In today’s society, we look up to people with money. We call them “successful”. And we do this with the full knowledge that money cannot buy happiness. We know that the wealthy are no happier than anyone else. Yet we still maintain the belief that people with money have somehow “made it” in life.
As human beings, we all crave happiness. And we believe that we don’t have happiness because something is missing in our lives. So we go in search of what is missing, thinking that happiness can be found in relationships, material possessions, and experiences. But none of these things are permanent, which means any pleasure derived from such sources cannot be permanent.
And since nothing external to ourselves will ever bring lasting happiness, it is necessary to turn the search inward. Recognizing that happiness is an internal desire, it makes sense that the key to finding happiness must also lie within. What we are missing from our lives is a sense of purpose.
Without a life purpose, nothing external has any real meaning. What will bring true happiness in life is “fulfillment”. And fulfillment is achieved by not only being successful in a way that benefits ourselves, but also benefits a cause that is greater than ourselves.
Free Will
It is said that God held nothing back from His children; He gave everything to His creations. This necessarily means that God gave His children free will.
Free will is often defined as the freedom to make one’s own decisions. But what is generally left out of this definition is the realization that choices made via free will are made from an egocentric perspective. Free will choices are founded on the belief that we are all separate individuals, and that it is necessary to look out after one’s own interests.
In making free will choices, we are attempting to direct our lives in order to provide ourselves with the things that we think will make us happy. Sometimes, these choices mean competing with others and possibly harming others, but this doesn’t have to be the case. For instance, we might choose to steal money (which will harm the victim) or we might ask for a raise in salary (which tentatively won’t harm anyone else). But in general, free will choices are an attempt to change our individual lives’ circumstances in an effort to make us happier.
There is no Separation
The idea of Divine Will can initially seem a little scary. At first glance, it may seem like Divine Will involves the need to relinquish control of one’s life to “a higher power”. But this fear is from the perception of the ego, which is itself not based in reality.
Divine Will is not about giving in to the demands of a higher power, but instead recognizing the divine aspect within oneself, and how this divineness is interconnected with everything else. Some people have been graced with experiencing this interconnectedness or “oneness”, but this experience is not necessary in order to understand the implications on a mental level.
Most of us tend to agree with the “Golden Rule” of striving to treat others the way you would want them to treat you. But the real key is understanding that whatever you are doing to another person you are literally doing to yourself. Certainly, this concept can only be understood superficially until experienced directly. But understanding this concept is of key importance in understanding Divine Will.
We All Have a Unique Role
In spiritual healing, there are countless methods and techniques. One such method involves the client or healer communicating with the part of the client’s body that is in need of healing. I bring this up to point out that everything is and has consciousness. In fact, each cell of our bodies has its own consciousness, and can potentially be communicated with.
On a higher level, we could view human beings as “cells” in God’s body. As cells, we are consciously aware of ourselves and the other cells around us, but we are not aware of our connectedness until (or unless) our consciousness is somehow expanded outside the limits of our cell walls.
Just as cells in a human body have specific roles to play, we as human beings are also unique and have our own roles. Nobody else is capable of being who you are capable of being, and you could never fulfill somebody else’s role as well as that person. Each person’s role is essential to the well-being of the whole. Furthermore, by discovering and successfully being who you are, you will find fulfillment in life. And being who you truly are is what Divine Will is all about.
Our hearts’ desires
Deep down inside, each person has something he or she wishes he could accomplish in life. Some have buried the desire so deep that we have forgotten what it is. Others of us may know our dreams, but don’t really think they are possible to accomplish. Regardless of what the desire is, this is what we must strive for in order to find fulfillment.
This burning desire in each of us is not about acquiring something, but about becoming something. There is a longing to become a writer, or a teacher, or a dancer. To become a famous chef, or a world-traveling photographer. This dream is about stepping into the creative flow of life.
Often we will have to face our “worst fears” in order to achieve these dreams. But if we don’t take this challenge and pursue it, nothing we do or acquire in life will be able to completely compensate for the lack of achieving our life purpose.
By pursuing our dreams, we are tapping into the creative energy of the universe, which is then released and then shared with others. This creative energy is limitless. And it is this process of giving and receiving that brings fulfillment.
Finding Purpose
Some people seem to have known what they wanted to do since birth. They’ve had a vision, and they pursue it with intensity their whole lives. But many people don’t seem to know what brings them purpose. Instead, the lack of meaning in life (often combined with depression) hint that they have not found their life purpose, or have lost sight of it.
One way to search for one’s life purpose is to think back to childhood. What was your dream growing up? What was it your dreamed of doing, but thought that you could never do because of limiting beliefs about yourself?
You could also ask yourself: what would you be doing if money were not a factor? What is the thing that you are so passionate about that it would literally keep you up all night? If you were close to dying and were looking back on life, what is it that you would truly regret not trying because you were simply to afraid? Or what are you currently putting off doing simply because you are afraid?
Sometimes, it is possible to find one’s life purpose with the help of other people. There are life coaches, spiritual counselors, and intuitives who may be helpful in pointing you in the right direction. But in the end, only you will be able to internally validate what is right for you.
Surrendering to Experience
Free will is a fear-based practice based on the idea that we must actively seek what we need in life to be happy. In reality, life gives us exactly what we need. It may not seem that way from the ego’s perspective, but only because what the ego desires in not possible.
The ego wishes to always have pleasure and to avoid pain. It believes that pain is a punishment, and is to be feared. What the ego refuses to realize is that it is necessary to experience the disappointments in life in order to find joy in the positive experiences. In other words: the extent that we refuse to feel pain is the extent to which we limit ourselves from feeling pleasure.
Divine Will, therefore, is a surrendering to whatever lies ahead. In this way, we allow ourselves to fully experience whatever life has to offer. We can fully enjoy the good moments, and be at peace with the unpleasant ones. We do not get upset about failure, but push ahead with trust and optimism. Our happiness will not be found in our external situation, but in knowing that we share an essential part of a divine plan.