Henri Nouwen writes that "patience asks us to live the moment to the fullest, to be completely present to the moment, to taste the here and now, to be where we are".
That is not always easy for us to do because sometimes the here and now is a very painful place to be. The last thing we want to do is to live it fully.
We want to move on from here - quickly! To be any place else but here. And if we can't do that, then we want to dull our senses - distract ourselves from the pain that feels too big to bear.
"We behave as if the real thing will happen tomorrow, later and somewhere else......Trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand."
I discovered the truth of this statement when I started being present to myself in the moment - even though I wanted the moment to be very different from what it was. I just opened myself up to it anyway - accepted my life situation as it was this very moment - instead of needing it to be different. I accepted myself as I was this very moment - not needing me to be different. And THEN, the moment I did that, my life changed. I changed.
All I had to do was stop trying to run into the future - stop running from who my past carved me out to be - and LIVE being the treasure I didn't even know I was - in spite of all my wounds. Wounds that made me feel different in a "not okay" way - not realizing that it is these very wounds that make each of us special in our own way.
Our own unique gift that each of us bring into the world to share with others is waiting to be born through these "birthing pains" that we are so busy trying to run away from.
Be Still. A great Self is about to be born. Soon. And all you need to do is be present to the metamorphosis that is completely beyond your control. Your resistance will only slow it down.
The pain is only temporary - a natural part of the birthing process.
And as with any birth, once you are holding this new Self in your arms, you will be so delighted that you will forget every painful moment it took to get you here.
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3 comments:
Without pain...we would never fully understand, feel or appreciate Joy! Something I have also learned through sorrow.
Touching and telling post, PWW.
I have done this.....and now it seems, have to take the newborn back in for a checkup.....
It never ends....but you can almost always get through.
Wollf
So true, DW, so true!
I hear you, Howlsatmoon.
We need a lot of patience and TLC from ourselves in this newborn stage; but it does pay off in the long run.
It has taken me almost seven years to be born into a new phase of my development.
Like with any newborn, you notice yourself doing all the giving with very little return on your investment; but pretty soon those newborns learn how to smile and it's all uphill from there.
Prayers, best wishes and hugs your way.
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