Certainty and Uncertainty

It's difficult to discern the truth. With our limited minds, imperfect thoughts, and tendency to fear, how could we possibly see the fullness of Truth in our daily lives? We glimpse the Truth in quiet times of prayer, meditation, and sharing love and forgiveness; we see little hints of the higher truths of oneness, perfection, and limitlessness.

But who among us has seen the fullness of divinity for more than a few brief moments? It just doesn't happen for most of us. We're still human. Perhaps one day it will, and perhaps that's something to strive for – a full and perfect knowing of the Truth, of Divinity, of Love. But for now, it's better, more peaceful, more loving, most especially to ourselves, to accept our humanity along with our divinity, to accept that we are where and who we are because this is where and who we are supposed to be, at least for a time. We create the lives we need to learn the lessons we choose.

God, karma, kismet, cause and effect, miracles, laws of nature, thoughts, creation, discovery – all these things affect our existence here on earth, our perception of existence as well as the truth of that existence (or perceived existence). To truly and fully understand all the whys and hows of existence would require a full understanding of all these things... and more.

Perhaps there are some who have achieved this level of complete understanding, but for the vast majority of us still existing here on earth, our understanding of the absolutes of truth, of love, of oneness, of Divinity, remains incomplete. Peace comes in the acceptance of all that we know and perceive, even when what we perceive is illusion. We needn't understand All that Is in order to dwell in that peace. It is not certainty, but instead, the acceptance of uncertainty which yields peace.

Attachments to a need to know, to fully understand, the meaning of all that lies before us tends to keep us stuck in place. It's impossible to walk into the unknown if we cling to the need to know before taking the next step. Life is mystery, at least in part. Insofar as our limited minds cannot fully grasp that which is not within the minds' grasp, a release of the need to fully grasp, to understand, is a required prerequisite to growth, to moving forward.

This is trust – not trust in our limited selves, but trust in the Unknown, the Infinite Intelligence that is our true essence, notwithstanding the incompleteness of our understanding. Understanding is achieved, found, and granted to they that have released the need to understand – one of the many paradoxes of life in this realm. Understanding is granted to they that trust.

Knowing then, is not required in order to live a full and rich life of love, joy, passion, and peace. It is, indeed, the very opposite of what is required, a release of the need to know, a return to innocence, a choice to have faith and trust in That which is Larger than us all, yet encompasses us all. Faith is belief in the Unknown. Trust is living that belief.

Life happens, sometimes in direct response to our perceptions, our intents, our expectations, and sometimes not. Karma, cause and effect, these laws of nature are immutable (yet not, in the manifestation of miracles). But, who among us has full understanding of every cause? Without a full understanding of every cause, affected by our conscious and unconscious thoughts as well as every other extension of our Oneness, that is, each and every cogent being, without that full understanding of cause, how then can we fully understand the effects that become our lives?

We are One, yes, but we are also Many. And each and every one of the many has an effect on this shared dream we live and experience here on earth. Attempting to fully understand all that we are, both as individuals and as a unified consciousness, is foolish, is a waste of energy; needing to know all destines us to a life of searching, destines us to not realize the wholeness that we could otherwise actualize and share with a needing world.

Joy is a gift to the living, the innocent, the naïve of mind, to they that release the need to know all and instead choose to embrace life and to embrace change. Joy is active love; peace of mind and of spirit are the gifts of living in joy, intentionally and actively experiencing all that exists in our immediate vicinity. In the certain faith that Love is real, alive, and present, and in trusting that Love, all the barriers to joy fall away. All is well. Why not then choose joy? Why not choose to truly have fun, to be free, to live?

Joy comes in many flavors, some comfortable and familiar, others outside of our comfort zones. Joy accompanies a life lived in contentment, knowing and trusting in the Universal Good that is Love. Joy is a product of finding, accepting, and using our highest gifts. Joy is both the result and the source of a life lived intentionally, with purpose, in fulfillment.

We've all got gifts to share with the world. Denying or withholding these gifts brings the opposite of joy. Living in acceptance and mindfully sharing our gifts, in love, in unselfishness, with faith in the knowledge, and trust in the process, the world transforms to a world of love and joy.

While it's true, absolutely and undeniably, that we are all connected, all created of the same Divine “stuff,” all, utterly and completely One, it's also true that we are Many. We are unique; we are, each and every one of us, distinctly and divinely individual. In that divine individuality, there is where our highest gifts lie.

In accepting these simple truths, setting aside any need to fully understand them, we can get on with the business of living. A need to be certain before taking each next step guarantees a slow and arduous path; a willingness to walk (or leap, run, or dance) into the unknown, accepting incertitude, fully allows the growth and discovery that await us. As we discover our higher truths, our greatest gifts, and new levels of joy, we dwell in the creative artfulness that life can be. This creative attitude, mindset, world view, allows us to find our true purpose, and to exist in the contentment of fulfillment.

Each and every one of us has unique gifts and abilities to share with the world. In discovering, embracing, and actualizing these unique talents, joy reaches new heights. As we risk following the quiet impulses that whisper to us, that beckon us, setting aside uncertainty and doubt, we risk transcending the smallness that held us back – we risk actualizing the greatness within. Let not your uncertainty, your doubts, your imperfect faithfulness stop you from being the perfect being you know yourself to be.

Love is our greatest teacher. In the highest truth we can fathom, that is all we are, pure and utter Love. But fear also can be a great teacher. Fear teaches us what we do not desire to be. In perfect faith and trust there is certainty. In anything less than perfect faith and trust there is the opportunity to learn and grow in and toward a higher truth, that truth that is perfect and present Love.

As we choose loving thoughts, words, and actions, both towards ourselves and others, we find certainty, purposeful life, and the emergence of ever-higher levels of creativity. Following the little nudges, the pull of our instinctual drives to express and be the fullness of love, even when uncomfortable because we are not certain, we find the joy of creating and discovering a life of purposeful and fulfilling joyfulness.

Joy awaits. The world awaits. Find your gifts. Embrace them. Share them. Fear not the unknown. Be joy.