“… It appears complicated to the finite mind, but you are in your right place, going through those experience that are right for you at this time. Only if you are thankful and you bless the position you’re in, do you become a higher being, do you lift yourself up, and finally you find liberation. But it begins and ends with you.
“Never pray to God for release of your problems. Never pray to God to change your life, and to give you something better. This is wrong prayer. If you have to pray to God, pray to God to give you the strength and the wisdom and the courage that you need to be able to handle the situation that you are in. This is correct prayer. Do not try to change anything. Be yourself. Work on yourself. Begin to see things in a new light. See your situation differently. There are no bad things, there are no good things. But thinking makes it so. Stop thinking of the extremes, good and bad, right and wrong. Rather look at yourself in the moment. Stay centered. See yourself as a Divine Being, an Infinite Being, totally free and liberated. Do not feel sorry for yourself because you are in a position and in a situation you don’t like. This just holds you there more. And again as we mentioned before, even if you run away from a situation, you will attract some of the circumstances elsewhere. Running away is never the answer. Changing yourself is the answer.”
Robert Adams, from his book, “Silence of the Heart.”

When we are distressed or unhappy or frightened, our first inclination, if we are spiritually inclined, is to pray for help. We ask that the cancer be cured, that the son or daughter return, that the business be successful. We seek to change the situation, to change the circumstances.

When the prayers are not answered, we may become angry with God, plunge into despair or hide in fear. But the thing is, our prayers are always heard; our prayers are always answered – sometimes we just don’t like the answer.

I believe that the first, and perhaps only reason, we are here is to realize our true nature, to realize that God is All There Is and that we part of Him. The overriding directive of our lives is to help us realize that truth.

All of our struggles, challenges and so-called misfortunes, are reminders to bring us back to our true nature. When we see the broader perspective we can see that these challenges are blessings in disguise. Someone who is going through a health crisis or the loss of a loved one, might be angered by those words. What can be a blessing about the loss of a child or the diagnosis of a terminal illness?

As long as we believe that this life, this earthly experience is all that there is, there is no blessing – but if we believe we are spirit by nature and therefore eternal and destined to return to our Source, all of the challenges are reminders to remember our true nature and our true home.

I speak from experience here. Several years ago I developed a chronic, painful, debilitating illness that will eventually end in a wheelchair; then I lost a son to cancer. When I first became ill I prayed night and day for relief from the pain, to be released from the illness – but none came. When I instead began to pray for strength and peace, my prayers were immediately granted. The illness brought me back Home.

By the time my son was diagnosed with terminal cancer, I understood that we are each in God’s hands and that surrender to His will was the only peaceful response. I did not argue with God; I had faith that He was acting in my son’s best interests, for the rapid healing of his spiritual heart.

Ramana Maharshi, teacher of Robert Adams, once said that we must not only thank God for the good things that happen to us, but also for the ‘bad’ things – that gratitude was the only true response. When we are experiencing some of life’s challenges it is comforting to understand that it is possible to be joyful and at peace, no matter what the circumstances, if we put our trust in God.

Robert Adams was an American self-realized master and a direct disciple of Ramana Maharshi.