ONLY SHADES OF GRAY

“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” —C.S. Lewis

When I read these words, my first thought was, “What is an ordinary person?” Curiosity got the better of me, and down the rabbit hole I went. One definition described an ordinary person as someone with no special distinction, status, or rarity—average, usual, typical, existing within the normal course of events. That definition did not sit well with my soul.

What exactly is ordinary? Is it someone who follows the crowd because that is what is expected? Is it someone who stays safely within the lines others have drawn? And if we dare to color outside those lines, does that suddenly make us extraordinary? As someone who has never been fond of labels, I struggled with the concept. Throughout my life, I have rarely fit neatly into anyone else's box. Perhaps it is because of the hardships I have faced. Perhaps it is simply the stubborn streak God built into me. Whatever the reason, I have never been willing to see life as merely black and white.

Life has taught me that truth often lives in the spaces between certainty and doubt. The lyrics of one of my favorite songs by The Monkees capture this beautifully: "It was easy then to tell right from wrong, Easy then to tell weak from strong, When a man should stand and fight or just go along. But today there is no day or night, Today there is no dark or light, Today there is no black or white, Only shades of gray."

As children, the world appears simple. We think we know what is right and wrong, good and bad, success and failure. But then life happens. We experience heartbreak, disappointment, illness, loss, betrayal, and uncertainty. The hardships arrive, often uninvited, and suddenly the neat little categories we once relied upon begin to dissolve.

When my kidneys failed at the age of twenty, life was no longer simple. Questions arose that had no easy answers. Why was this happening? Had God abandoned me? What purpose could possibly be found in suffering? The hardship did not give me immediate answers. Instead, it gave me something much more valuable—it gave me depth. The challenges we face have a way of stretching our souls beyond the comfortable boundaries of ordinary thinking. They invite us to develop compassion for others because we know what pain feels like. They teach resilience because we discover we can survive things we once believed would destroy us. They help us recognize that every person is carrying a story we may know nothing about. Hardship strips away illusion. It reminds us that we are all human, all learning, all growing.

Perhaps C.S. Lewis wasn't saying that some people are ordinary while others are extraordinary. Perhaps he was reminding us that every soul begins its journey appearing ordinary on the surface. Then life presents challenges, and those challenges reveal the extraordinary strength, courage, wisdom, and love that were hidden within all along. Gold is refined in fire. Diamonds are formed under pressure. Butterflies struggle to emerge from their cocoons. And souls grow through experience. The extraordinary destiny is not necessarily becoming famous, wealthy, or admired by the world. The extraordinary destiny may simply be becoming who God created us to be. It may be learning to forgive when resentment seems easier. It may be choosing love over fear. It may be standing in faith when everything around us suggests giving up. It may be discovering that our greatest wounds become the places through which compassion flows most freely.

When I look back over my own life, I can see that the hardships I once resisted became some of my greatest teachers. They taught me to listen more deeply, trust more fully, and love more openly. They led me to the angels, to spiritual understanding, and to a life I never could have imagined while standing in the middle of the storm. Perhaps there are no ordinary people. Perhaps there are only souls in various stages of remembering how extraordinary they truly are. The hardships are not proof that God has forgotten us. They may be evidence that He is preparing us.

Dear Angels, how can we trust that our hardships are serving a higher purpose when we cannot yet see the outcome?

Dear Ones, the acorn does not understand the oak tree it is becoming. The caterpillar does not understand the butterfly waiting within. In the same way, you cannot always see the purpose while you are living the experience.

Trust is born when you stop demanding immediate answers and begin allowing the journey to unfold. Every challenge contains a gift, every setback carries a lesson, and every hardship is shaping qualities within you that will one day bless both your life and the lives of others.

You are not being punished. You are being prepared. Hold faith in your heart and keep moving forward one step at a time. The path will reveal itself exactly when it needs to.

Angels Whisper: The challenges before you are not obstacles to your destiny—they are part of the path leading you toward it. Trust the process. The soul you are becoming is far greater than the struggle you are facing today.

Today, I promise to keep seeing shades of gray and stand in my Divine authenticity.

Teri Angel is a Joy Guide, Happiness Coach, energy healer, best-selling author, spiritual teacher, mentor, and inspirational speaker devoted to awakening peace within the human heart. As an International Peace Ambassador and founder of the nonprofit Angelspeakers Inc., Teri creates transformative workshops, sacred gatherings, and global initiatives that honor environmental stewardship, animal advocacy, peace consciousness, and the integration of ancient wisdom teachings into modern life.

Through her worldwide movement, Peas For Peace, Teri invites humanity to remember our divine interconnectedness—strengthening awareness of our oneness and inspiring unity through compassion, love, joy, and intentional action. During the Peace On Earth Tour, she was honored with the sacred name “She Who Blesses the Sacred Land,” a title she carries with humility and heartfelt grace as she continues blessing lands and waters around the world.

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