It is natural to want to avoid our fears and anxieties. If only we could just forget about our problems – if there were some way to escape.

When a life situation seems unbearable or a challenge feels insurmountable, we’ll try anything and everything to cope. We may seek distractions. We may avoid the situation or pretend it isn’t there. But nothing really seems to work.

Whatever is happening in your life is your life curriculum. Much of what happens is beyond your control, and still there is no way out. The only way is through. You are not meant to avoid challenges; rather, to accept them with loving presence and deal with them.

Surrender to the situation as it is. Greet the situation with acceptance and love. If you can’t accept the external situation, start by accepting your internal feelings. Let everything be as it is and slowly expand this acceptance until it encompasses the whole problem. This is the arising of your strength. Now respond from this place and you will move right through it.