Welp, that didn't go well

 

Yesterday, we spent time with the way the younger son’s script was our script.  We named and claimed our addictions and moments we get stuck in the mud.  But, as we heard on Sunday, both sons lost their way ~ even as the older son never left home.  The younger son’s regret is action, the older son’s regret is inaction.  I love the tension in this truth.  Sometimes we do something and think, “Welp, that didn’t go well.”  We make a move and fall flat, splat, on our face.  Because of that, the next time, we, like the older son, stay on the sidelines.  Only there we realize, or regret, that we didn’t risk getting in the game.

 

So, which is it?  Should we take a leap of faith like the younger son, jump at the chance to live in the moment?  Should we be a bit more calculating and careful, stay closer to home like the older son?

 

Like most dualistic ~ either/or choices ~ the response is in the messy middle.  Sometimes we need to leap and other times we need to wait.  Sometimes we need to move forward, other times we need to look both ways before stepping into traffic.  It is not a one-size-fits-all/in all circumstances formula because life is too dynamic to be contained or confined.  Sometimes it can help to pause and ask, “why”?  Why do I want to go there or do that or say something?  Do I want to prove something to myself or others?  Do I want to be seen in a certain way?  Or does my soul cry out that this is the way of life? 

 

To check in daily ~ or even hourly ~ with your soul and your why.  Your “why” in life is your compass.  Your “why” is your north star. 

 

Today, take a moment to name your “why”.  One note, I believe your “why” changes throughout life, shifting sometimes subtly and other times changing directions completely.  On these early days of July to check in with your “why” might help guide you in the coming days and for the rest of this year.  Amen.