RENAISSANCE JUNE 2020

37 Monthly Renaissance June 2020 Reflections Life Challenges as Tools for Spiritual Purification Dr Farhad Shafti Every person experiences occasions during his or her life time where he or she is suffering, struggling, worrying or mourning or is under pressure in some other way due to circumstances. In most cases, the pressure starts at a point, reaches its peak and then gradually starts to get lighter and then perishes. If we consider the start of this process to be point A and the end of it to be point B, what is really happening is that the person is carrying this pressure along from point A to point B. What we are trying to explain here can be best described and illustrated with a typical example of such a journey from point A to B: Zayd is diagnosed with a disorder of his blood system on Monday (this is point A). He has given a blood test and is now waiting for the results that are expected in about a month’s time (that will be point B). No matter what Zayd does and how he takes this, he needs to take a journey from point A to point B. Now, Zayd can do this in two ways: 1. Zayd has started the journey from A to B. He is extremely worried. Every day, and in fact, every hour he imagines being diagnosed with the most terrible disease that could ruin his life and all his ambitions. He sometimes tries to forget it and think positively but many times, he just loses it. He sometimes thinks optimistically and sometimes pessimistically but in both cases, the basis of his thoughts and the evidence and assumptions he bases them on are not that reliable. 2. Zayd is smiling. He is happy and honoured to be given an opportunity to challenge his soul and use the occasion to become a stronger believer. He puts all his trust in God, not meaning that he is sure that God will cause all the tests to return negative