The Seedling

It is pleasing to human vanity to believe that one suffers because of one’s virtue; but not until a man has extirpated every sickly, bitter, and impure thought from his mind, and washed every sinful stain from his soul, can he be in a position to know and declare that his sufferings are the result of his good, and not of his bad qualities; and on the way to, yet long before he has reached, that supreme perfection, he will have found, working in his mind and life, the Great Law which is absolutely just, and which cannot, therefore, give good for evil, evil for good. Possessed of such knowledge, he will then know, looking back upon his past ignorance and blindness, that life is, and always was, justly ordered, and that all his past experiences, good and bad, were the equitable outworking of his evolving, yet unevolved self.

James Allen here conveys that to the degree to which we experience suffering, we are holding within us the roots of that suffering. All outer expressions are simply feedback of where we are on our journey to purity. Herein lies the seed of compassionate Self-acceptance.

Are there areas in your life that you have judged yourself as powerless or unfulfilled? What would it look like for you to feel powerful and/or fulfilled in these areas? What one action can you take NOW—big or small—that you believe will move you closer to remaining in this powerful and/or fulfilled state?

Make Some Light!