There is a silver thread of unity amongst all faiths and cultures that is the foundation of our beliefs and the key to our wellbeing.

Virtues are universally recognised as the qualities of soul and character that create our destiny. Our faith, hope, love and purposefulness are the guides and the fruits of our spirit. (Galatians 5:22 -23).

I recently received a wonderful gift from my granddaughter in Australia – a large print Bible that I can actually read! I decided to begin at the beginning and reread the Word while applying an Ignatian practice I learned from Jesuit priests and nuns with whom I had the privilege of learning and sharing. They have an exercise in which one puts oneself in the stories of scripture and personally reflects on its meaning in their lives. For example, reading the story of Lot and his wife, when God instructed them not to look back at the city of Sodom and Gomorrah, which was about to be destroyed. Lot’s wife did look back and was turned into a pillar of salt. What that said to me is, “Don’t look back at things you regret or guilt that steals your hope. Look forward, to the path God is showing you now and keep taking step after step.”

The virtues of obedience to the Divine will as well as optimism and trust in the future the Creator has planned for us is a powerful antidote to depression and regret. It doesn’t serve us to dwell on the unhappy things of the past. Guilt should only be used as a signal for change and learning, not a lifestyle! Whenever we make a mistake, the soulful approach is to admit it, fix it, make amends to a person we may have hurt, and move on. Learning from our errors is a major part of our soul work in this world. The Baha’i Writings say, “Life is not an art gallery, but a workshop.” And “I have ordained every atom in existence for thy training.”

Above all, we are here to learn and grow. So if you find guilt holding you back, choose a new way to live, one that is based on your super powers. We can rely on God’s forgiveness but often find it impossible to forgive ourselves, even for small mistakes.

I had a teachable moment today, as I often do, when listening to one of my mental health and wellbeing clients here on Aitutaki. My husband Dan and I are mentoring a young woman with mental health challenges and multiple disabilities to publish her first book. It will also contain art and photography in which she is very skilled. While most of the passages in her book of poetry are excellent, one needed quite a bit of editing. I acknowledged her for her openness and flexibility to accept constructive criticism, and she said, “I can be very humble when I need to be.” We both laughed at her “bragging” about her humility, and I said, “Well I’m one of the most humble people I know,” and we laughed louder.  

Scripture is deeply motivating when we take it personally and use it to cultivate our virtues, which are the way we reflect the image and likeness of God.