Divine Discontent IS Divine Direction

Words of Ruminn This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,n some momentary awareness comesn as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,n who violently sweep your housen empty of its furniture,nn still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you outn for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,n meet them at the door laughing,n and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,n because each has been sentn as a guide from beyond.nnn
Excerpt fromn “God Is NOT in the Bible!
[A Practical Guide for God’s ‘Choosing’ People]”
By Sandra Rae Hymeln Unity Ministe
www.openmindmusings.comnn CHAPTER THREE

Divine Discontent IS Divine Directionnn“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” [MATTHEW 24:6-8]

“What is so Divine about Discontent?” you may be asking. Jesus, our Way-Shower answers: “In the world you will have great trouble. But take heart! For I (the Christ) have overcome the world.” [JOHN 17:33] In other words, my friend, There is NO SPOT where God IS NOT! Even in the very midst of any apparent challenge God is active, ready to bring forth good. Perhaps this is why the Chinese word for challenge, means opportunity as well. n Still you might ask, how can Divine Direction be found when you find yourself abandoned by a parent, child, friend, lover, spouse, even employer, employee, church or country? How can Divine Direction be found in the ending of a long-time commitment to an employer? How can it be found in apparent betrayal, rejection or abandonment? Once again you ask: “What is so Divine about Discontent?”
First of all, when I speak of Divine, I am referring to all that is of God/Spirit. That which is the All-knowing, All-loving, Mind of God, the Holy Spirit, that is, the Whole Spirit of God through which we live and move and have our being.
When I speak of “Discontent,” I think of it manifesting as discomfort in many varied ways: you may be experiencing dissatisfaction, restlessness, unhappiness, displeasure or be plain old disgruntled. Or, you may be bored, fed up, uninterested, apathetic or complacent. Usually when ordinary Discontent manifests briefly, it has just come to pass. I believe Discontent is Divine, or of God, when you experience a CONSTANCY of any of the above. n What I have discovered is that should I ignore the CONSTANCY of Discontent and fail to take action, this soon results in a dramatic event moving me forward, that which I call a "Cosmic 2 by 4," a dramatic evidence of "Divine" Discontent.
I have discovered in my own life that If I fail to pay attention to the negative pattern, or, becoming aware of the “grit,” ignore it, instead of reflectively taking new action toward change, this is when I get hit upside the head with a “Cosmic 2 by 4” that results in a dramatic and instant unplanned life shattering change. This definitely demands my attention!
One example was a time when I was in a comfortable position as administrative assistant for three doctors for 25 plus years and had long been aware of having become bored with the “same ole, same ole.” I hung in there for “security’s” sake. Without going into detail, a situation occurred that resulted in my walking out, quitting on the spot. Though in the moment it was an unpleasant situation for me, in a very real sense we might also call the incident “True Grit” for it finally spearheaded me into my answering the call to Unity ministry, the joy of my life.
In reflectio
I have discovered that it is through our surmounting life’s challenges that we are strengthened. I think of the baby chick growing inside the egg and how deformed it would be if “saved” from the effort of breaking through the shell on its own. I also remember in the novel “Zorba the Greek,” where Zorba observes a butterfly trying to work its way out of it’s chrysalis, has compassion on it and gently assists it out of the cocoon only to watch it die before his very eyes. So we too must be patient with the process for ourselves and others as our own lives transform into the fullness of the Christ each of us is called to be. n Somehow our human belief is that life is supposed to be easy, without challenge, pristine and clean. SORRY! … not so. If Discontent is Divine, does this mean we must seek out painful experiences in order to grow spiritually? … NO! …. It does not. What it does mean is that as challenges come to us, instead of covering them over, making believe they do not exist, we embrace them as we grow through them.
There is a wonderful and profound Irish saying that goes: "If you see a ghost and face it, it will disappear before your eyes. If you run from it, it will chase you the rest of your life." What is it that "haunts" you from your past? I encourage you to face it, even embrace it, and then "Kiss it up to God." n One of the most profound movies I have seen is “The Truman Show.” That film brought home to me the importance of ALL aspects of life, that our goal is to overcome any adversity life may present us, but NOT to avoid or deny having adversity. The reward attained on the spiritual path is finding inner peace even within the chaos, even within the dis-ease, even within feelings of insufficiency. And yet, we are not to worship at the altar of painful memories of that outer event. We are not to worship the pain, or worship the sorrow, and sit at the altar of hate. Let us remember we are first and foremost beings of Light who are called to worship at the altar of love. Yes, we face the pain, face the sorrow, face the anger, then turn to the gift in any tragedy that calls forth more love, more compassion, more sense of our own Oneness with God.
Have you ever watched a spider as she patiently rebuilds her web home each time it is broken or swept away? She continues to focus on the task at hand as she is determined to reweave a new home right where it was before and patiently waits for her next meal to come into the center of her web. Just as the spider patiently works and patiently waits on the activity of God to provide, so in the midst of Divine Discontent I focus my thought on the center of my heart. n There are times when we too must reweave the threads of our lives and unite them to the center of our heart. At such times I must patiently turn to love in order to reconnect and peacefully heal my wounded spirit. This small creature, the spider, represents the idea of patience in the Native American Hopi tradition, where their Divine Mother is called Spider Woman, and is believed to be the intercessor betwee
God and the people. So let us patiently keep our own thoughts focused on the center of our heart. How often, in the midst of Divine Discontent, I have felt most abandoned by God. These were times when I have allowed myself to focus on the nitty, gritty stuff that disturbs my peace of mind. In reflecting on those moments I now know what I was experiencing was a “True Grit” experience. Just like the grit in the oyster is essential to growing the pearl, Divine Discontent urges us to pay attention to the will of God for us. The grit of life is the voice of God trying to get your attention, urging you to get out of your rut, get out of complacency, get out of your comfort zone and get on with getting on with your Mother/Father/Creator God’s business, because, you see my friend, YOU are God’s pearl of great price! And, as our friend Rumi so beautifully advises us:

This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival …
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, …
Be grateful for whoever comes,n because each has been sentn as a guide from beyond.