Steffi Shapiro, who is a very wise teacher of mine, told me this story. She was walking in the woods one day and came upon a stagnant pool in a stream. The water was full of dirt and dead leaves and algae. At one edge of the pool, the water spilled over some jagged rocks and continued flowing down the hill. On the other side of the rocks, the water was sweet and clear. Its journey up over the rocks had made it clean.
I don't believe that God puts obstacles in our way on purpose. As Lamentations tells us, the Lord does not willingly afflict anyone. It is our own human choices that make us run into each other or into the unbending forces of nature.
But when we do face obstacles, we have a choice. We can allow the experience to teach us, to change us, to make us a clear and flowing stream.
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