After the mind is convinced of something, it knows it as truth. For example, I know that my bus will arrive at 23 minutes past the hour every day. I have been convinced of that after riding the same bus day after day. Yet, even though I know that this is true, each morning before I leave I track the bus on my phone to see how many minutes there are until it arrives. It is as if I don’t really trust that the bus will show up, or trust my knowledge of the bus schedule. This is because I don’t really feel like the bus will always be there. Even though I know this truth, I don’t completely feel it, and end up checking to make sure the bus will arrive when I think it will.

This silly situation operates on a larger scale with universal and spiritual truths that I “know.” My mind is convinced that the universe teaches us the lessons that are most helpful to the evolution of our consciousness at any given moment. My mind has seen evidence of this principle through other people, and through personal experiences. I can see these lessons so clearly in hindsight. When I was around age 15 the boy I had been dating all year broke up with me, and I was completely beside myself. Now I can see how the thrust into introspection, self-doubt, reflection, and independence, played a necessary role in waking me up to my true nature. Through the unhappiness I experienced I was forced to look within to understand the root causes of pain, and developed a veracious need for peace undetermined by circumstance. I could go on and on looking at the circumstances of my life and seeing how they were teaching me lessons essential for my spiritual growth. And yet, even though I know the universe operates as teacher, I still don’t trust each moment I am in.

Although my mind is convinced of this spiritual principle, I don’t always ask why I am experiencing difficult moments. A lot of the time I end up frustrated or upset by situations that don’t work out in my favor, whether it is a tedious task I have to endure, an illness I have, or an unfriendly person I have to deal with. When such situations arise I don’t always feel like I’m learning a lesson. I don’t always feel like the moment I am experiencing is helpful to my spiritual growth. I don’t always feel like the universe is teaching me. Sometimes I feel like the situation just sucks.

The difference between knowing something to be true, and feeling like something is true is that feeling like something is true allows you to actually experience what your mind knows. When you feel like something is true, then that principle can genuinely operate in your life. When you feel like something is true, it becomes a reality for you.

When learning about different spiritual principles, knowledge is only one small step. After reading many books and engaging in countless discussions, there are a host of things about myself and the universe that my mind is convinced of. But until I feel like those things are true, they will not be real for me. Sometimes feeling like something is true arises because you’ve experienced that reality. For example, I feel like I am not my mind because I am constantly experiencing my true being which is beyond the mind. But if you know something is true and want to get to feeling like it is true, this requires surrender. If you know the truth but can’t feel it, there is a small part of the voice in the head that is doubtful and unconvinced. Through surrender you can say to yourself, “It is okay that I am experiencing this doubt, but I have decided to allow myself to let go of listening to all of those thoughts, and experience what I know to be true.” After surrendering to the truth that you know and want to feel, look around for evidence. Look about, come fully into the now, and watch for evidence of that which you know to be true. The truth will be presented to you, and that experience will be one step closer to feeling that truth. It will be one step closer to living it. Although, as in my case, the evidence does not always evoke the feeling, surrender and trust allow the truth to become real once again.