When something good happens in your life, such as receiving a promotion or getting engaged, what do you do in those situations? Maybe you get excited, dance, and tell everyone the good news. But on the contrary, what do you do when you receive some bad news? What if you didn’t get the promotion you were looking for or you end up with an illness? What do you do in those situations?

Maybe some of us turn to God and question, “Why is this happening to me? I’ve never wronged anyone.” I want you to stop for a moment today and think about a situation in the past that you thought was bad. Take a moment and think about something big that you went through in the past. How do you feel about that situation? I’m sure the answer would be that the situation from the past made you who you are today and taught you many lessons. You probably didn’t think that way when you were in the situation; however, now in hindsight you can recognize how much that situation has shaped you. That is true for every adversity in our lives.

If you’ve ever been to boot camp, you would know how it pushes you beyond your limits. You’re on a tight schedule and are given very little to eat. You’re exhausted by the end of the day due to lack of sleep. Boot camp pushes you beyond your limits and it pushes you out of your comfort zone. People who’ve been in boot camp training say that they want to quit every moment and feel like it’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to them. However, those who stick through come out the other end and say it’s made them a stronger person. Every situation we go through whether it’s good or bad is to help us grow and help our consciousness expand. It helps us evolve to a higher realm. A diamond is formed after being inside the earth’s surface under extreme pressure and high temperatures for many years. If you can hold onto that attitude; then it will change the way you react to that situation.

Lord Ram gives us a beautiful example of this in his life. He was a prince who lived in a massive kingdom, had the richest clothes to wear, and had a variety of foods to eat. One day, Lord Ram was sent into exile for 14 years. The prince who was used to the finest luxuries every day now was reduced to one piece of cloth. The prince who used to sleep on a comfortable bed now slept on the hard ground. The prince who had all varieties of food to eat and every meal cooked for him now found his food in the fruits hanging from the trees in the forest. Those 14 years in exile were filled with very difficult situations. He left as a prince but returned to Ayodhya, his kingdom, as Lord Ram. This journey exists in each one of our lives. However, what do you do in a difficult situation? Do you sit there and complain because you’ve had a bad day, rough week, terrible month, or a difficult year?

In the book of Jeremiah, it states that the Lord knows the plans He has for us. The plans are not to harm us, but to help us prosper. They help our consciousness expand and for our consciousness to expand, we need to connect to our soul. We sow everything we go through in our lives. Whether we have good or bad experiences, every situation and adversity we face help us grow. We need to know that our true purpose is to return to that supreme power, to our origin. If you can search for a lesson behind every situation, then how you react and accept that situation changes completely.

When a perfect master comes into our lives and awakens our divine eye, we are then connected to our soul. This eternal technique of Brahm Gyan is the step towards expanding our consciousness and self-realization. As our consciousness continues to expand, we get closer to our God-like form.

Once, a disciple was complaining to Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji about his life. The disciple’s business was declining and had a rocky relationship with his wife. Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji stopped the disciple and explained that he has given the disciple Brahm Gyan. Brahm Gyan helps us grow and evolve from these situations. It helps us understand the lessons from each situation. Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji explained to the disciple that he must first learn from these situations to help expand his consciousness. By doing this he will then be able to help others expand their consciousness as well.

How do we accept and deal with the situations in our life? Once there was a farmer who had a donkey. On a daily basis, he traveled to the market with his donkey. The farmer would cut his crops, load them onto the donkey, and then walk a few miles to the market. After the farmer sold his crops, they then returned home. This daily routine continued for many years. The donkey was a dear companion to the farmer and had served him well. One day as the farmer and donkey were returning home from the market, the donkey’s foot slipped and he fell into a ditch on the side of the road. The donkey started wailing and crying continuously. The farmer attempted to lift the donkey up but failed and could not find a solution. He looked around for help since the donkey weighed a lot more than he could lift. He then decided to leave the donkey stuck in the ditch since the donkey was old anyway. The farmer then decided to shovel dirt into the ditch and cover it up so that the donkey eventually passes away. He went to town and asked a few people to help him shovel dirt into the ditch. The donkey was still wailing in pain; however, after a few shovels of dirt were thrown into the ditch, the donkey stopped crying. The farmer looked over to see what happened and he noticed that every time dirt was thrown into the ditch, the donkey stepped on that dirt to rise a little higher. With every shovel of dirt, the donkey rose higher and eventually walked himself out of that ditch. This simple story teaches us that no matter what life throws at you, use it to help yourself rise, grow, and evolve. If we are children of God, we must understand that God is not looking to harm us. Just as we expect the best out of our children, God expects the same things from us.

Therefore, whatever life throws at you, use it as a stepping stone and rise higher. We must use every situation, experience, and adversity we face to help our consciousness grow. The wisdom needed to learn from situations will come through the practice of Brahm Gyan and the daily practice of meditation. The daily practice of meditation will sharpen your wisdom and will help you recognize very quickly how a particular situation is going to help you grow. So, the next time you’re in a difficult situation or you feel like complaining, remind yourself that this situation is there to help you grow. For this reason, continue to grow through what you go through.