For years, I used to call my sister every morning on the way to work. When she answered the phone, I would ask “Hey, what’s going on?” She always had the same response which was “Same ol’, Same ol’”.

Translation: Same ol’ thing, different day. Nothing new.

I never used to think anything more of that response other than the fact that I could relate to it. Now, however, having some understanding of truth and our given purpose here on this earth, I can see why I related to that comment at that time. It felt as though my own life was like Groundhog Day, the same day repeating itself over and over again. I just didn’t want to admit it.

We continue to experience the Groundhog Day effect, the same experiences relived over and over again just disguised differently, until we understand what is actually taking place.

In truth, it isn’t life that doesn’t change, it is our present level of understanding that doesn’t.

We can all relate to this in one way or another. Let’s say we work with a very difficult person who never sees eye to eye with us. This person is always combative, always challenges anything we say. We then leave that job in an effort to “get away” from that person only to find another person in our lives with the same quality and characteristics.

Isn’t that incredible?

It’s not only incredible but incredibly merciful. What I mean by that is that Life is always showing us “You can run, but you can’t hide”. It’s like Life is saying “Would you please look at these qualities and characteristics in this person that something in you doesn’t like. If you truly observe them, you will see that they are a part of you as well, and a new understanding will then be born in you.”

The birth of that new understanding can take place no other way. It requires a willingness and effort on our part. Through that willingness and effort flows Grace.

It’s easy for me to say these things, but when it comes to certain qualities and characteristics that this girl sees as very unpleasant and dark, it is extremely difficult for me to observe them. Typically, there is just this resounding “No! – Get away from me” attitude, and that is exactly why these people keep reappearing in my life the way that they do.

So in a sense (you could say) that we don’t’ really have a choice. What I mean by that is running doesn’t work.  Resisting doesn’t work. Pointing the fingers at others claiming they are different than us doesn’t work. Guy Finley, a truth teacher, put it quite eloquently when he said “The only way out is through.”

The only way out is through the full observation of these qualities and characteristics – a certain integration of them within ourselves. Resistance to them guarantees the perpetuation of them in our lives. What a great thing to understand and remember.

We were created to be made new moment to moment. Sometimes I look at that and realize “Wow, I am missing out on so much of my life when something in me keeps pushing away these qualities and characteristics that it doesn’t want to see.”

We have the stomach (to use words) to see these things or we wouldn’t be given them to see. Truth be told, these qualities and characteristics that appear to us as dark are only dark because there hasn’t been light shone upon them thus far. The light integrates, so let it!

Terri Knuth (a/k/a Terri Poppins) started an on-call nanny business in 2009 after a 31-year career as a paralegal because she felt a certain calling to work with children. She has cared for well over 100 families with children of all ages, including doing respite care for special needs children. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, biking, swimming, and attending classes at the Life of Learning Foundation, a center for self-study. You can find more information on her site: www.terri-poppins.com.

Image courtesy of RODOLFO BARRETO.