Having the willingness. . .

Nothing changes in our lives unless we have the willingness to make another choice about how we see a situation or a person whom we have encountered.   Perspective it’s called.  And that makes all the difference regarding what kind of day we will experience.  The good news is that we have the ability to change our perspective at will.  That’s where the willingness comes in.  If you aren’t comfortable with a person or in a particular situation, seek to see them differently.  Then wait.  A shift will happen.  Some refer to that shift as a miracle.  I certainly do.

Using this tiny tool, this very small request, (help me to see this/him/her differently)on a regular basis has changed my life significantly.  I used to feel constantly controlled by the people I was drawn to; their opinions, their actions, their moods.  What I didn’t realize was that my “life’s lessons” were present within the experiences with those people.  I “had requested” those lessons.  That I seemed to have no foreknowledge of the request mattered not.  A “contract” had been made.  My “assignment” was to show-up with willingness and trust.  The rest would unfold as designed.

I find it very comforting to believe this is how my life unfolds.  It takes the dread away.  As a child I was afraid all of the time.  I waited with bated breath for the other shoe to drop.  I was always certain that something awful was about to transpire.  And in my family of origin, the “awfulness” was generally in the form of the underlying anger that was sometimes being expressed or just hinted at.  Regardless, the mood created tension and uncertainty in me, my brother and my mom.  My other sisters seemed less hindered by it.

Because I learned in my early years to live in near constant dread, unlearning dread as powerful as mine takes willingness.  And not just a little willingness.  However, the payoff has been remarkable.  I now know that whatever is happening has a “message” for me.  I now know that whomever I meet “has been sent.”  And I now know that my life is unfolding as it must.  There are no accidents.  There are no chance encounters.  There are no superfluous experiences.  And I can finally relish peace on a daily basis because I have chosen to believe these ideas.

If we took only one of them, for instance the idea that THERE ARE NO CHANCE ENCOUNTERS, and let this be one’s mantra for the day, every experience would feel different.  Every moment would be filled with happy anticipation.  Every memory would be faith-filled.  Why not give this one small idea a try.