Do You Experience Life As A Burden Or As A Sacred Privilege?

Peter experiences life as a burden - a sentence to get through that is filled with suffering. Peter trudges through his life, experiencing little joy. He works hard, makes enough money to feel financially secure enough to take care of his family, and spends little time in connection with others. To Peter, life has no real purpose other than to make money and do the best he can to feel safe.

Peter has no connection with anything greater than himself. He does not believe in God, Spirit or a Higher Power. He believes that when he dies, he disappears forever. He has no perspective of anything beyond this life. Life, therefore, has little meaning to Peter.

To Todd, life is a sacred privilege. Todd experiences life as a great journey of the soul. Todd knows that his soul is immortal and is on a never-ending journey to evolve in love. Todd believes that he chose to come here to this challenging planet to grow in his ability to love in the face of adversity. To Todd, the purpose of life is to heal any barriers in the way of being loving to himself and with others, and to fully manifest his gifts.

Todd experiences much joy on this journey. He experiences joy in taking care of his body, the house of his soul. He experiences joy in discovering and loving his soul and in expressing the gifts of his soul. He experiences joy in sharing his love with others and helping others in many different ways. He experiences deep joy in sharing love with his family.

Todd has the same challenges as Peter. He needs to earn a living and take care of his family. He has the same challenges regarding disappointments and losses. But, because Todd experiences a greater purpose in his life, he embraces adversity as part of his soul's journey.

We each have the choice in any given moment to see life as a burden or a sacred privilege. Without a greater spiritual perspective, life is just a burden. Practicing Inner Bonding on a daily basis, even if you don't have a strong spiritual connection to begin with, will eventually give you a first-hand experience of the Presence of Spirit. You don't have to "believe" to practice Inner Bonding. In fact, I don't believe in belief! What each of us needs is personal experience in the Presence of Spirit so that we don't have to rely on belief - we know. When you know Spirit rather than believe in Spirit, then you know that your soul is immortal and that you are on a soul's journey.

The wounded self will always try to discredit your direct experiences of Spirit, telling you that you are just making it all up. The wounded part of all of us is the part that is disconnected from Spirit, even if this part believes in God in the religious sense. Believing in God and having a direct experience of God are two very different things. Because the wounded self is always devoted to control rather than to surrender to Spirit, it cannot experience a direct connection with Spirit. A direct connection occurs only when there is a true intent to learn about loving oneself and others.

You will experience life as a sacred privilege rather than as a burden when you choose to place your loving adult in charge rather than indulge the wounded self with its devotion to control. With your spiritually-connected loving adult in charge, it's easier to remember that you are not alone, that you are being guided each moment in your highest good, and that it is a great privilege to be here on schoolhouse Earth and have the opportunity to evolve your soul in love.

Next time you face a challenge, notice how you perceive it and how you feel as a result of your perception. Notice that if you perceive the difficulty as a victim - "Why is this happening to me?" - you will likely feel angry, depressed or anxious. If you perceive the difficulty as an opportunity to learn more about loving yourself and others, you will feel grateful and empowered. You have the choice, each and every moment, and what you choose determines your experience of your life.