For centuries religion, sociology, psychology and politics focus on this fundamental question: What is the Journey of Life? Have you ever questioned yourself about your journey through life? I realize more and more how simple life can be and how peaceful and joyful life can be. The Journey of Life, however long or short life on this planet may be, is a journey into God and a journey into Love. It is also a journey into the present moment. The deeper my connection in experiencing God, the deeper becomes my embrace of the present moment. If there is a God, and I believe this profoundly, it is a belief and surrender of the heart into realizing that God is always loving and always embracing me. But along with this, I begin to realize that life is always about being more kind and loving toward others. The happiest people in the world are always kind and loving. I think that statement God is Love is amazingly profound. God and Love are present in everything and everyone. I simply have to walk slowly and reflectively in life to realize this.
My journey through life helps me to see the amazing organization of nature and human beings. This journey allows me to see and experience God in everything and everyone. Life is meant to be a Divine Experience. This doesn't mean that I must attend the "right" Church or have the "right" psychology or belong to the "right" political movement. But it does mean that I must always be loving and kind if I am to find peace. I then discover that this Journey of Life is a journey that will last forever if I have the sense to get out of my head and into my heart in experiencing life in this present moment.
Every time I become judgmental and condemning toward others my healthy journey in life becomes blocked and stifled. Every resentment, every criticism, and every condemning of someone else becomes a way of putting a wall around myself which stops me from experiencing God and stops me from experiencing Love. Every time I live in the past or live in the future, I stifle myself. It is in the gentle embrace of this moment that I discover Love and I experience God.
Sometimes I think that Formal Religion and Psychology are used inappropriately by us human beings to distract people from a positive experience and encounter with God. Religion can become condemning and judgmental and psychology can intellectually over analyze life instead of helping us to experience life in a loving, kind and forgiving manner. God and Love can be found everywhere and I must humbly search for God and Love in this present moment.
Life is so very simple and uncomplicated. Be kind and loving in each moment. Look for the profound meaning in each moment and a powerful experience of God begins to happen. We have eight grandchildren and watching them all grow up has been inspiring. Each moment of life is an amazing adventure. They feel loved by their parents so nothing distracts them from positively experiencing life. When I am kind and loving toward everyone, I help everyone around me to positively experience life. My granddaughter went to the High School Prom last Friday. She looked beautiful. I sent her a note of affirmation. She sent me back this note: "aww, you are going to make me cry. Thank you, Grandpa, I love you so much and you inspire me every day." It felt so good to get that note. Each day I text a personal daily reflection to many people but I text it to each grandchild personally each day. When I am in the presence of our eight grandchildren, I affirm each one. And each grandchild inspires me with their specific, loving and different personalities. I want them all to remember me as someone who loved them and saw goodness in them and it is how I want my loving wife, adult children son-in-law and daughter-in-law and friends to remember me. Life is all about love and all about experiencing a loving God. When this becomes my simple priority in life, to experience God and Love in each moment, I make good decisions because I then realize that every decision must contain kindness and love in words and actions.
I have many friends and what connects us is a bond of love and kindness. When love and kindness become the bond in life, then each moment becomes meaningful and relaxing. No one has to change for me to be happy. But I have to be loving in order to find happiness and in being loving I will find and experience God. It is quite simple but it is so easy to complicate it. So much of life I can complicate. But this journey in life is becoming very simple now. Thanks be to God and everything I see and everyone I see. All of life is a journey into God.
Everyone in life teaches me about love and kindness. Each moment is a Divine Moment of Love. Be still, be quiet and experience this. I will do this.
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Fred Cavaiani is a licensed marriage & family therapist and limited licensed psychologist with a private practice in Troy. He is the founder of Marriage Growth Center. He conducts numerous programs for groups throughout Michigan. Cavaiani is associate editor and contributing writer for Human Development Magazine. His column in the Legal News runs every other Tuesday. He can be reached at 248-362-3340. His e-mail address is: Fredcavi@yahoo.com and his website is FredsCounselorsCorner.com.
