Let go.

When we “let it be”, we give our consent to allow things to play out.

This isn’t to say that we ever had the ultimate authority in these matters. We just like to think that we do. To “let it be” is an admission that we need to step back, defer our assumed jurisdiction and grant Him the opportunity to work things out. After all, His plans DO take precedence.

Once we can admit that personal command can be elusive and control is tenuous at best, we can cease and desist, cede our alleged authority, and let His will be done.

Regardless of the high praise we deem for our abilities, the importance we assign to our desires or the confidence we hold in the righteousness of our position, to “let go” assures us that we have correctly ordered our priorities and recognized our proper role. 

At its core, to “let go” is choosing our surrender.

It is an acknowledgement that His loving order of things, “works best for us.”

As we endeavor to make the transition towards this “happy place”, less of our emotional and spiritual energy will be consumed on the superficial, transient and the petty.

We can  conserve our precious personal resources.  Create a reserve. And begin to  reallocate it  in another direction: outward. Once we reach this point, we can afford to “give it up”.

With less personal control and even surrender, things should spiral out of orbit – right? On the contrary; less sovereignty in this respect leads to greater independence, stability and well-being.

Control becomes an extension of our ego, and when left unchecked, has the potential to work against us – and –  the greater good.

An ego run amok will falsely inflate our self-esteem.  It will crowd out humility,  creating within us a bogus sense of self-importance and security. It can become a very demanding companion.  

For  once you let it come to the table, it will remain there, begging to be fed.

Always desperate for attention, ego can enjoin us to perform all sorts of interpersonal gymnastics, cultivate manipulative behaviors and help perfect dishonesty. This is an exhausting and empty exercise.

When we learn to “let it be” and then find the courage to “let go”, we set ourselves on a trajectory towards the emotionally and spiritually fulfilling growth that can only be found when we “give it up”.

Abandoning our preoccupation with control and employing our innate humility to rein in ego, we can gain an essential element of independence.

No longer beholden to the transience of these self-made and self-destructive adversaries, we find our true center. With our overall sense of balance restored, and an enhanced sense of well-being imminent, we are positioned to give up more of our personal resources; our ‘self’.

As we can learn to syncopate our lives – altering its rhythm by putting the accent on thoughts, words and deeds not usually emphasized – we become attuned to an entirely different melody.

No longer distracted by our illusions of command and control or driven solely by ego, we have the opportunity to fulfill our potential and maximize our talents to a level that can only be achieved by openly sharing our abilities.

To “give it up”, is to share who and what we are in total, bringing light to places long kept dark, both within and without. 

Once this path has been illuminated, it can lead us toward a lasting and positive personal transformation. By freeing our “selves” from our self-centered constraints, we gain true independence.  

If only you can follow His gentle tug.

The more we allow ourselves to follow that pull, the more we recognize that it is where we were meant to be all along.

When we “give it up”, we shine the beacon of our better nature everywhere we go. Though we might start as but one point of light, over time, our radiance soon brings out the brilliance in others.

Our gift to them – “giving it up” – can become their gift of “giving it up” to others.

Only when we recognize these personal barriers – the ones that separate us from our gifts and from giving them fully to others – can they be dismantled and removed.

We can transform our lives and those around us when we become less concerned with control, no longer held captive by our ego. Absolved of maintaining such a high level of vigilance over our “selves”, we preserve more energy and retain more freedom to simply “be”.

When we can “give it up”, sharing more of what and who we are with others, our true “self” generates its own gravitational pull.

Just as we feel a gentle pull towards Him, others feel the gentle pull towards us.

The greater the orbit we allow our “selves” to venture into, while maintaining our synchronous orbit about Him, the more we are able to reveal the best that is in us, encouraging others to do the same.

All the good things in life He wants for us that can only come from “giving it up”.

And letting Him be.

A temple.

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. 

But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”  ― C.S. Lewis,

I think for the most part He might be past the ‘getting the drains right and stopping the leaks’ phase of the renovation. 

But then again, maybe not. 

I get the impression that He is not going to be satisfied with only one new wing. And an extra floor. There is still an abundance of work that is going on inside of me.

To be honest,  I am not always able to appreciate why certain things have had to happen, are still happening and have yet to happen. But as time passes, I am letting go. Learning to trust. Accepting that  it is all part of His plan for me. And embracing an attitude of gratitude.   

Perhaps some of you are where I am these days.  

Being rebuilt too.  Feeling that same kind of remodeling sensation. 

Developing an awareness of an intentional, internal renovation.  

For certain, this is an ongoing process that can leave clutter.  Scatter your  focus. Misplace some of your trusted tools and talents.    And unsettle your demeanor. 

For the most part, I am “ok” with all of this.  

Not “ok” like,  “whatever”. Far from that.  

But “ok” as in I am getting used to it. Still.  Learning more than I ever imagined.   Growing into this relationship.  Beginning to  get a glimmer of what I might look like once this phase of the project is completed. And wondering who I will become once He finishes.

But I do have to confess.   

From time to time, and more often than I care to admit, this renovation process totally stresses me out. 

It starts out as a simmering anxiety. Soon, I feel the fear begin to well up inside.  And then, for no apparent reason, it just spews out in all directions. As hurt.  A bruised ego.  Selfish pride.  Diminished self.  

Anger. 

Sometimes the venting is directed at all the innocents around me.  Other times, unmercifully towards myself in destructive thoughts, words and deeds.  

And, finally, I train my aim on Him.  

But as anyone should do when they have a disagreement with their best friend, I speak my piece. 

Not just when I hit my knees.  

But to or from work.  Cutting the grass. Watching the sun come up.   Or during a walk.  Places and times where it can be just He and I. 

Before I even get there, he already sees the simmering anxiety.  Senses my fears.  And weathers the anger.  Taking  the worst I can offer.  No matter what.

He listens.  

Helps.

And always comes back for more.  

Little by little, with great effort, patience and faith, I am trying my best to get past the self-generated drama and self-aggrandizing behaviors that I allow to become a part of this venture. 

And foist upon others. 

While those around me may beg to differ,I never think I have all of the answers. 

But I do think I have earned some wisdom to share throughout His renovation process.  

I better understand what He wants it all to look like.  

And despite the mess, it absolutely feels like home to me.

So since He holds the permit, I will be content to let the master builder do His work.  

Because after all, the body was meant to be a temple.

Thinking your path

“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”

  Henry David Thoreau 

Perhaps you find yourself at a crossroads. And by gaining a sense of this, feeling its tug and gaining an awareness of gravity, do you regroup?  Engage in a course correction?  Some element of self transformation?   

Consider how the mass of  your collective thoughts, words and deeds have led you to this instant. How they came to impact oneself.  Make you  something.  Leading you somewhere.

They all matter.  And even now, in this moment, both they and you are still being shaped.  

Taking all that you have been up to now and making you into what you are to become. The embodiment of all that is the best in you; character, excellence, perseverance and leadership.  

Your intentions can finally and irrevocably become reality.  A convergence of age, ability, experience. The confluence of discipline, desire and dreams.

In something altogether new.  That will stand  alone and the test of time.  That will never happen precisely in this fashion ever again. 

Long ago, you may have entertained the smallest germ of a thought.  A glimmer of a dream. 

At that moment, you decided.  You chose a destination. 

A path was needed.  Direction determined.  A pace to be set.   

So you let go.  Abandoned yourself, while exerting the will to expend yourself in all aspects of your being. Succumbing to a level of  self- discipline that ultimately created this extraordinary circumstance. 

Creating a singular vision, originating from a common perspective. Led by the thoughts we chose to dominate our life.  Following the deep mental path we walked along and through.  

Guiding  us to who, what and where we always imagined.

Miracle

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

Albert Einstein

So several ways to take this one. As how he ultimately and intentionally suggests.  

Miracles are frequent and exceptionally forthcoming.  However, their visibility may be circumspect. 

All of which is contingent on the viewer. 

Do you “see” what has actually been presented?  And given?

Or, do you see what you wish?  And when it doesn’t seem to mesh, all becomes irrelevant?

What it all comes down to is your choice.

Will life be what you think has been granted to you? 

Or, what is  expected of you.  

Two different aspects.

One, I get.

The other,  I get to create.  

…will save it.

“Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus lays down the conditions of discipleship.”

Whoa. 

That was a gut punch. 

Again, far be it from me to preach to any or all of you. I am in the process of working my way back through the mess I made of things.  But this stands out in numerous ways, all amenable to a Linkedin life.  But I digress…

Essentially, deny yourself. Make it about those all around you.  From the bottom to the top.  They are to be your priority going forward, at all times and all the time.

A  tough row to hoe if you are on social media.  Caught up in the rigamarole of office politics.  Seniority.  Parking spots. And the like. 

Essentially, plain and simple, set yourself aside.  Make it about the other.  Not you.   Make it about the other. 

Then, go one or many more steps forward and “lose your life” for those all around you.   Make it totally about them.  What they need.  Focus on their growth.  What they can achieve.  How they can be promoted.  Ultimately, their success.  

Cause when this happens, you have built a team that will carry on what you have taught, embraced and loved as only you could. 

Speaking as a coach, I am not on the field.  They are.  So they need to be placed in a position where they can  make every moment count.  

For them.  

Not me. 

It will take some discernment, acceptance and faith, but trust that what becomes of denying yourself will make you what and who you were meant to be.  

A disciple so to speak. 

One who puts themselves there for the other.  Because ultimately, it will come to round you out and bring you where you have always wanted to be. 

There for them.  

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it.”