Question to ponder

"What is the Spiritual meaning of this event in your life?" This is a question that was posed to me in recent weeks. I think that this is a question at the heart of most events in our lives. What is the significant of this event/happening in our life? at this point in our life, as we are living it and in hindsight, what do we make of it as we reflect on some event that has occurred in recent months or years? I suppose that various events take on different meaning to us depending on what we are dealing with at any given time. It is usually hard to figure out the meaning of things as we are in the midst of the chaos or action, but upon reflection, it might be easier to discern the impact on our lives.

Often this is the question that I ask of my patients. That based on where you are at this time in your life, how do you make sense of this event? What is the meaning of this happening? What is giving you purpose at this time in your life?

This may seem simple, but really, it takes a while to ponder. One patient told me yesterday that when I went her months ago, it was what I told her and the fact that I listened as she tried to make sense of her illness that helped her to see it in a different light. Often the answers are not known to us right away, but take time to discern. Sadly, not everyone engages in self-reflection.