When we begin to panic, we rush back to what is familiar. When faced with little glitches in the road we can do that and it doesn’t pose a problem.
Even though it might be a struggle, there is comfort in doing what we have always done – what we are familiar with. We lose a job in one company and quickly find another one in a similar one. We have always done it this way – it has worked in the past – it will work again.
But there are times when returning to what was is no longer a good thing. It is time to not only re-evaluate but to let go.
That is never easy to do. We hate being divorced so we quickly find someone else to marry. We hate being alone so we rush out to singles bars or go to online dating, desperately trying to find someone to recreate that sense of intimacy once again. We apply for the same kinds of jobs, doing exactly what we did before. However, in the process, we often end up frustrated, angry and even more frustrated.
Taking the next step in any such situation is never easy. But the first step is recognizing that we can’t go back.
We can’t go back to the normal we had before. We can’t go back to the comfortable life we had before. We can get angry, stomp our feet either physically or metaphorically and yell at God and others. But at some point, when the first attempts result in futility, we are forced to stop and allow this new place to reveal new truths.
It is here where we can look at what has happened to us as a tragedy that will forever leave us handicapped, broken or injured or an event, that while tragic, can become a stepping stone.
Rushing back to what we believed was the only way to live life is missing the wonderful opportunity that change and chaos can bring.
It is here we have the opportunity to get to know ourselves and to know God. It is where we allow ourselves to be open to God, His grace, love and wisdom. It is here we experience new blessings and insights. It is where we receive life instead of orchestrating life. It is where we allow God to reveal His truths, where it’s okay not to have all the answers and we are willing to let go of what we have constructed to find a new beginning.
It challenges our perceptions. It exposes rigid beliefs and enables us to find new answers for what we need today. It is here where we become so much more of who we are. It can be an exciting time of new opportunity.
©2013 Marlene Anderson