We should make all spiritual talk simple today.
God is trying to sell you something that you don’t want to buy.
That is what your suffering is:
your fantastic haggling
your manic screaming
over
price.
-Hafiz
I originally posted this quote as a free standing post. I love Hafiz and I think his poetry holds its own. But I saw it again on the website today and really wanted to add commentary because I think what he’s saying is so important.
When I read this poem, I think of the things that we say we want. We say we want freedom, but we don’t want to give up the car. We say we want peace, but we keep the toxic person in our lives. We say we want love, but we don’t want to give it.
I believe that God makes a way for us to get exactly what we want. But it may not be in the form we want. We cannot expect to have a new life when we continue to hold on to old things. The reality is that our attachment to things that cause suffering can feel comfortable. We become comfortable in our suffering. It is familiar and we imagine that life without those things or those people will be worse. We think we will be immobile without the car or lonely without the person.
Of course, with perspective, we can figure out other solutions. But in the moment of the decision, the price seems too high. We think the price will take our freedom and security. We’re not really ready to give up everything.
But an amazing thing happens when you let go. Freedom feels a million times better than leather seats, new clothes, and a broken heart. Suffering is a decision.
Even in death, we have to realize that God didn’t promise eternal life in this form. In a way, the price of life is death. We cannot avoid it and we cannot negotiate our way out of it. If we recognize life as a gift meant to be enjoyed, we stop trying to hedge our bets. We stop delaying and postponing…and we start really living.
So, instead, recognize that the price to end your suffering will always involve letting go. Let go of your attachment to things, people, and even ideas. Let go of false beliefs that you will be able to get something for free. See the lesson in every experience and the gift in every day. Take the bold step to live your dreams in reality. What are you waiting for?
If we live life fully, death then becomes the final let go of our physical form. It becomes the final piece we strip away to achieve freedom in the spirit realm. And maybe we find that the peace there was worth letting go of everything we thought that made us who we are.
Namaste ;)
Photo source: Death Valley