The last few months have been stupendously tumultuous for me, with the death of a friend under less than ideal circumstances, the surrender of all income, and going to work for God full-time. Yet I see that these developments have led to a degree of faith, trust, awareness and happiness that I had only dreamed of. They also led to a deeper understanding of the life-force that IS God as expressed in Life's Word and The Impersonal Life. I see now that the events and lessons in my life are a part of a larger whole, the evolution of our ONE spiritual self.

After discussing some recent details with a yachtsman the other day, this wonderful analogy came to mind.

Imagine that a barnacle has attached itself to the rudder of a boat while it was moored to the dock. After a period of peace and quiet, suddenly the engines roar to life and the world around the barnacle seethes into a maelstrom of chaotic activity. To the barnacle, the very foundation of its life is threatened, but it hangs on against all odds as long as the activity continues. Caught up in the churning of the water, its consciousness has no time to think of anything but the activity around it, and surviving the challenges the churning waters impose. After what seems like an endless period, the engines shut down, and peace returns.

Imagine that this barnacle ponders this occurrence, and sees it repeated time after time. Without an awareness or understanding of anything other than itself and its circumstances, it must conclude that this random chaotic activity is caused by some unknown force, and feels its own life is governed by chaos without reason. It may even resent its fate of being buffeting by these uncaring forces.

Yet from a higher perspective, we see that the barnacle is attached to the rudder of a boat, moving smoothly through the water on a definite course, guided by a knowing pilot following a known path or map. Its stops and starts are not random at all, but are resting spots along the way, where the passengers stopped to enjoy the scenery. Not knowing of the barnacle's attachment to the rudder, its small resistance is dealt with easily by a slight adjustment to the rudder's angle.

The barnacle represents our individual life, while the boat represents all humanity, with an omniscient pilot. While we remain unaware of our part within the ONE Whole we call God, we, like the barnacle, feel helpless as victims of a cruel fate. We can CHOOSE to be aware, to participate consciously in our spiritual evolution. When we raise our consciousness, we can see that every person, place and thing in our life is a contribution to the learning and expression of the Whole. When we align ourselves with that Higher Consciousness and look for the good, we enthusiastically enjoy the journey.