What if the world were a paradise—heaven on Earth? It would be easy to love, wouldn’t it? Conditions would be such that everyone had what he or she needed, never wanted for anything, enjoying a perfect climate, health and happiness always. It’s the utopia we imagine we want; and the heaven of our dreams.
But, that is not our reality. Our Earth is a place of polarities and extremes. For all the goodness and love that exists here—and to which we pay particular attention at this holiday season—there is great suffering and pain. The innumerable maladies, tragedies and hardships remain.
For many, it is hard to believe in God because of all the mayhem that we experience. They ask, “If there is a God, how could “he” allow this? Of course, many of our ills we heap upon each other: war, terrorism, brutality, injustice, allowing some to starve while others waste precious resources on non-essential “crap”. We foul our environment. These are the things we allow and we could change, but we don’t.
Even if we did, however, nature would continue to trouble us with too much or too little of its gifts. Even if we were to stop the human-created pain and suffering, there would still be illness, poisons, accidents, fire, flood, drought, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes and hurricanes.
There can be no question that suffering is allowed; but allowed by whom? It is allowed by the Universe, God, Source, Life—whatever you wish to call that which created us. So, why in this lovely holiday season, am I bringing up so much darkness?
It’s easy to love when everything is going our way. I believe that the reason that we live in a world of duality—where pain and suffering is allowed—is so that we can choose love UNCONDITIONALLY. If we lived in only goodness and light, we would not have the opportunity to choose to experience and express UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. 
The biblical story of Job is of Job’s unconditional love for God even in the face of tremendous loss for no apparent reason.
Even though bad things happen to good people, it is still possible to simply be thankful for life, to love life in all of it’s messiness, for no reason other than because we are alive. We love it unconditionally; and through that unconditional love, we become like unto God (who, I am certain, loves us unconditionally).
That is my message for the holy days.
May you love and be loved, unconditionally.
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Quite an inspirational message. Love your visuals. If you have written on Job please pass that along to me.
Sunday I witnessed a terrible ‘road rage’ incident. Yes, we do heap it upon ourselves. So enjoy the peace of your post.
Peace be with you too.