Life gives us pain but misery is optional—and self-inflicted.

Pain includes grief, sadness, and mourning; Misery embraces fear, worry, anxiety, anger, resentment, remorse, envy, jealousy, self-pity, pride and most guilt. Misery can start with untreated pain that has become infected or it can be initiated and propagated by selfishness, self-centeredness or self-righteousness.

Life gives us pain. Loving other people makes us vulnerable to pain. We will lose people to death and separation. We will hurt, sometimes so much that it seems our heart and soul may break into shreds or will never heal, but we know that with time, the healing balm of God’s love, and the love of family and friends, we can survive and flourish.

But misery is optional—and it’s self-inflicted. Self-directed will—selfishness, self-centeredness, self-righteousness, self-pity—are the primary cause of misery. This is one of the most life-changing truths we’ll ever discover. We eliminate or decrease all those upsetting feelings when we replace self-directed will with God’s will, or divinely inspired direction.  When we sincerely ask for help and are open to receive it, our inner spirit, the “kingdom of heaven within” supplies the strength and guidance to accomplish this.

Prayer: My magnificent spiritual parent, my marvelous source and destiny, I thank you for the spark of divinity that you gave me to guide and strengthen me. I feel your presence and know that you will grant me healing from pain; I ask that you transform any selfish or self-centered thoughts to love, tolerance and patience.