and follow false ideas instead of truths. So he prepared a way for us to return - each having learned from our experiences and grown from the things we suffered.
I hope this helps you understand why we struggle with bipolar on a daily basis. Only trough strife can we grow and better ourselves to more fully allow love in. It's a learning experience we need to be grateful for. We need to always look for the silver lining. Have a great Monday and please feel free to comment, share, and follow!
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