A while back, I was struggling with a large and complex problem related to how people were treating each other. I was feeling pretty hopeless about it, and could not see a path forward. Every possible scenario I explored seemed impossible. I was stumped.
Our youngest son was home for a visit and he asked me, “What’s up, Dad? You seem troubled.”
And the reality was that I was troubled. So, I explained to him the problem and that I did not know how to move forward. He listened well, and then shared, “The chapter in that book has not yet been written, Dad. You have to wait, and be patient. It will unfold in time, and then you will know how to move forward. You are part of a much larger story. Just be patient and have some faith. It will change. It always changes over time.”
I sat there with tears in my eyes, because he was right. I did need to have faith in the people involved, and faith in the process. I also needed to have faith in myself.
And then, as time passed, the complex and confusing problem began to change. People made different choices and better choices. Thoughtfulness, rather than reactivity, started to surface. Kindness and compassion again became part of the journey. I just needed to be faithful and to recognize that the chapter in that book called life had not been written yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment