I am not a religious person.  I am a spiritual person.  As I get older I have become more in touch with my spiritual self and I do strongly believe that every person on the planet is here for a reason.  I believe that we are all on a journey to become more aware and in touch with our spiritual selves.  I believe that this may take several lifetimes to accomplish and I do believe in ascension.

Because I feel like our journey is one of better understanding and appreciation of our spiritual selves, I have developed a core strength that isn’t based in self-preservation but is rooted in an understanding that some people play the “villians” in our lives so we may grow as human beings.

Every individual is on a journey.  That journey will be filled joy, sadness, success and strife.  No journey is unsuccessful so long as you continue to learn from your experiences.  Inner strength comes from your understanding that you must experience all of this so that you might continue to strengthen your connection with who you are truly meant to be.

The difficulties you experience are the most important aspects of your individual journey.  We experience hardship so that we may examine our shortcomings, our flaws and strengthen the areas of ourselves that we have yet to fully develop.  This ensures that we will become more conscious of how we can develop in areas which are still in need of our attention.

The people in our lives work in many capacities; some serve to exalt our strengths others are serve to make us aware of areas we still need to work on.  My inner strength comes from the belief that even those who cause us pain serve a purpose that is ultimately good.  They are teaching us something about who we are and how we can grow spiritually.  I believe as we develop and spend more time in self-reflection we can begin to understand and appreciate the roles of those who hurt us.

I have written about the difficulties of my childhood on several occasions.  I believe that the pain I experienced as child was for a greater purpose.  It helped me develop a better understanding of my self-worth, my self-esteem and it strengthened my ability to forgiveness.  The abuse I suffered at the hands of my father was ultimately present to aid in my development.  He was a “villain” in my life so I might grow from those experiences.

We have people in our lives who will hurt us.  Many of us have difficulty understanding why these things may happen.  So many bad experiences feel senseless and beyond forgiveness.  The truth is that those responsible serve a purpose in our lives and they are also learning and growing from those experiences.  I find it easier to find forgiveness by understanding that we are all growing and learning from our pain and struggles.

Often when we are in a situation where someone is hurting us. We can’t see past the pain.  With enough time and distance we can take the time to reflect on our trials.  We then have an opportunity to think about what that pain had to teach us about ourselves and what it had to teach us about the other individuals involved.  Every relationship serves a greater purpose in our lives.

When you think about any relationship as an opportunity to grow and better understand yourself and that even the “villians” in your life are really helping you develop and connect with your spiritual self it is far easier to forgive.  It easier to find the strength in yourself so you may go forward with the wisdom and personal understanding you acquired as a result of your difficult experiences and relationships.  Furthermore you can move forward without resentment because you were able to find the positives rather than clinging to the negatives.

I find it easier to move forward from a difficult situation (lesson) and far easier to forgive (and often appreciate) the difficult people and experiences in my life by simply appreciating that they played a significant role in helping me become a better person.

My inner strength comes from the acknowledgement that everyone and everything in my life serves to help me grow and understand myself.  I don’t regret my choices or experiences.  Every moment of my life holds an opportunity to better understand myself and who I am meant to be.  I draw strength from that.