"That Place"

How many times have you changed over the course of your life?  I can bet it has been more than a few.  I am in the midst of changing again... evolving.  Life is all about change so we can either change with it or become stagnant and unproductive.  We can either be left behind and live in the past or we can move forward to meet the future and say hello.

As my life changes once again I find myself in "that place".  You know the one I'm talking about.  The one that makes us feel vulnerable and insecure.  It's "that place" in the midst of change where we wonder, "What in the world am I going to do now?"  

I'm not so sure I like "that place".  

I've spoken about having courage.  I'm needing a good dose of it right now.  "That place" seems to suck the courage right out of me and I grapple to try to hold onto it again.  It seems like I keep reaching for it, but it taunts me just outside my grasp.  Oh, I know.  Eventually I will grab it and all will be well again and life will become easier again.  It always does, but I am impatient and want it now!

I shouldn't be so quick to curse "that place" though.  I've come to understand that when I am in "that place" it means I am being humbled.  And humility is a desirable trait and I'm always glad to have it when it comes my way.  It makes me kinder, more compassionate, and more forgiving.  It brings me to my knees before my God more often and more sincerely.  

So why do I always dread coming to "that place" again?  

It goes against that mortal part of us.  That's why.  We want everything to be easy.  We want everything to be roses all the time without any of the thorns.  We want to be lazy.  We want to be rebellious.  So when our conscience steps in and lets us know that we need to make some changes we want to fight back like a teenager in bed who doesn't want to get up and go to school.  We want to stay in our warm cozy beds and not get out of our comfort zone.  But if we stay in our warm cozy little comfort zones all the time we will never grow.  We will never know who or what we can become!  

We all have greatness in us.  How can we not?  We are all children of God so that means we have a part of Him within us.  That alone makes us great, don't you think?  So that means we can become whatever great person we choose to become!  It just takes a little courage and a lot of effort and we will get there.

So as I find myself in "that place" again and I write this little pep talk for myself, I begin to feel it again.  You know... that courage I was talking about.  I can feel it beginning to course through my veins with each word that I write.  I can do this.  I can move forward.  I can be great.  I can be the person I want to be.  And you know what?  If I can do it... so can you.