Hidden in Plain Sight

 

Life is growth. It’s a series of events that shifts our consciousness, a process towards evolution. We don’t just age in years, we are conscious beings; we age spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. Part of that growth comes through the journey of our spirit as we explore about ourselves, seeking our truth as we desire to come face to face with our fate. Sometimes we get stuck, caught in denial and we lose ourselves in what we can’t see, lost, hidden from our awareness… buried deep in the hearts, hidden in memories as denial or wounds that are misplaced in time… in places that we don’t realize exist. Yet the only way to grow is to move beyond the blocks that are holding us back. We need to see the truth for what it is so that the healing can begin.

 

Truth crosses over time and space. It comes from a quiet place that goes beyond anything that is tangible; it’s within that we find our true potential nestled at the core of our beliefs. It is sacred, coming from a place deep within our souls, not the judgment that stems from the ever-so-constant mind chatter always criticizing. That is really our perception hard at work making the mental sabotage seem so real that often it becomes the source of our doubts. Truth needs no words... Truth comes in what we hold close to our hearts… truth is the power of love.

 

In Conversations with God, author Neal Donald Walsh expresses that everything we do in life is about love and what isn’t love. In love, we are able to find our purpose. All of our decisions basically come down to the fact that we desire the manifestation of our purpose in the physical experience. But what happens when we find ourselves stuck in ambivalence? We act based on the fear of losing what we desire. We may end up spending a large part of our lives trying to figure out what it is we want to be when we grow up; we try to control and manipulate the details in order to create am image and we end up spending even more time hiding who we truly are because we are afraid. There is nothing wrong with fear. It’s just a guide for you to know that you are not ready for this undertaking. And there is nothing wrong with that. Don Miguel Ruiz says, “Your Truth is Personal to you.” When we can fully understand that we don’t have to answer to anyone and the desires that we have are valuable …when we acknowledge self-love, we naturally let go of the mind chatter to embrace the joy available in the moment as we allow ourselves to just BE.

 

Why do we mistrust ourselves to the point that we need to control everything? Does control really work anyway? Can you see how it’s just another form of denial? I get that the point of control is to make us feel safe but we end up investing in a fantasy that isn’t reality.  Is that really keeping us safe? Somehow I think that is the illusion, not in our hopes and dreams.

 

Rather than allowing the expression of our dreams, we shift into an active role to make things happen. We try to figure everything out, forgetting that there is divinity in our experience. We feel the need to make things happen, planning everything as if all decisions in life become our sole responsibility to create… now.  But this thinking doesn’t allow the space for receiving the nourishment from the experience that we seek; we also lose the joy and the purpose. The purpose is the road map. It’s also the reason.

 

Everything, from our family, our jobs, even ourselves, is all based on love and our ability to express those feelings. We spend our lives looking for the answer to what the meaning of what life is, when the answers are right there in front of us. The meaning of life is to live, in joy… to enjoy… To live and embrace life in a way that brings happiness. That is the gift of love, which gives us purpose.  As we love ourselves, we hold the capacity to share that love with others. If we do not possess those feelings, really, we have nothing to give. We cannot express what we don’t feel anymore that we can offer anyone what we don’t have. We are beautiful, unique. We are beings of love, desiring to share our lives with one another, but so often afraid to be open to the vulnerability of loving another…or even our selves.  

 

What is hidden still remains as part of our truth, whether it can be seen, it is still meant to be felt...  to deny ourselves the joy of our growth is the real mystery. What are we afraid of? We can’t hide from ourselves. At the end of the day, we each know exactly who we are at the core of our being. We know when we act based on truth or if we live in the midst of perception. So why invest in these false truths?

 

Denial exists because we want it to. It exists because there is a lost connection to our beliefs.  Denial is an expression of control used to restrain ourselves emotionally so that we are not vulnerable to attack, perceived or real. Again, it all comes back to the image of the pain that our minds’ holds the space for, rather than the truth. It’s tough to let go of the judgments that we have put securely into place so we can feel safe. It’s hard to relinquish the attachments to conditions so we can avoid change, to keep things exactly the way that they are. It’s precisely those judgments that have been rooted our perception becoming the false beliefs that limit thinking. Thoughts that paralyze us out of the fear of losing what we want or what we love. Denial and control strangle the expression in our purpose. And rather than living, purpose is lost hidden behind empty words as we daydream about “What if?…and Maybe’s.”  Happiness isn’t found when we are seeking something…That just tells you are running after the proverbial carrot… Wouldn’t it be better to stop.. maybe just receive? That is what Spirit wants for you.

 

Love is God in manifestation, and the strongest magnetic force in the Universe. Pure, unselfish love draws to itself, its own; it does not seek nor demand. ~ Florence Scovill Shinn, The Game of Life.

 

We are safe in the understanding that we don’t have to hold back from the discovery of our true selves. It’s really more like peeling through the layers, like an onion. You may even cry when you get to the core. But at least you will know you are there… when everything that surrounds you feels alive.. good and bad, and judgment no longer matters. Your expression just needs to feel right, not put away or lost in the illusion that can’t ever give you what you want. When we allow the authenticity of our self-expression, we will be able to see our self in the reflection of others.

 

Life is our blank canvas giving us the opportunity to paint with such amazing colors that are rich with passion, love, honesty, sharing, and growth, without altering the present moment by denying the truth and projecting an image that looks better. Besides, it is in the moments that we touch people every day, not in fantasy…but with a gentle touch, soothing words, and sometimes just listening.  You can change someone’s day, or even their life, with a smile, as we offer ourselves through the gift of sharing.  Think about what matters most… find the joy and happiness in the way you give of yourself. Be alive in all of your experiences. That is where you will find your truth... the truth in love, the meaning of life and happiness.