Trust That All Will Be Well
This is one of my favourite quotes:
‘All shall be well
And all shall be well
And all manner of things shall be well’
Dame Julian of Norwich
Julian of Norwich was one of England's most significant mystics. In the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, Mother Julian lived in permanent seclusion in her cell, which was attached to St. Julian’s Church, Norwich.
She devoted herself to prayer, meditation and study, developing a high level of sensitivity and understanding of the human condition. She had great compassion for the suffering of others. This is why people in need of advice and comfort would seek her out.
She wrote the earliest surviving book in the English language to be written by a woman: ‘Revelations of a Divine Love.’
Her writings focus on optimism, and love. As such her work is still of relevance to us today, especially in these difficult times, as we prepare to meet the New Year and all that this may bring for us. We have no idea what is going to happen with regard to Covid. We may be facing another lockdown. Somehow, we just have to be prepared for whatever may come. And trust that despite the odds - all shall be well.
We often doubt that all will be well. If you’re anything like me, the default position tends to be the worst possible outcome imaginable. I have to work hard to reframe my thoughts to include the ‘what if this all works out well.’
Yes I agree that sometimes things happen that are not what we anticipated or would have wanted in our lives. When this happens, somehow we endure and find a way through so we can manage what we are facing.
We can do our best to trust in our ability to handle whatever life throws at us. In other words - to trust that all shall be well. Things change and life moves on.
When you find yourself with an attitude of gloom or despair, try chanting Dame Julian’s mantra - ‘All shall be well.’ I find that when I do this, my attitude slowly shifts to one of possibilities.
We want to know and believe deep down that whatever happens, it is going to be OK. May we develop that trust and faith that we will find the strength and courage to move forward step by step into 2022.
This helps to become accepting of the way things are, rather than how we would have them be.
Another mantra I use is ‘This too shall pass.’ Try repeating this to yourself when you are in the depths of overwhelm or despair. If we can learn to trust in ourselves and our own abilities to pass through our dilemmas, life can take on a different perspective.
Accepting the dark periods has been my biggest learning curve and greatest gift in recovery. A thunder storm does not last forever. Neither do my dark periods. Chanting ‘This too shall pass’ helps me to be exactly where I am, and own the parts of myself that are not shiny.
Remembering these words, can make it easier to survive the difficult periods. We need to be gentle with ourselves at such times. We need to walk the road that lies ahead with patience, whilst reminding ourselves that no problem lasts forever.
In adversity, we often develop new qualities of strength as we endure what we may have perceived as impossible. As my sponsor told me we can also develop courage and faith, and the ability to reach out for help from others, when we are struggling.
If we can trust that all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well, we can face our demons and move forward with hope one day at a time, no matter what happens.
Wishing you faith and trust in yourself in 2022, and may you be surrounded by love.
I’ll leave you with the wise words of Mary Oliver:
“Finally, I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up.
And took my old body
And went out into the morning
And sang.”
Happy singing.