Could the challenges we face in life have a purpose planned before birth? Author Robert Schwartz explores the idea that souls may choose difficult experiences — including illness, loss, addiction and accidents — to balance karma, heal, serve others and rediscover the nature of unconditional love.
By Robert Schwartz
Could it be that we choose our life’s circumstances, relationships, and events?
So often, when something “bad” happens to us, it appears to be purposeless suffering. But what if our most difficult experiences are actually rich with hidden purpose — purpose that we ourselves planned before we were born?
Could it be that we choose our life’s circumstances, relationships, and events?
In my research for my book Courageous Souls: Do We Plan Our Life Challenges Before Birth?, I found that the answer to this question is a definite yes.
Working with four of the most gifted mediums and channels in the country, including one who is able to hear the conversations people had with their future parents, children, spouses, friends, and other loved ones, I’ve examined the pre-birth plans of dozens of individuals.
These people planned such challenges as physical illness, having handicapped children, deafness, blindness, drug addiction, alcoholism, losing a loved one, and severe accidents.
Why Do We Plan Life Challenges Before Birth?
Why do we plan to experience challenges? I found four primary reasons.
1. Challenges May Help Balance Karma From Past Lives
First, challenges allow us to balance karma from past lives.
For example, someone who was physically ill in a previous incarnation and the one who took care of that person may decide to switch roles.
What makes this life blueprint so difficult is that once in body, neither soul will remember the plan.
2. Life Challenges Can Be Part of a Healing Process
Second, we plan challenges in order to heal.
For example, Penelope, the deaf woman in the chapter on deafness and blindness, planned to be born completely deaf because in a past life she had heard the gunshots that killed her mother.
In this lifetime, she sought to focus on self-healing and wanted to make sure that her healing would not be hindered by a similar trauma.
3. Challenges Can Be a Way to Serve Others
We plan challenges to be of service to others.
Third, we plan challenges to be of service to others.
In the chapter on physical illness, I write about Jon, a homosexual man who planned to have AIDS so that he could teach tolerance to humanity.
Jon is not someone to be judged, but rather someone we may thank for having the raw courage to plan such a bold mission.
4. Challenges May Help Us Recognize Ourselves as Love
Lastly, life challenges allow us to know ourselves as love.
By this I mean not simply that we are loving, although certainly that is true, but that we are quite literally made of the energy of love.
In our nonphysical Home, we experience no contrast to ourselves and therefore cannot fully understand our nature as love.
On Earth, in a realm of duality and stark contrast, we often encounter a lack of love.
As we choose in the face of such experiences to give and receive love freely and unconditionally, we remember who we really are.
*Robert Schwartz is the author of “Courageous Souls: Do We Plan Our Life Challenges Before Birth?”. The book is available on Amazon and it may be ordered through any library (at no charge).
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do we plan our life challenges before birth?
According to the spiritual perspective presented by Robert Schwartz, souls may plan certain life circumstances, relationships and challenges before birth.
2. Why would a soul choose difficult experiences?
The article identifies four possible reasons: balancing karma from past lives, healing, serving others and gaining a deeper understanding of love.
3. What is the connection between karma and life challenges?
The article suggests that some challenges may be connected to karma from past lives, including situations in which souls symbolically switch roles from one incarnation to another.
4. Can suffering have a spiritual purpose?
According to the perspective presented in the article, difficult experiences may have a hidden purpose and can become opportunities for healing, service and spiritual growth.
5. What does it mean to “know ourselves as love”?
Schwartz argues that human beings may understand their nature as love by experiencing contrast and choosing to give and receive love freely and unconditionally.
