Written by Joyce Vissell and Narrated by Marie T. Russell
When tragedy, death of a loved one, or extreme disappointment strikes, do you ever wonder if our Divine Creator is punishing you? A lot of people feel this way and close their heart to the divine love that is always pouring to us.
Losing a Loved One
I have a dear friend, named Jim, who had a golden retriever, Max, for sixteen years. Jim loved Max like he was a son and he took excellent care of him. Max went everywhere with his owner, even expensive hotel rooms. Max went to the best vets and was monitored often for any problems. The life expectancy for a golden retriever is from 10-13 years old, so Max had lived way beyond that. One day, Max had trouble standing up and was immediately taken to the veterinary emergency hospital. Within a few hours, he died.
Our friend was devastated and, after a few days of crying, he reported to me that he could no longer believe in a loving creator. Why would a loving God take from this world a pet that was bringing so much love and beauty to his life? Jim felt that he was being punished. I urged him to be grateful for all the wonderful years that he had with Max and to begin to look for a gift in the experience.
In time, Jim realized that Max had had an extraordinary life and that, if he had lived even two weeks more, Jim would have been in Europe working and would not have been able to be with him for his final hours on earth. As it was, Jim was able to hold him every second, and tell him over and over again how much he loved him, and to thank him for all the joy he brought.
Losing Everything
We know people who lost their home and community to the Paradise Fire in northern California in 2018. In just one short day an entire small town completely burned. This was heartbreaking for all of us who watched, and even more so for the people who were there and lost so much.
These people told us at the time that they felt completely abandoned by God and that they could never trust again...
Continue Reading at InnerSelf.com (plus audio/mp3 version of article)
Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay
Narrated by Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com
* Subtitles by InnerSelf
Copyright 2021 by Joyce and Barry Vissell.
Book by this Author(s)
Heartfullness: 52 Ways to Open to More Love
by Joyce and Barry Vissell.
Heartfulness means so much more than sentimentality or schmaltz. The heart chakra in yoga is the spiritual center of the body, with three chakras above and three below. It is the balance point between lower body and higher body, or between body and spirit. To dwell in your heart is therefore to be in balance, to integrate the lower three chakras with the higher three.
This book contains 52 writings and stories that all illustrate the many facets of heartfulness. That’s one per week. Our goal is to lead you into your heart. Our goal is to give you a feeling experience of the heart in its many dimensions. We could say each piece will make you feel good. And this may be true. But each will also challenge you to grow in spiritual awareness, for there is often a certain risk that must be taken before the heart can open. Sometimes we need to leave our comfort zone to really live from the heart.
Click here for more info and/or to order this book. Also available as a Kindle edition
About the Author(s)
Joyce & Barry Vissell, a nurse/therapist and psychiatrist couple since 1964, are counselors, near Santa Cruz CA, who are passionate about conscious relationship and personal-spiritual growth. They are the authors of 10 books, their latest being A Couple of Miracles: One Couple, More Than a Few Miracles.
Visit their website at SharedHeart.org for their free weekly 10–15-minute inspirational videos, inspiring past articles on many topics about relationship and living from the heart, or to book a counseling session on-line or in person.
