Looking Beyond the Obvious: My Contemplation of Verse 41 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Today, I am focusing on verse 41 of the Tao Te Ching, particularly these portions:

...The way of illumination seems dark,

going forward seems like retreat,

the easy way seems hard,

true power seems weak,

true purity seems tarnished,

true clarity seems obscure,

the greatest art seems unsophisticated,

the greatest love seems indifferent,

the greatest wisdom seems childish.

The Tao is hidden and nameless;

the Tao alone nourishes and brings everything to fulfillment.

Sometimes, things are not what they seem.

Little by little, as I've read the verses of the Tao Te Ching, my outlook on life has changed...for the better.  It has been a gradual practice to accept what is around me, and I am not 100% there, yet.  It hasn't been just a matter of looking at life in a positive way or noticing the obvious.  It's been a new way of looking at life.  It has meant accepting people and creatures for what they are--nature that reacts to the world.

For example, I was in extreme pain last week.  I could have looked at it in a negative way.  I decided, however, to pay attention to what my body was saying to me.  I "heard" my body say that it needed to rest so I stayed in bed.  I also realized that I need to eat healthier, which I purposed this week.

Yes, life is looking different to me.  It is like when a woman has childbirth pangs.  The woman doesn't like the pain.  The pain, though, signals contractions.  The contractions then help push the baby out.

Pain is a fact of life.

We need to start looking at the terrible situations in our lives as eventualities.  People pass away.  People leave us, for whatever reason.  Cars and appliances give out on us.  Our health has its ups and downs.  We are not the only ones to experience these terrible things.  We won't be the last ones, either, to go through trials and tribulations.

If we accept that the bad will come with the good, we are halfway to getting through life with our sanity intact.  Living out this truth will take us a long way.  If we stop overreacting to the inevitable situations in our lives, then we can live in peace.  Just because the birds outside chirp too much, it doesn't mean that we need to complain about it.  Why not stop and enjoy the bird's song?

Let's look at life with peace as the ultimate goal.

Even though some persons may not believe it, peace is just around the corner.  The Tao, or Source of peace (God, the Father) is here for us.  His peace is available to us.  We just have to grasp for it.  Although we might feel unloved by others, God's loves encompasses us.  

After all, God is omnipotent and omnipresent.

The next time I'm in pain, I'll remember that I should embrace the pain.  On the other side of the pain is an appreciation for what comes--total healing.  In the future when life seems difficult, I'll remember that God is here to make the way easier for me.  I hope that you, my readers, will hold this truth as your own, too.

Thanks for reading today's post.  

I appreciate it very much.  

I hope this post blesses you, my dear readers.

I've got some questions for you: Do you sometimes wonder if you are assessing a particular situation correctly?  Are you overreacting about every little "bad" thing that happens in your life?  Why not look at the next unsettling circumstance with a fresh, positive perspective?  You might find yourself in a more peaceable mood.  It's worth seeking God's help about the tendency to panic.  Go to Him now with your petitions.  He is sure to help you.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.