Mind-Body-Spirit Integrated Healing Expert Dr Chris O'Banye's Institute Of Wellness & Integrated Healing

From the beginning of time human charter is built from the challenges of life we endured. As long as we live we will always face life challenges. Many times however, life challenges are so cruel that our values and strong rooted existential beliefs are rattled to their cores.

Citizens of the world have witnessed in the past decade some of the worst natural disasters around the globe. These events shake the core of the foundation of our individual spiritual beliefs and in the construct we call “God.” These natural disasters have raised some serious existential questions in the minds of many.

In the case of Japan, within a matter of hours lives and years of treasures were reduced to rubbles with absolute zero measures of prejudice. We witnessed human lives and treasures violently desecrated and trashed right in our eyes. We saw children and senior citizens, very rich and very poor, places of worship and military might all trashed and crumbled under the rubbles of the great nature’s might.

Those of us watching from a distance cannot help to observe in the faces of survivors devastation and just absolute demoralization of mind, body and spirits of the citizens. The rich who was enjoying his/her mansion moments before nature struck, suddenly swept away and instantly became homeless; a poor in material who probably woke up that morning and expressed to the universe a heartfelt gratitude for the comfort and joy of whatever it was life offered for that day also suddenly lost into the darkness of faith.  We saw hospitals with new born babies who had not even began life either chocked out of life or began a long and difficult journey into life because of serious injuries.

These difficult life challenges present numerous existential questions about the meaning of life and the source of life. Even the most spiritually wise among us can admit having many unanswered question about life and the meaning of it. On the one hand, those who do not believe in a Higher Power engaged in minimal inner discussions about the meaning of these events outside scientific principles.

On the other hand, those who believe in a” Higher Power” and divine source for all existence engage in various levels of spiritual inner thoughts, serious questions and in many cases, a shocking total devastation to the foundation of what one believes in.  One wonder how on earth this all loving Higher Being and creator of beauties, love and comfort at the same time can be very cruel and inconsiderate.

Many theologians hold the teaching belief that such questions should not be asked of the Creator. I beg to differ.  I strongly believe that freedom is the first and the most sacred foundation of human existence. These questions are not only humanly legitimate to be asked but also spiritually healthy to explore and investigate everything one hold in one’s belief system, including the existence and workings of the Higher Being or God, whichever term you prefer to use.

A believer in God or Higher Being should never be afraid of having internal conversation with his Creator and questioning everything one believes does not make spiritual sense or in alliance with one’s spiritual and existential core beliefs.  Difficult life challenges present such moments when it is within our spiritual right to question our existences and events affecting our existence. Finding such meaning is healthy. It helps strengthen our spiritual coping mechanism and in most cases helps us validated our core existential beliefs system and values. In many cases gaining such deep spiritual insight and discovering life meanings and purpose open up a higher dimension of self, and catalyze the changes one needs to make in one’s life to achieve a happier life.

Occurrence of these natural devastations always tak me a few years back to a one man’s natural disaster. I had a gentle man who was admitted under my care for chemical dependency treatment in a residential treatment facility.  This gentle man lost his wife the previous year after several years of battle with cancer.  Within six months after his wife passed, all three of his children died in car crash. Prior to these trying devastating events in this man’s life, he believed in God. He loved his wife and children. He went to church regularly. This man who dove deep into drugs to manage his emotional hurt and traumatic events in his life exhibited tremendous degree of anger toward his creator and even questioned the existent of one.

One of the mystery lessons of life is that in every life’s difficult challenge are buried amazing life’s blessings for the person facing the challenge. This is true for individuals, so also for organizations and nations. The more difficult the challenge the bigger is the blessing/s.  What stands in the way of one realizing the blessings presented during difficult times is our attitude, inability to maintain spiritual consciousness, anger,  our focus on pain and difficulties of the event/s

Our blessings may come in simple but powerful things in life such as deep insight into love for life and appreciation for living. It could be found in our appreciation of people in our lives we are blessed with. In some case it could be also found in the self-awakening that once perceived valued possessions amount to very little in your overall self, happiness and wellbeing. The blessings could be found in deep appreciation of human kindness in a simple glass of cold clean water from a stranger; or it could be found in a simple but very powerful realization of how easily one can lose everything in a split seconds and fall from penthouse to a doghouse in a matter of minutes or hours. The blessings could also be found in the manifestation of one’s prayers for moving from an old house to a new one with better amenities, or a desperate need to rebuild an old falling country/city, business infrastructure with modern technical know-how made possible as a result of natural disaster.

I have no way of telling what your blessing/s is from your difficult life challenges today. What I can safely predict for sure and with all the fibers I am made of is that there are blessings in your life challenges today. I am convinced without any atom of doubt that you will find your blessings in your difficult life challenge. However, you must stare life right in the eyes and challenge life back. Life rewards those who challenge it. There is always something special in every one of our lives’ challenges despite all the hurt, pain and immediate difficulties.

Take heart. Take your focus away from your pain. Do not be angry.  Come home. Come home to that special place in you, inside the sanctuary of your soul where all is peaceful and seek for your blessings. If you seek, you will find. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid of holding conversation with your Higher Being. Do not be bashful or intimidated about seeking for meanings and purpose from the events in your life. There is no coincidence in life and your challenge is not a coincidence. Embrace your life challenges.  You will find healing and happiness when you find meaning and purpose in your life challenges.

Dr Chris O’Banye

http://internationalinstituteforwellnessandintegratedhealing.com

http://iiwih.org

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Email: drobanye@iiwih.org

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