Happy New Year! For some 2016 has
been declared as the turn-around year.
For others, it will be a year of traveling in the same direction, only deeper,
and perhaps at a faster clip. And, that may or may not be a good thing. Time
will tell.
For me,
I’m hoping for a bit of both actually. You see, for me, 2016 is going to be a
year of great change. And it won’t all be good change. Or will it? Change is
one of the only guarantees in the Universe. We can embrace it, reject it, rail
against it, work in harmony with it, question it or just observe it. Whatever
we choose to do, change is inevitable. In Ecclesiastes 3:4, the Bible talks
about a time for all things under the sun.
I believe this is true and I also believe that not all change is looked upon as
welcomed. For part of this year, I will have that attitude I expect.
We are
each on a private journey to discover who
we are, in the midst of where we are.
Where we are physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. We must learn
to look upon this journey as a necessity rather than a burden, even when the
journey is through a dry and weary land. Being a human being is the most
excruciating journey we will ever encounter. This is a strong statement and I
admit that. But, selah (from Hebrew,
meaning, “pause and think on this”).
If we are a people whose belief and trust
are in something or someone bigger than
us, then we are sure to resonate with that infamous lyric so eloquently
stated by Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, “You can’t always get what you
want, but if you try sometimes you just might find, you get what you need.”
Believers in God will undoubtedly admit that there are times we wonder where
the hell God is in a particular situation. When we can’t see the forest through
the trees. Sometimes we can’t even see the trees. But God has clearer vision.
That’s where our hope lies.
The
journey to the center of our birth is a requirement for all of us, to figure
out where we came from, where we are and more decidedly, where we want to go.
In 2016 many of us will travel through fire to get to our next place. For some,
a smooth sail down a quiet stream will be in store. Others will be led into a
desert and will likely feel the cracked ground beneath their feet and wonder
again, where the hell is God? But,
have no lingering fear. Notice, I said lingering. Fear is inevitable, even with
the good changes that will come our way.
I think it’s fair to say change and fear live
in tandem.
(I know you’ve heard of the fear of
failure. But, have you heard of the fear of success?)
One important
adoption for the coming year of change
will be to acquire some type of calming discipline. For some yoga, others
running or extreme sports will be needed. Yet for others, prayer and meditation.
(Oops! I accidentally typed medication….I
corrected the typo, but realized that for some it may very well include
medication…and if that’s what it takes, that’s okay too, under a doctor’s
supervision of course.) The important thing here is that the journey to the center of your birth will
require from you the hardest part of the journey…a decision.
A few
years ago a great philosopher gave me some life changing advice (okay, it was my
older brother actually). He said, “Everyone else has an opinion, you have a
decision.”
Here I am again this year looking
at some continuing big-life changes. As I recalled that advice, I believe it is
still powerful and still true. My decisions may only make sense to me. Your
decisions may only make sense to you. To others they may look like delusion or risky.
That’s their opinion. I have to decide what it takes for me to be able to
travel my journey (and so do you).
As you
look over your new 2016 calendar, you’re only about seven days or so in. You’ve
got about another 355 days or so of change waiting for you. So what’s it going
to be? Embrace? Reject? Question? Rail? Walk in harmony? Observe? You decide.
Let the naysayers and haters have their opinions. Let the loved ones and supporters
have their opinions. There’s nothing you can do about what they think of your
circumstance or your decision to act (or not).
They have an opinion. YOU HAVE A
DECISION.
I’d
love to tell you to stand tall and face your fears! To roar like a lion! To
fight, fight fight! But, the best advice might just be to shut the hell up and
let time pass. To cry and lick your wounds in private. To pray and just keep
hoping in a brighter day. See, I just have an opinion too. I also have a
decision, and it’s no less scary than yours. Being a writer doesn’t grant me
any special passes, only a vessel to talk about my life on a public platform,
and hope that another beautiful human is somehow inspired.
The
journey to the center of your birth never ends. The journey started before you
left the womb and it will continue until you return to the Dust. If you don’t
have the moxie to be brave today, don’t fret. Bravery is a relative term (the
magazines and media will tell you otherwise though). If you need to retreat
today, please do. If you need to run and rage, do so (just don’t hurt anyone
else in the process). If you need to stand up for yourself, stand. If you need
to sit quietly, sit. There is a time and a season for everything under the sun.
Just remember, it’s your journey to
the center of your birth. We all have
an opinion and we all have a decision. Do what your Spirit calls you to do. Be
well. Be loved. Love.
Be the most
authentic version of you you can be today. Don’t lose hope in a brighter
tomorrow though. Hope is a vital supply needed for the journey. Find your hope,
keep your hope. It’s our birthright.
