The Umbrella

 I think of spiritual practices such as prayer, being of service, compassion, quiet times of silence and solitude, as like an umbrella.  The umbrella does not control the rain, but it does keep us dry, keeps the rain from soaking through our clothes and making for a really unpleasant experience.  The spiritual life does not keep outside things from happening.  It is not magic, nor a form of control.  But it does help to keep the misery that might be going on around me from making us equally as miserable.  Just because I am with unhappy people and try to be of some service to their misery, does not mean that I must be equally miserable.  You may feel their pain but there is something within you, some power, that allows you to see the light whereas they see only the darkness.