A series of keys opened a door. Even as I look back, I cannot see any one thing that made “the” difference. I can see a conversation there, another one here, and a third in between. If I strung them together I can see a series of conversations, some public, others private, and a few not so private, that when combined made the difference. Whatever it was, it is. Today is a new day. I want to tell others “that clinches it – help’s coming, an answer’s on the way, everything’s going to work out.” (Psalm 20.6) I want to, but only time will tell.
Life can turn on one conversation or several. As I look at several case studies, including the most recent one, I do not find the messages before and after to be very different. I do see several threads that repeat themselves.
The messenger makes a difference. If one does not trust, no matter how true the message might be, it is hard to accept. When one thinks there is an agenda, no matter how authentic the message is it is difficult to hear. When one is certain, it is unlikely that one is also open. The individual coming with the message is important.
Trust and authority are not always twins. One can have either or both. Because one has one there is no automatic link to having the second.
Even if the message comes from the right messenger speaking with authority and in trust, there is no guarantee that the message will be heard. Hearing is always a choice. Even if one decides with her/his mind, it takes a willing and open heart to hear.
Life likes to remind me that all three elements need to come together if one is to hear or be heard. It helps when I remember that messages are gifts. One should remember to let go if s/he is giving. One should always be open to hearing, just in case Wisdom is speaking. Life’s gives us keys that come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.
