" Spiritual masters show us the best way to deal with suffering is to find its redemptive and intercessory purposes." The Word Among Us, Oct. 2012
When we are in the midst of one of life's challenging situations, it is often hard to find purpose in the suffering; and not everyone believes there is a purpose in suffering. It seems to me that suffering does not come our way as punishment, but rather it is a part of the human condition. Perhaps one of the reasons we are in this earth experience is to develop a different attitude about suffering. Dr. Joseph Campbell has said that suffering is just a part of life and that as humans we need to be okay with that. Every single one of us has suffered. The cause of the suffering may have been professional betrayal or setback, health issues, relationship difficulties, economic hardship, death or disability of us or someone we love. It seems to me that the form the suffering comes in is not particularly important --- whenever we are suffering, that suffering is what seems biggest to us right now. What is important is to allow the suffering to transform us into better, more mature people. What could be the redemptive aspect of caregiving --- which, if we are honest, is a form of suffering? Perhaps to develop compassion in ourselves, or resolve in standing up for our own rights, or resolve in standing up for someone else's rights, or perhaps the caregiving took us out of using our time in ways that did not ultimately serve us. What could be the benefit for you from this caregiving role?
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