When the Student is Ready the Teacher Appears

It is a glorious warm day in California with a gentle breeze. I was out running, after getting home from the NoHo Arts Center and a full morning of Spiritual nourishment both by being in church service and by teaching in the Youth Center. It's "Listen Week" in Spiritual Boot Camp and as I was running,I was listening.

The trees swaying in the wind soothed and lulled me. Then quite suddenly, I heard these words: "When the student is ready, the teacher appears."

I have used the statement many times when great teachers appeared in my life. But today as I was running, this statement took on a whole new meaning. I am a student of the Universe, a sort of a Jedi Knight in training. I have spoken my word and said I'm ready to step up. I am ready to step into the Spiritual Universe and live fully in it. Then, a challenge comes up, and I've had some big ones during the last couple of months. But, "When the student is ready, the teacher appears." I believe it just might be that the seeming "challenge" is the teacher that has appeared. It is here to see what I am made of. Of course, it is all coming from within me.

Now I remember my spiritual mentor, Rev. Mellon once said and still says, we don't need challenges to grow. I believe that is true and I'm not looking for challenges. But, are challenges bad if all is good? I also believe something else he said, which is whatever is happening in the world of effects, we are equal to; and yet, there is a something within us that is so much more than it.

"When the student is ready, the teacher appears." No matter what it is that is showing up, money issues, ill health, relationship challenges, career stuff...what if we looked at it as the teacher we are more than ready for. As we are taught by it, instead of being threatened by it, we walk right through it to the other side. Leaning into the challenge from the powerful place of knowing who we are dissipates it into the nothingness from which it came. It's kind of like that scene in Star Wars, when Yoda sends Luke into the dark place and he meets his father/himself. He can't conquer fear with fear. Love is the only way.

There really is no challenge, if we just know who we are.