I grew up thinking that every problem had an answer in a textbook or with someone that had gray hairs. As I consider the hundreds of books in boxes and shelves along with my gray hairs, I realize that my thinking was flawed. Books document other’s opinions and studies. They do not contain scripted answers to your problems or mine. Gray hairs are a reflection of a mineral deficiency and not a being with answers.
Even as I feel trapped by my problems, I realize that there are options. It may not always feel like it, however we have choices. “We don’t have to rely on the world’s guesses and opinions.” (1 Corinthians 2.12) There is more.
Being open to the possibility that there is more is the starting point. One must be willing to move beyond one’s assumptions and internal boundaries if one wants to see the options. It is rarely a natural reaction. It requires one’s intent and commitment.
Every problem has multiple solutions. If we can only see one or two, it is time to look for more. Binary choices are extremely rare. The quest to see more than the obvious is worth pursing. The process itself allows one to see the present more clearly. Patient pursuit gives us the opportunity to understand the options we have in exercising our freedom.
Help can come from the expected. Disasters are often gateways to a new way of seeing and doing. Pressure situations are invitations to slow down, reflect, and be intentional (more effective). Others in our community are often willing to be part of our solution set. Seeing differently, behaving differently, and relying on others open the door to different solutions.
As I wake knowing the stack of papers on the kitchen table that need my attention, I not I do not have answers. There must be options! If I am going to tackle these, the mantras of being open, looking for multiple solutions, and accepting help will be critical. God’s gift is with us; Divinity can be an active part of our process.
