KEY #11: The Key of Purpose

By Brother Rabbi Dani’el Rendelman
Emet Ministries
ravemet@comcast.net

A truck driver was hauling a load of 500 penguins to the zoo. Unfortunately, his truck broke down. He eventually waved down another truck and offered the driver $500 to take the penguins to the zoo.

The next day the first truck driver got his truck fixed and drove into town and couldn’t believe his eyes! Just ahead of him he saw the second truck driver crossing the road with the 500 penguins waddling single file behind him. He jumped out of his truck, ran up to the guy and said, “What’s going on? I gave you $500 to take these penguins to the zoo!”

To which the man responded, “I did take them to the zoo. But I had enough money left over so now we’re going to the movies.”

That guy didn’t fully understand what he was supposed to be doing. Likewise, many believers today are fuzzy about their sense of purpose.

What is life all about anyway? Is there more to life than dirty diapers, stingy bosses and the stresses of work and home? Are the feelings and pleasures experienced day by

day the climax of existence? Why is there so much pain and problems?

Many people go through the motions of an empty existence. They continue as normal until they suddenly stop and consider what is most important. Sometimes it takes a national tragedy or a doctor speaking the word “cancer.” Others live for pleasure and thrills. Regardless of the extreme, this type of living is a lot like cotton candy – all taste but no substance. One parent once said that he only wanted to live long enough to be a burden upon his own children! Yet, even if your purpose is to live a moral life or raise children to have a good future, it is easy to resemble the guy with the penguins following behind him. Without tapping into the Almighty’s purpose and high calling, living is simply aimless, boring, and based on momentary happiness. What about the “abundant life” the Savior promised? Wouldn’t you like to live the power of the Messiah’s life?

For some real answers on living a life of meaning and fulfillment let’s look into the Torah and discover YHWH’s plan for man. Back to the beginning we shall turn as the creation account reveals much about YHWH’s original intention for mankind. “So Elohim created man in his own image, in the image of Elohim he created him; male and female he created them. Elohim blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground,” Beresheet 1:27-29.

We were made like YHWH, created in His image. We were given a free will to follow Him or follow our own path. We were formed with an evil inclination, or fleshly desire called the ‘yetzer hara.’ We were also formed with an eternal light called the ‘yetzer tov.’ When “YHWH formed man from the dust of the ground He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being,” Beresheet 2:7. This breath of life is the part of YHWH that was breathed into mankind. “There is one Elohim and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” says Ephesians 4:5.

Point #1: We were created for YHWH’s good pleasure and purposes.

The Scriptures declare that everything, including man, was made specifically for YHWH’s tov pleasure and fulfillment. “Thou art worthy, O Master, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created,” Revelation 4:11. Sefer Colossians also speaks of this “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and FOR him.”

YHWH made us for His tov pleasure. The sages asked, “What motivated Elohim to create the world in the first place?” A Midrash answers, “Elohim desired a dwelling in the physical world.” We were also made in YHWH’s image. This means that within each of us is a desire to experience pleasure.

YHWH created us like Himself to actually fulfill His desires. So, we too have desires that long to be filled. Paschal once said that there exists a “g/d shaped vaccum inside all humanity.” This vacuum within the soul longs and craves for fulfillment, for pleasure. When this desire turns inward the result is a dangerous lifestyle concerned only about self. This is how the fall came about. Adam and Chava wanted to be more like YHWH, they wanted to know tov from evil, to experience more of the pleasures of the Creator. And so they made a decision to disconnect from YHWH’s will and do their own desire. The consequence was the law of sin and death and their banishment from the Almighty.

Point #2: Like YHWH we have desires that long to be filled.

You see, mankind lusts after pretty much anything just to get a ‘fix’. Rabbi Ashlag teaches that at first it seems that physical pleasure takes control, then money, honor, power, then pride, and ego. From toddler to teens to adults, pleasures are met at moments but are never really fulfilled. Like the old rock and roll song, most people sing along with “I can’t get no satisfaction.” This is because our yetzer hara, or flesh, is always making new desires. We are constantly running after pleasure yet never really catching it. We choose actions that help up become competitive, win, advance, and grow our pride. What satisfies today is boring tomorrow. Our quest to ‘feel’ good never goes away. Even Bible study can lead to the flesh being satisfied with knowledge or information. We think our purpose is to be happy, wealthy, and influential, but it is not.

Life will continue in a whirlwind of self indulgence unless you fix your desires. You can’t get rid of your inward cravings. Self-denial will not lead to total satisfaction. Like the priests who promise celibacy yet fall into immorality are people who seek just to surpress their desires. You can’t just hide your flesh! You have to kill it, you have to fix or ‘tikkun’ your inner longings. This doesn’t require hammer and nails but a return to Genesis and the Gan Eden. You see, the truth is that when Adam and Chava were created they had a perfect relationship with YHWH. They were sinless and had unlimited access to the Almighty. YHWH walked with them “in the cool of the day.” This is where we must return.

Point #3: For true fulfillment in life, your desires must be fixed upon YHWH and Him alone.

It is important to recognize that mankind was intended and created sinless. This was to fulfill YHWH’s desire for mankind to bring Him pleasure. It was the fall that separated Adam from YHWH and broke the fellowship of the Creator and His creation. Originally we were in perfect relationship and communion with YHWH. One verse from the Scriptures bring all of this together – “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please,” Yesha’yahu 46:10.

YHWH declares the end from the beginning, “from ancient times, what is to come!” This means that what was will be. We were created in perfect fellowship with YHWH and we are destined to return to the same. We were actually created in our final state! And all of creation is longing for the restoration of the Gan Eden! This is the purpose of life and the reason why Yahshua the Messiah came. “To reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from Elohim and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Messiah’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation,” sefer Colossians 1:20-22.

Point #4: Mankind was created to experience fellowship with YHWH. Ever since the fall YHWH has been restoring that fellowship.

Through the Savior’s death and our clinging to him we can do time travel and return to creation, to Gan Eden. We can return to fulfillment through fellowship with YHWH. There are so many groups and teachers that tout a verse from the book of Acts and say that YHWH is restoring Yisra’el and the Torah of Moshe. “And He shall send Yahshua the Moshiach, who before was proclaimed to you: whom the Shamayim must receive until the times of the restoration of all things, which YHWH has spoken by the mouth of all His set apart neviim since the olam began,” Acts 3:20-21. People say that the “restoration of all things” will return believers to the life and times of Moshe. As we approach His return, the Moshiach is restoring life, but not just back to Moshe. YHWH is restoring truth all the way back to the Gan Eden. The mountain experiences of Moshe are great but the Garden experiences of Adam are better! The restoration process will end like the beginning in Eden with the Almighty dwelling with man during the millennium. This was YHWH’s tov will.

We were created to bring pleasure to YHWH through fellowship with Him. But, like a toaster that has been thrown into a bathtub full of water, we malfunction when we are taken out of our created environment. We malfunction when we seek pleasure in other sources than what was purposed from the beginning. The only way we can live a life of true contentment is to return to our original environment of fellowship and peace with the Creator. This return to YHWH is called “deveikut” in Hebrew. “Deveikut implies constant communion with Elohim, a vivid and overwhelming consciousness of YHWH. Deveikut is an all comprehensive principle, that relates not only to prayer and Torah study, but all to the mundane engagements in life , which allows us to transcend worldly thoughts and concerns,” says chabad.org.

Point #5: Deveikut is clinging to YHWH. It is the pathway to purpose.

Deveikut is when we tikkun our desires and seek to actually give pleasure to the Creator through clinging to Him. In doing so we actually become like Him. “Devikut is a state of union wherein two parties lose awareness of themselves as separate entities and experience themselves as one undifferrtiated essence,” says once source. The will to experience desire and pleasure is within everyone, we just have to center that will upon receiving and giving to YHWH. We have to “taste and see that YHWH is tove; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him,” says Tehillim 34:8. Again, we were created to receive pleasure and “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly light,” Ya’acov 1:17. We emulate our creator by receiving pleasure and then giving it to Him through ministering to the Almighty.

Purpose is found in clinging to YHWH. This is the same principle used with Adam and Chava and the process of the husband and wife coming together. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh,” Beresheet 2:24. It is the return to the Gan Eden, to creation that produces life. “But ye that did cleave unto YHWH your Elohim are alive every one of you this day,” Devarim 4:4. Deveikut is attachment and adherence to YHWH. It is never allowing the mind to depart from the plan and purpose of the Creator. It is seeing YHWH’s hand in everything. What is YHWH’s will for your life? Deveikut is the purpose of life. “That you may love YHWH your Elohim, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For YHWH is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya’acov,” Devarim 30:20. When we deveikut to YHWH we view everything from the perspective of YHWH.

Closeness to YHWH will lead us to actually viewing things as YHWH does. Instead of seeing sickness, suffering, and tragedies as curses we will begin to look to the bigger picture. Instead of praying for YHWH to remove the hardships in our life we will first pray that our ‘faith remains' and that He will teach us through the events. YHWH sees things from an eternal perspective – from the ‘olam habah,’ the world to come. Rabbi Sha’ul says that “we see in part,” we only see from the here and now – the ‘olam hazeh.’ Yet, when we cling to YHWH we become one with Him and can begin to understand things from His perspective. “Come near to YHWH and He will come near to you,” says the Brit Chadasha.

Point #6: The degree in which we cling to YHWH is the same degree in which we experience purpose, joy, and the supernatural.

Deveikut produces ‘kavanah’ which is devotion and fervor found in a deep relationship with YHWH. Don’t mistake kavanah for momentary happiness. Kavanah is found only YHWH’s Light. “Thou shalt fear YHWH thy Elohim; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. He is thy praise, and he is thy Elohim, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen,” Devarim 10:20. Deveikut is not about ‘dos and don’ts,’ it is about connecting to the Creator through tapping into His divine will. It has nothing to do with diplomas, numbers, position, pride, or advancement. It has everything to do with the humbleness of heart and looking to YHWH alone for life.

Devikut includes Torah obedience and Torah study on the basis of bring pleasure to YHWH. The Torah teaches the Divine will and allows you to tap into YHWH’s power through obedience. This action of connection is called a ‘mitzvah.’ You see, the mitzvot are more than just commands for obedience and blessing. The mitzvot are the way we fix our will in order to receive pleasure from YHWH. Like an extension cord that connects power from a major source to an adapter is the mitzvot of Torah. They are to be followed not for salvation or to become good but to connect to the Good one. “Taste and see that YHWH is good,” Tehillim 34:8. The way to taste of Yah’s goodness is through the mitzvot. These commands lead to our closeness to Him. Rabbi Schneerson teaches that “the primary reason we study Torah and perform the commandments is to reveal godliness in the world. It follows that every mitzvah produces its own, specific illumination of divinity. Every mitzvah we do creates its own Paradise, reserved to benefit the person who fulfilled it. The Talmud tells us, ‘A mitzvah’s reward is not given in this world.’ The inference is that we enjoy its benefit only in the Olam Habah. The Mishna Avot confirms, ‘A mitzvah’s reward is the mitzvah itself.’ By observing the mitzvot we reveal the Gan Eden of this physical world.”

Point #7: The mitzvot bring Light.

The miztvot or commands of the Torah are an intermediary tool used to break down the flesh and beat down the yetzer hara. The mitzvot are not just to bring blessings to Yah’s people. They are to prepare us for eternity and establish the Malchut Shamayim here on earth. Following the Torah makes conditions right for deveikut. This is because the mitzvot bring Light.

Light is symbolic of YHWH. Light is His presence, His essence, and His power. Remember that Adam and YHWH were connected until Adam broke the Divine Will and sinned. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory,” says the Brit Chadasha. Perhaps Adam and Chavah were created like YHWH in the idea that they were originally ‘light beings.’ When Adam fell he gave into the darkness and moved away from the glory or Light of YHWH. When Adam fell, Adam lost his light. It wasn’t until after the fall that YHWH covered mankind with skin. Before the fall Adam was full of Light, he had perfect relationship with the Creator, he exhibited dominion, and was sinless. “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through Elohim,” Yochannan 3:19-21.

The mitzvot allow us to give pleasure to YHWH and at the same time receive pleasure from YHWH. At creation “Elohim took Adam and placed him in the Gan Eden, to work it and to guard it,” Beresheet 2:15. The Zohar says that “the word ‘work’ alludes to the two hundred and forty-eight positive commandments; ‘guard’ hints to the three hundred and sixty-five Torah prohibitions.” So, if this is true then Adam’s working and guarding the Gan Eden shows that Adam’s purpose in life was to obey Torah and thus bring Light to the world. When Adam sinned he allowed darkness to reign. Since the fall mankind has been struggling to regain the Light of creation.

“If you fully obey YHWH your ELohim and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the YHWH your Elohim will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey YHWH your Elohim,” Devarim 28:1-2. YHWH wants to give His goodness to mankind. He desires to restore us to the fellowship of the Garden of Eden. Out of His great love He has allowed us to choose our own path towards fulfillment. Either we cling to YHWH or we cling to our flesh. Either we run to the Light or we run to the darkness. “In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not,” Yochannan 1:1-2.

The moment we were saved YHWH could have taken us out of this world. He could have told us to go and wait on a church pew for the rapture bus to take us to heaven. But, He did not. He has left us here to be His voice; His representatives to the world, to continue in our heavenly education, being made through testing and trials more like our Master. YHWH left us here to shine forth His Light.

The mitzvot shine light in the darkness. They illuminate the truth of what is really going on. They bring glory to YHWH. “Let your light shine before men so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Shamayim,” said Yahshua.

Rabbi Yehuda Berg teaches in his book “The 72 Names of G/d” that, “humans were created with two distinct aspects to their nature – darkness and light. The darkness is in the human ego – as in Everybody’s Got One. This is also where the light hides. Light is in the human soul, which is obscured by the ego. The purpose of your existence is to allow the full intensity of light to shine in your life and in this world. You have two ways to conduct your life:

1) Through your ego, doubting or oblivious to the truth of the Light, considering only yourself

2) Through the humility of your soul, constantly finding the Light and considering the needs of others.

Your career, your family, and your friends are here for one purpose – to provide the opportunity for you to carry out your personal transformation, they give you the chance to let go of your ego, selfishness, and envy, and in turn, find the Light.” These two aspects of the human nature are the flesh and the spirit, the yetzer hara and the yetzer tov. Believers in Messiah are not to live in darkness but walk in the Light. “You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness,” 1 Thessalonians 5:5.

The events of your life shape your character and personality into what it is today. "In every sorrow there is profit," says Mishlei (Proverbs) 14:23.

Point #8: Living in the Light is living in the Spirit. It is living in deveikut.

In the Scriptures, Light is the Hebrew word “ore.” According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and Dictionary “ore” literally means “to be luminous literally and metaphorically: break of day, glorious, kindle, set on fire, shine.” The word “ore” appears 5 times on the first day of creation, representing the 5 books of the Torah that bring Light to the world. Light is also used as a synonym or Hebrew idiom for the Torah. So when the scriptures speak of Light they are in fact many times speaking of the Word of Yahweh, the Torah. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light (Torah) unto my path,” says Tehillim (Psalm) 119.

Light is also symbolic of the Messiah Yahshua. “When Yahshua spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life,” Yochannan 8:12. So, light symbolizes Torah and light symbolizes Yahshua. This makes since because Yahshua is the living Torah! Living in the Light is living in the Spirit. It is living in deveikut.

In the Sermon on the Mount Yahshua told his followers to let their light shine. He was saying to let their Torah observance shine as a witness to everyone that the Messiah has come. Yahshua was reminding them of the principle that inside man is the darkness of the flesh yet inside man was ability to choose Light. “Let your light (Torah) so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven,” Mattitiyahu 5:16

When Light/Torah/Yahshua penetrates through the darkness, lives are changed, hurts are healed, and people understand their purpose in life. What happens in your life occurs to bring forth Light. This doesn’t mean Yahweh has causes the events that are occurring but He has allowed them. Stuff occurs to provide you an opportunity to grow. Hardships and suffering fan the flame of Light in the darkness of your world. They happen to help you cling to YHWH and become more like Him. “He must increase and I must decrease,” says the book of Yochannon.

Friend, light and darkness cannot coexist at the same time. Remember that in the beginning the Father said “let their be Light” and from the darkness came Light. Well, by simply understanding how Light shines you will discover your destiny as a person and find fulfillment in your life. How does the Light of Messiah shine? How do you experience your purpose in life? How do you deveikut?

Point #9: Our darkness, our ego, has to be purged for the Light to shine.

First of all, when you have a sickness, hardship, trial, problem, or area of conflict don’t immediately ask Yahweh to remove it. When you have a bad day, don’t go into super rebuking mode and cast out everything including the demon of wrinkled clothes. Before you pray to the Father to release you from a sickness, hardship, or circumstance first ask Him what you are supposed to learn from it. Maybe you are going through something just to learn a specific lesson in the process. “Trials and difficulties mark the beginnings of darkness, but there is always the Light of salvation to look forward to even as the sons of Israel were brought out of Egypt at night in Devarim 16:1,” wrote Avi Ben Mordechai. Remember that Yahshua knew about the trials of Kefa (Peter). Yahshua knew in advance that Kefa would be tempted to deny the Messiah but Yahshua did not pray that the trials would be removed. Instead Yahshua prayed that Kefa’s “faith would remain.” Kefa needed the trials to prove his faith!

Rabbi Berg teaches that, “when we suffer we experience pain, when we undergo grief and heartache, the hurting actually purges ego and self-interest from our nature. The soul- our true self – shines brighter at that moment. This is why we suddenly feel a sense of love and unity with others when planes crash into buildings and those buildings collapse on national television. This is why we feel a shift in our priorities when the rubble of human remains litters the landscape as a result of war, terror, or tragic accidents. Our egos diminish from the emotional pain and our souls suddenly blossom.” Suffering brings people to the revelation and understanding that life is not all about satisfying selfish desires and ambition. The Almighty uses suffering to call people back to Himself, to humble people to the realization that life is not all about self.

Pain brings revelation of human nature but the pain lessons over time. The pain is forgotten and forsaken for selfishness, sinful actions and thought. Don’t you know that churches are full of people when there is a national tragedy? Many spend time at the altar confessing a “spiritual” renewal but a few weeks later those same people are nowhere to be found when the church bell rings. Nothing lasting has taken place because the truth of the Light, the Torah is not taught. The light of suffering will soon diminish and people will return to their old ways.

Suffering is temporary and so the light of suffering is temporary. A person stays humble for only so long. Darkness soon overtakes the light as the pain of tragedy is forgotten and there is a return to walking in the flesh and looking out for self.

To turn the Light switch on indefinitely you must experience a spiritual transformation akin to the caterpillar transforming into the butterfly. “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light (Torah/Yahshua). Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with Adon Moshiach Yahshua, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature," Romans 12:12-13. Your life must change from going with the flow of the flesh to submitting to the Torah if you want the light of Messiah to shine for tov.

Point #10: We were created spiritual beings. To return to our created state we must take control of our thoughts, understand YHWH’s providence, and make the environment right for the supernatural through deveikut.

Follow in the mitzvot and experience your purpose – become more like YHWH. For, when you walk in the Light you are returning to the Gan Eden. Your true existence is to reflect the Light of YHWH. You have to take control of your thoughts, understand YHWH’s providence, and create the right environment for the supernatural. You must deny yourself and follow the Messiah; follow the Torah; follow the Light. “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: Yahweh is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Yahshua, his son, purifies us from all sin,” 1 Yochannan 1:5-7.

Life is what you make of it. Pain is a cleansing tool. Use your will to experience pleasure in a positive way – receive from YHWH and give back. Purpose is found in clinging to YHWH. The events and even the tragedies of life can be viewed from YHWH’s perspective and can lead to development instead of despair. You see, when we change our behavior we change our life. When we emulate YHWH we walk in the Spirit and we experience deveikut. The abundant life the Messiah promised can be a reality. Our true existence is realized when our ego is purged and the Light comes forth. “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through Yahweh,” Yochannan 3:19-21.

Here are a few points of purpose to remember:

Point #1: We were created for YHWH’s good pleasure and purposes.

Point #2: Like YHWH we have desires that long to be filled.

Point #3: For true fulfillment in life, your desires must be fixed upon YHWH and Him alone.

Point #4: Mankind was created to experience fellowship with YHWH. Ever since the fall YHWH has been restoring that fellowship.

Point #5: Deveikut is clinging to YHWH. It is the pathway to purpose.

Point #6: The degree in which we cling to YHWH is the same degree in which we experience purpose, joy, and the supernatural.

Point #7: The mitzvot bring Light.

Point #8: Living in the Light is living in the Spirit. It is living in deveikut.

Point #9: Our darkness, our ego, has to be purged for the Light to shine.

Point #10: We were created spiritual beings. To return to our created state we must take control of our thoughts, understand YHWH’s providence, and make the environment right for the supernatural through deveikut.

Rabbi Ed Nydle wrote the following short letter “to those who want to change.” If you desire to experience your true purpose in life take these words to heart and live a life of Light through deveikut. “To be happy, peaceful, and successful, you must begin by realizing that you DO have control over what you think, what you focus on, how you feel, what you do, and what happens to you. You may have not yet figured out how to take control, but that doesn't mean you cannot. All of these things, for you, are now being determined unconsciously, but they still come from you. There is no other way for you to make progress and get what you want other than to decide that you can be, and will be, in charge of what you think, what you picture inside, what you feel, and how you behave. As long as you insist that you are helpless and a victim, you WILL be helpless and a victim. This is not a change I can make for you. You have to DECIDE to take control and to figure out how to do it. I have given you lots of big clues, but it's up to you.

Once you take control, you have to know in what way to control yourself, and the main thing to keep in mind is that you must focus on what you want, and keep your mind off what you don't want. When you tell me that you have lots of negative feelings when you focus on what you want, I can tell that you are only spending a few moments focusing on what you want, and then you begin focusing on what you don't want, because the ONLY way you can have bad feelings is to focus on what you don't want. As soon as you have bad feelings, that should be a signal to you that you have lost your focus on what you want, and you need to put it back on what you do want. You may have to do this over and over and over, and your mind may fight you (based on what you told me, it does). You have to keep going, and keep changing your focus to what you want. YOU are in charge of what you focus on--if you exercise that control. You are not at the effect end of the cause and effect spectrum, even though it seems to you that you are.

The final thing to consider is that you consistently resist "what is." This causes bad feelings and suffering. When things are a certain way, and you resist that fact, you suffer. So you just have to decide to stop doing it (and, of course, drop the idea that your resistance "just happens" and is outside your control). You, and only you, are in charge of what you focus on. Resistance is nothing more than focusing on what you don't want, which means you CAN stop doing it, by changing your focus.

Yes, in the beginning this is difficult, tedious even. Because you think you need to focus on potential danger in order to avoid it (which is what focusing on what you don't want is all about), your mind keeps going back to focus on that potential danger. But the more you focus on this potential danger, the more you 1) feel bad, and 2) attract more of what you are focusing on. There is a learning curve to changing this dynamic. You have to be willing to go through the tedious process of refocusing your mind on what you want, having your habits pull it back to what you are afraid of, then pulling it back, over and over.

As you do this, the old habit will lose its hold over you, and at a certain point it will become automatic to focus on what