I love and cherish the words of the LDS Hymn, Lead Thou, Me On. See, I was talking with two friends the other day about our lives, how so much of it is in the air for us, and feeling a general lack of light on our paths, but I realized something that night at a fireside. The path is already at my feet. I'm already on it. Yes, it may seem dark to me, but there is a path, and like the idea :Don't ask God to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet."
So, I wanted to write a little post encouraging you to remember to keep walking.
A personal example if you will:
My transition from being a student to where I am now, had a period where I felt I was on a very rickety rope bridge, right on the edge of falling into a never-ending pit... yes, I was in a melodramatic stage...sorry about that. Anyway, I think I have gotten over the first set of scary bridges and wanted to report a little on what I have learned.
I started a new job, and have actually really loved it. I fit here. The people are amazing, I get to learn and grow, emotionally, spiritually, and of course mentally, I truly make a difference at their company, and I get to laugh along the way. They even feed me about once a week, plus a chocolate drawer in the kitchen and I'm in charge of keeping the front desk treats stocked{and as an added bonus, today they took me to PF Changs, delicious!}Anyway, I am getting side tracked here. The second day I worked there, I came home to a beautiful sunset, I put my hair up in a pony tail a little higher than normal {reminiscent of first grade, a fun story for another time}, actually thought of something outgoing, fun, and clever to say to someone I didn't know, which made us both smile, and had a marvelous evening at institute. I truly was happy and at peace, and knew that where I am in life is wonderful and where I need to be. A refreshing change. I'd been comparing my mood to the weather, and I'd say the past month or two, I've been in a cloudy mood, not like 'my life is terrible' 'I hate life' etc., just cloudy and overcast. The sun has finally broken through, and though my long term future is still unknown, I am happy.
Past/comfort zone->
<- rest of life
<- rest of life
scary bridge: transition
Imagine yourself in this picture, for my attempt at a meaningful metaphor. You are standing on the bridge. Maybe there is a lot of fog too. Behind you, the land and soon to be the bridge, is on fire. Naturally, the bridge's supports are falling apart. And a madman is chasing you. You have to keep walking. In fact. Run. Get outta there.
All these things, the madman, the fire, the state of the bridge, is time. Time doesn't allow you to go back. Stop dwelling on it. It's not changing; you are.
Don't stress about the future. That part of time is the fog. You can't clearly see how everything is going to go. But, the path is there at your feet. It may not seem terribly promising at the moment, but it will get you where you need to go, if you will keep going.
Life however, does not seem so compelling to keep moving forward. Basically, it is like you are on a treadmill, and life just keeps going whether you walk or not. Well, that's probably not the best metaphor either. Go outside, go for a walk, go forward in your life. Don't dwell too much on the past or the future that you cannot find joy in the journey. Confront each day with hope, have faith, be humble enough to recognize your mistakes, where you can do better, etc. Keep moving forward. It's been my theme lately, I like it, and so I write about it often. Here is the first post in the theme if you've forgotten since then.
There is a quote from a blog called Single Dad Laughing, which entertains me sometimes, instructs me at others, and is generally a fun one to follow {I don't agree with all of his philosophies, but hey, you probably don't agree with all of mine...}, and it reads
"If you find yourself in hell right now, ask yourself honestly: "Are you walking to the end, or are you turning around always trying to find a safer, less damaging route? If you are one of the ones walking, keep going. If you are among the latter, do something truly terrifying for yourself. Choose one road, any road, and start running. Run full speed and do not stop. Do not look back. Do not worry that you have made a wrong choice. The future will seem uncertain. It will seem unsafe. But you have to keep running. You must run until turning back is impossible. Only then will you see the beauty that sits on the horizon."
The path is already at our feet. All we have to do is find a way, any way, and keep moving forward. Things will work out, they always have, and they always will. Remember, if God can take care of the small things in life, the daily joys, don't forget or be surprised when He takes care of the big things too.
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