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We all have our story; some stories are tales of wonder and joy with grand accomplishments and the rewards of acknowledgement and success. From these stories arose the philosophies that tell us we are supported by a nurturing and caring universal God in this short dream we call life.

These philosophies tell us that if we can visualize with belief and feeling all that we righteously desire we can attain. Because after all, we are worthy as spiritual beings to have everything we need and want effortlessly provided. We are rays of the one light and therefor all that the light contains within it, we too contain within us. Entire spiritual movements are based in this belief.

But other stories are sad to tell; they are filled with loss and sorrow, chocked full of emptiness and failure. These dream experiences are more akin to nightmares. From these stories arose the philosophies of detachment, surrender, and radical acceptance.

These philosophies tell us that life is a delusion and we must learn to see through it and beyond it to the reality that lies behind it. We are not meant to get caught in this silky web we call life and that any manipulation of universal mind further ensnares us in ego. We are destined to transcend this dream by awakening from this world and learning to navigate it free from desires. These philosophies lead us to the understanding that suffering is inherent to all life in the material realm but that there is a way out through detachment and enlightenment.

My own philosophical view is a blend of the two. I understand that there is a supportive spiritual energetic and that we can learn to cooperate with it. But it is not a supernal giving tree just waiting for us to pluck its fruit to satisfy our hungers. This force that some refer to as grace does not care if we have what we want or desire. It moves undeterred by our circumstance and understanding towards the source and we can learn to move with it or we can resist it by trying to impose our individual will upon the world.

The more we try to carve out a place in this realm the more we reinforce our sense of separate self and the further we move away from realization of our oneness with God. I know that radical acceptance and surrender to the source is my path to freedom. But I am also acutely aware that it is my path not yours and that it is up to you to find your own way.   

Regardless of the personal philosophy we have developed from your own experiences this lifetime, there is one thing we should all do; no matter how our story is unfolding, whether we are full of joyous living or overwhelmed with sadness, we must not let it prevent us from finding God and freedom.

The best way I know to find God is to include the Divine in our daily life: to include God in our story. Start small, set a meditation or prayer time each day even if it is only for a few minutes. But when the time comes, sit and spend it with God. Make God part of your story: including God in your life excludes hopelessness from your life. I have found this to be universally true.

If we include God in our story, over time, our story becomes the pursuit of God. We go from keeping our appointment with God to living, breathing, and moving in God no matter what our story. We go from thinking about God to realizing we are God expressing as.

Our story moves from one of searching for freedom to one of living in freedom regardless of appearances. We must never let our story prevent us from being free.