I am taking a deep, long breath. Candidly, I am at a loss. I do not know what to say to a friend. He has potential. The future is wide open. It is not had to anticipate the “but” in what follows. It is not just the missed deadlines that are getting to me. Echoing the words of another, “To be perfectly frank, I’m getting exasperated with your infantile thinking. How long before you grow up and use your head—your adult head?” (1 Corinthians 14.20)
He is stuck in a whirlpool of his making. He has accepted the status quo. He is willing to enjoy today’s fruits, even if they are nothing exceptional. Work demands, habits, and friends cry out for attention. While each has its merits, he has forgotten to take care of his soul. If I could remind him of three truths, they would be the following.
Life is fragile and short. Whatever exists today can be lost in an instant. The fact that you are working on something critical should not be taken as assurance that your role will be here tomorrow.
Good intentions are nice but they are never the final answer. Our hearts know that our actions tell the real story. Whatever the answer might be, good, bad, or otherwise, it is told through the decisions of our lives. Especially the quiet choices that others do not see or care about; each is a punch line that we should be attention to! It is important to read and understand our stories. Here what they have to say. Compare them to the intentions of our hearts and act on the findings.
Going through life alone is never successful. We were born with a thirst to be part of a community. With big aspirations one needs a big community – one that dreams with us, supports us, and picks us up when we are down.
Yesterday’s mire does not mean one is stuck today. We have the freedom within us to break free. It is a recurring choice that only we can make.
