I was reminiscing with a friend recently about his 'dark night of the soul' that he'd just experienced. During his pain, he turned his back on God. Raised in a traditional Catholic family he found himself very angry at God and at the church during an especially ugly divorce and custody battle. As he's coming back into himself, we've been talking and processing together through a lot of what happened and what he's been through. It took him three years to even begin to let go of the extreme rage he felt when she first left him. I had tried desperately to guide him through his hell with the help of my spiritual beliefs, but he was just too mad at God to hear any of it. His issues had nothing to do with me, but they just about ended our friendship because of his overwhelming anger at the entire world and everyone in it.
Why would God let this happen to him? Hadn't he been a good person? Hadn't he given an incredible amount of his time and money to the church? If doing good deeds creates a positive karmic result, then what the heck just happened to turn his world upside down? I've seen it happen to a lot of people. Bad things happen so there must not be a god ? or ? God must not like them anymore. Either way, people feel abandoned by their concepts of religion and by their god. Like so many others, my friend went through hell without believing there was a God to look after him. It took him a long time to even begin the healing process as a result.
It was hard to talk to him about spirituality during that time. It didn't help that we had such a polarity in our different belief systems. I'm really quite metaphysical and New Age while he was extremely traditional and orthodox in his Catholicism. We didn't even speak the same language when trying to discuss our religious leanings. One of the major signs that he's finally beginning to come around and heal is his openness to even discuss the topic of spirituality without going off into a tirade over the injustices that God had forced him to endure.
As we sat there talking about it all the other night, I finally found the words the perfect analogy that I'd been searching for over those three years. I use the term "spirit" as a generic term for God, Buddha, Mohammed, The Force, Guardian Angels, The Light, or whatever else you like to call it. Please replace the word "spirit" with whatever label you use to describe your idea of what that higher something is?. This isn't the place to debate such things. The analogy fits regardless of your religious beliefs.
"Spirit is like a life preserver. When you find yourself drowning in hot water, it's not the life preserver's fault that you somehow landed yourself there. Life preserver's aren't put on the boat to keep you from falling over. However, when you find yourself there, struggling, drowning, suffering from life's problems, you will respond one of three ways. You might panic and struggle causing you to sink deeper. The harder you fight it, the heavier you seem to get and you begin sinking like a rock. That's what my friend did. You might try to swim on your own, but the world and it's ocean is a big place and humans aren't designed to swim alone forever. You will eventually drown from the sheer exhaustion of trying to go it alone. Your third option is to reach for that life preserver, relax and trust that it will bring you above water so that you can once again breathe freely. The life preserver won't pull you back up into the boat, but it will keep you from drowning as long as you trust that you will again be above water and you will see the sunlight on your face again."
To me that's what spirituality is really all about. We're supposed to handle our problems and circumstances on our own. That's the way the game was designed to be played. We are meant to reach out to our fellow man in times of need and to offer a hand to others in need. Some celestial being from above isn't suppose to bail us out of every problem every time. We're supposed to learn how to love one another through life's challenges. If we have a strong connection to Spirit while holding on to that life preserver, and we relax in the knowing that everything will turn out for the best, then eventually our head does pop up above water and we do breathe in the fresh air of life once again. Then we can turn to our companions and request their help in getting back up into the boat. Once again, sailing off into another sunset.
My friend liked my analogy. Why couldn't I find those words three years ago? Would he have listened if I had? Hard to say. There were times I jumped into the water with him and tried to pull him out, but like any lifeguard knows, you can't save someone who's fighting and panicking through the process. I threw that life preserver out to him more times than I can count, but he always swam away from it. There were times I thought to leave him there to drown, but it seemed a bit too cold and cruel to just leave him there. Finally, my own Guardian Angels told me, "Let him alone. He must find his own way." And so it appears that's what he's doing. He seems to have found a life preserver and some peace with his god. Next time, somebody ought to just throw a lasso around him whether he wants it or not and then drag him along behind the boat until he's ready to stand up like a water-skier!
Copyright 2003, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow's Edge
About The Author
Skye Thomas began writing books and articles with an everyday practical approach to spirituality, motivation, and inspiration in 1999 after twenty years of studying spirituality, metaphysics, motivation, and parenting. More of her articles can be found at www.tomorrowsedge.net as well as free previews of her books.
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
Have you ever heard something that really "resonated" with you?... Read More
As communion was being passed this morning, I listened to... Read More
(Channelled)Good morning Roy, good morning Joseth.What has love got to... Read More
Today is the day that I'm getting back into exercise.... Read More
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in... Read More
I was originally brought up Catholic, at the insistence of... Read More
One of the "loopholes" in my philosophical belief system when... Read More
When we ask ourselves the question who am I in... Read More
An interesting question arose within a poetry workshop I attended... Read More
What is it with angels and digital clocks? I fell... Read More
What does the story of your life say about you?... Read More
Most of us are familiar with the inner criticism and... Read More
Forget what you have read or seen about vampires. The... Read More
I am going to remind of some simple, yet important... Read More
Animal spirit totems can be viewed in different ways according... Read More
(Channelled)Roy, this morning in "Roy Bits," you tried to write... Read More
I am often asked to explain what I mean by... Read More
Spirit - All Around Us, All of Us, Every One... Read More
Journal ExpressionsIf you haven't already done so, please start keeping... Read More
The Angelic realms have been very active throughout the human... Read More
The passenger had to be carried onto the plane and... Read More
As Mother's day is upon us, Iam moved to express... Read More
The essence of the Christian faith is the good news... Read More
There are moments in the believer's life when the Spirit... Read More
Sometimes you have to see something to believe it. Like... Read More
"In the sixth century of the sixth millennium, the gates... Read More
You know that the Bible tells us a lot about... Read More
To understand the nature of esoteric and occult secrets it... Read More
Even Pandora and her box come in two versions. In... Read More
Did you ever know somebody who easily accumulates wealth? If... Read More
Divining Rods, also known as Dowsing Rods, have been used... Read More
My wife, our friend and I went to listen to... Read More
We know that David did much to stabilize the Kingdom... Read More
Although your creative ability and talent is something that God... Read More
Woodstock, the watershed event for a generation, had a far... Read More
Matthew 3:7-10 John Rebukes the Pharisees and Sadducees7 But when... Read More
Prayer from a child's simple bedtime prayer, to the prayers... Read More
MOST PEOPLE NEVER REALLY CHANGESad, but true.Some people never even... Read More
Some of us might hear from time to time that... Read More
While I do hope to avoid arguing the merits or... Read More
We've all heard the saying, "You have to forgive, but... Read More
The more we worry about money, and who's asking for... Read More
What type of person grabs your attention and motivates you?... Read More
Sometimes you have to see something to believe it. Like... Read More
Life is growth. For many people life is like a... Read More
I was originally brought up Catholic, at the insistence of... Read More
The word "gravity" is a word coined by Sir Isaac... Read More
Let me say that marketing can be a corrupting experience.... Read More
The question, "Is God Dead?", first entered my consciousness when... Read More
How many Christian people do you know who are bearing... Read More
We want to hear from God so that we may... Read More
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.... Read More
On reading Susan Cato's Time Magazine Canada piece titled, "In... Read More
Looking for some ways to feed your soul in the... Read More
James 1:23-24Anyone who listens to the word but does not... Read More
We all need space, we all need time to ourselves.In... Read More
An acrostic prayer poem.The Lord loves me and is gracious... Read More
Sundered Knight:Although the world, Denies the weak aid and justice,... Read More
(Channeled) Spirituality is about everyday life, which includes getting up... Read More
The Mind in an Advanced Thought System:The center of our... Read More
In our fast paced society we often want everything done... Read More
There is a concept in Jewish mystical thought known as... Read More
The world's idea of justice and freedom fall short of... Read More
THE GNOSTICS, ESSENES AND THE 'OCCULT':Throughout this book I have... Read More
When the Bible makes reference to a "yoke" it is... Read More
As communion was being passed this morning, I listened to... Read More
Spirituality |