Finding Hope in Crisis: This too Shall Pass

There was once an ancient Persian King who wanted a reminder that will leave him with a peace of mind both in good and challenging times. He called out all the wise men of his castle but none of them could come up with something that would truly satisfy his concern.

As he was meditating on his request, he was reminded of a wise, mystic man who once had an encounter with him couple of years ago and challenged him about his riches and the temporal nature of everything under his rulership. The king was pretty amazed at the way the mystic challenged the king by asking him a simple, yet a thoughtful question, “ Who had all these riches before you and who would have them all once you are gone?”

The king called the mystic to his presence and told him about his request. While staying silent the whole time, the mystic listened to everything the king had to say and replied, “ Consider it done your majesty” and gone on his way. A week later, the mystic came back with a ring that had a saying, “ This too shall pass” on it and told the king to look at it both at his happy and challenging times. The king wore the ring as long as he reigned and passed it down to the next generation as something of a high value.

Principles of Change:

When we look at the world, the only constant law is change. There is a philosophical idea that says “ Change or die”, pointing out to the fact that we can't live with our past, without adapting to a current circumstances. There are three important principles to be reminded of regarding change:

1- Even though change is a constant pattern in the world, nothing is really new under the sun: The wisest man who ever lived according to the Bible, King Solomon, mentions in the Book of Ecclesiastes, “ What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” In another word, we don't really invent anything but discover them. To give an example, an airplane could have been invented a thousand or two thousand years ago because everything that is needed in creating an airplane was present in that time as well. Invention, therefor, is not creating something new but finding a different pattern of present elements.

2- The only constant law in creation is change: We can never outgrow change or be free from it. Everything in nature teaches us that all things are subjected to change. Knowing this principle, help us to realize the temporarily nature of all things under the sun. In the story, what the sage really meant was, “ Don't depend on your happy moments because it will pass; don't be stuck in your griefs because that will pass too” . Even though this statement might sound unemotional, it has an element of truth to it. Whatever we experience on this planet changes, therefor our hope needs to be in something greater than this world.

3- To welcome change, we need to put our hope in a reliable source: Faith in God not only renew us daily but help us also in the face of changes during our lives on earth. Since God's nature is unchanging, when we have our hope and faith in God, we are able to deal with changes in a different light. We understand that both our happiness and sadness are passing seasons, but the peace and joy in the presence of God are eternal.

When we understand the principles of change, we realize how important and crucial it is for us to become comfortable with the changes and have a secure place beyond this world to put our trust in. "God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow". Sounds like a character that we can always look up to and rely on. Like anything in life, a change can be a curse or a blessing and the quality of our life is dependent on our attitude toward the changes that will come along our path.

Story is re-written & the content is copyrighted by Parsa Peykar