I could see the answer clearly. Given the invested reflection and consideration, I was certain that the answer was correct. There were viable alternatives, yet this was the best. There was one catch; the choice was not mind to make.
Letting anyone, a corporate institution, community or group, and especially an individual, make a choice that is less than ideal and potentially wrong is difficult. I want them to hear what they cannot or will not hear. I want them to understand what they may not be able to understand. I want them to make the decision that I am willing to make. As much as I want, as intense as my feelings and beliefs are, it is not my decision to make. Making decisions is at the heart of the freedom that exists within each.
As I wrestle with the challenge of letting something that was never within my grasp go, I am reminded that I am not the first. The Psalmist records a comment he attributed to Divinity; “So I let go of the reins and told them, ‘Run! Do it your own way!’” (Psalm 81.12) Everyone who cares about another has been confronted by this challenge at one point or another.
There are many ways to care, even if you believe that another is making a less than ideal choice. Caring for another starts with a relationship and conversation. Keeping both open and ongoing is central to anything that follows.
Life’s opportunities are always found in the present. Once a choice is made, it is part of the past, not the present. Even as I second-guess myself, I realize I am looking in the wrong place. Our opportunities are in the moment we are holding. Our attention, sharpened by yesterday’s lessons, to the options and alternatives we have, determines what follows.
Today represents a fresh start. I get to let go of yesterday and all that it represents and step forward in a way I choose. It is a divine gift that lives within one’s heart. It deserves my full attention and appreciation.
