Is stress the enemy - something bad that needs to be done away with as quickly as possible?



If you're like most people, the obvious answer is YES. After all, stress is right up there at the top of the list as a leading cause of almost all disease. Besides that, stress is¡­ well, stressful. It just feels awful.

And, if stress were not the enemy, why would there be so many books and courses on stress reduction and stress management?

But, what if I told you, in spite of all of this, that stress may be your greatest spiritual ally - a true and faithful guide that will lead you closer to the Light and Love of your highest spiritual aspirations?

This will take a little explaining.

Experiences such as a sense of flow, connectedness, hope and optimism and activities such as being of service, prayer, meditation and practicing forgiveness are life affirming and health enhancing. These experiences and activities can lengthen our lives and keep us healthy.

On the other hand, the darker side of human nature creates many opportunities for the deadening effects of stress, such as worry, fear, anxiety, anger, and depression.

There are also many activities that have been shown to be life denying and health diminishing, such as arguing, lying, cheating, stealing, losing a loved one, getting divorced, and many more.

These experiences and activities diminish our health and rob us of vitality and life.

The interesting thing about these lists is that, for most folks, the spiritual experiences and activities feel good, while stress inducing emotions and activities feel bad.

So, on a biological level, we are guided towards that which feels good and away from that which feels bad. And in the same way, on a spiritual level, we are guided towards the Light and away from the Darkness.

When we experience pain from touching something hot, it would be silly to blame the stove. But, this is exactly what most of us do when we are hurt by someone's unkind words or actions. Instead of seeing this as an opportunity for growth and learning, we either look inside and blame ourselves, or we look outside and blame someone or something else.

When we are so busy looking elsewhere, we fail to see the Darkness within that is brought forth by the stress response. We fail to see that our emotional response is based on a misperception, a misunderstanding of the Divine Plan.

So, if you want to be healed, the message here is "Bless the Darkness." Wake up and receive it as a gift. Recognize that whatever has caused your distress, your response is simply a misunderstanding of the true nature of this Divine experiment we are all part of.

And when you are able to bring the core qualities of Love, Acceptance, Compassion and Forgiveness towards the perceived transgressor, you move ever closer to discovering (or should I say remembering) your own true nature.

You are and awesome, mighty and powerful spiritual being. And you have come here to bring Light into the Darkness. And your ally and faithful guide, the stress response, is there to tell you whenever the Darkness arises within you. It is there to bring to mind that you have a choice about how you respond.

Effectively managing the stress in your life, therefore, is not just a way to improve your health. It can also be your highest spiritual calling.