Reframing as a Spiritual Practice
“Change how you see and see how you change.” ~Zen Proverb
No pain, no gain is a popular idiom that originated in the 1980’s. It seemed to suggest that any worthwhile achievement demands effort and agonizing sacrifice. Spiritual transformation doesn’t have to be a painful process. A simple perspective shift can transform a life. We call that “reframing.”
The world provides numerous paradoxes, the both/and. Somehow, we seem to always focus on the negative portion of things without gratitude for the gift being given. We cannot know light without darkness, fullness without emptiness, presence without absence, winning without losing, life without death, joy without lament, greatness without smallness, resiliency without discomfort. The human mind wants to cling to particular fear filled narratives because it thinks in terms of survival, even when our survival isn’t actually at stake. Our souls know better. In them, we can extract the wisdom of life-giving narratives that are even MORE true than the survivalist one. When our safety and security feels threatened, we can lean into where our true safety and security comes from. When our desire for connection feels lost, we can witness places where it is in fact found. When our sense of belonging seems scarce, we can remember who and whom we belong to. It is a very simple practice to remind us that there are two sides of every story we tell ourselves. Start reframing today and pretty soon you’ll have a wall full of lovely pictures.
Spiritual Direction questions for reflection:
Think of something that feels uncomfortable in your life. If it had a story synopsis, what might that be? Looking from a more balanced birds eye view, what truer story might emerge?
Where do you find true safety and security? True connection? True belonging?
What makes it a true source for you?
Do you have any touch stone mantras? If you could create one now, what might it be?
