My son’s illness was a dramatic example of how adversity can remind us to call on God. I’ve come to see how valuable the difficult times are, and how we can embrace adversity as an impetus to remember to practice God’s presence.
When I came onto the spiritual path my life became consciously God-centered. There was a feeling of restfulness and calm as I let go of anxiety about myself.
I was reflecting on how it had been such an unusually stressful afternoon that I could have easily keeled over with a heart attack. Yet I knew my current job was exactly what God wanted of me. I had hung in there and seen to it that each patient received the proper treatment. As much as possible, I had acted with the sense that God was the Doer. That was a victory.
Inwardly I asked Yogananda whether I should try hang gliding and was surprised to feel his stamp of approval in my heart. I tried to visualize myself hang gliding high above the ground—and the fear returned. Nevertheless, I decided to try it.
Amidst great physical abuse and suffering, John wrote to a brother monk: “Where you don’t find love, put love and you will find it.”
I recall a time when I felt like I was being crushed by a certain experience. Then it suddenly occurred to me, “Well, what did you expect? As a devotee, you’ve ‘signed on’ to go through this process, and others like it, to become more spiritual and of course it’s going to be challenging.”
Bill knows that to meet the challenges of Parkinson’s, he needs to raise his physical, mental, and spiritual energy. He believes that miracles do happen and that a recovery from Parkinson’s is a very real possibility. He says, “The key is not to lose hope.”
Illness is often one of the most serious challenges people face and can be a major test. Fifteen years ago, I had a rare, debilitating illness; fatigue, fever, pain and shortness of breath were my constant companions.
The emotional and spiritual challenges of an illness are perhaps even harder than the physical. There’s the temptation to fall into self-pity or to be hurt by other people’s impatience or lack of understanding.
I believed in Yogananda’s path, but was frightened to do the one thing he seemed to suggest above all others—meditate—for fear it would make my situation worse.
