Let It Be, Let It Be, Let It Be, Let It Be

When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me 
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be 
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me 
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be 
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be 
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be 

And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree 
There will be an answer, let it be 
For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see 
There will be an answer, let it be 
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah let it be 
There will be an answer, let it be 
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be 
Yeah let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be 
There will be an answer, let it be 

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be 
There will be an answer, let it be 

And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me 
Shine until tomorrow, let it be 
I wake up to the sound of music, Mother Mary comes to me 
There will be no sorrow, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be 
There will be no sorrow, let it be 
Let it be, let it be, yeah let it be, yeah, let it be 
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

 … John Lennon and Paul McCartney

John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s immortal lyrics to one of the most famous songs ever written remind us of the grace and wisdom to be found in simply letting life be. With each blessed day I give thanks and gratitude for the choices we are brought in every moment of our lives. Because as each choice, each teaching/learning opportunity, presents itself to us we are gifted with the knowing that “we need do nothing”¹ but let life be. But what does it take to let all that happens in our life simply happen?

First, it requires surrender; surrender to what life offers us. Carl Jung, Deepak Chopra, and others, are credited with the saying “what we resist, persists.” And so it is. We so often try and force life; force it to do what “we” want. And yet we forget too often that we (the small “I”) are not in charge of this journey. Deepak Chopra and Rudolph Tanzi offer in their book Super Brain “Whatever you resist persists. There’s the rub. As long as you engage in an inner war between what you crave and what you know is good for you, defeat is all but inevitable. In its natural state, will is the opposite of resistance.”

Second, it requires trust; trust in the divine order of all of life. We must come to know that all that happens to us in life is exactly what is supposed to be happening. And it is supposed to be happening because we asked for it to happen. It is the Buddha who said “All that we are is the result of all that we have thought.” All that we are is a result of our direct experience. And our direct experience is what is happening to us in every moment. And this ‘every moment’ is happening because we have brought it to us, simply by our thoughts.

Lastly, once we surrender and trust, we come to rest in the knowledge that all is for our greater good. I have a dear soul friend who is regularly heard saying “It’s all God, and it’s all good.” In making that affirmation, she is (a) surrendering, (b) trusting, and (c) knowing that all is for our greater good. Everything is brought to us for our learning. It is the famous mystical poet Rumi that says it best in his poem “The Guest House”…

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

Jelaluddin Rumi

translation by Coleman Barks

1.     1.  A Course in Miracles.

 Shanti, Namaste, Agapé,