Someone in the family has chosen to move on. There is no single event which triggered this decision. It is a decision taken with experience in the rearview mirror becoming increasingly distant with the ideal destination of those in the car. We are here, they want to be there.
I recognize where they want to go. It is, I think for the individuals involved, a choice which reflects where their hearts want to be. Mentally they have left. Physically, the departure has been delayed.
As I pause and reflect, I hear a Whisper – do I understand my choice and what it means to myself and the community in which I live? The blunt question is a clear choice. Am I here or there? Whisper lessons, past and present, include the following.
One cannot be two places at once. There is a natural denial within me, where I strive to be in both places at once. There is no evidence that this way of delaying my choice helped me or anyone else. There are endless examples of the heart being in one place while the actions tell a story of another. The conclusion always ends up with a torn heart, avoidable pain, and ultimately a fork in one’s life where a choice must be made.
Individuals in our community face a decision along with us. Will they go with us or stay where they are? One is creating and perpetuating a myth and delusion if one thinks the answer is both. People have a choice which often ends up with the quote from one of the individuals in our shared community.
“He has made his choice. I wish him well, however, given where we are, he is dead to me.”
This sounds harsh, however, taking emotions out and the statement is accurate. In choosing to be there, we are not here. The psalmist captured the black and white; “God sticks by all who love him, but it’s all over for those who don’t.” (Psalm 145.20).
Freedom and consequences come and go hand in hand.
