Maneuvering The Sails
Can you be 40 and still feel lost? A friend once asked me. I said yes. You can be 80 or 90 and have it all, but still, feel lost at times.
Nobody has come across a life manual or rulebook until one stumbles upon the Bible. The Book contains all the wisdom one can ever need to not only survive life but to live it to the full.
Yet having known the truth against the lies, and being able to distinguish good from the bad doesn’t guarantee one’s victory. It’s one’s action that does.
I’ve met people who have struggled since childhood — — born to a poor family or a broken home, a victim of abuse, disease or disability, or a product of consecutive failures. Surprisingly, though, every one of them didn’t turn out the same- some settled, but some persisted and changed the course of their lives. The lesson: We are not a product of our circumstances. Rather, we are a product of our own choices.
Then you reach that stage when life is smooth sailing: you’ve covered all bases, you feel prepared and secured, everything is working well just like you wanted it to, and after some time you forget. A simple truth slipped your memory: that the hundred moments you’re living in is a just a season, and some day soon it will be over too. Life shakes you up like that.
Just when you get too comfortable, a disruption happens and knocks you off with a big blow. A sudden loss, an accident, sickness, a job loss, a change in your circumstances. If we’ve kept these possibilities in mind, we wouldn’t be surprised, but if not, that’s when the challenge starts.
Is challenge good? Yes! Why? Because it’s the pruning process that makes us better and makes us grow. If we don’t grow, we die. We’re not so different from the plants and the trees.
The lesson: Take heart and take the challenge. Allow it to make you, not break you.
Feeling lost haunts everybody at one point in time. For one reason, we tend to overthink. We lose touch with what matters and realize that we’ve been chasing the wrong things all along. Knowing this now compels us to step back, reassess everything, recognize where we are and determine where we want to go. If necessary, eliminate the distractions. Simplify. Focus. Thereafter you’ll be ready to set the sails again and follow through your designed course.
Feeling lost can happen when you’re starting over too. Like, when life takes something or someone away from you and you need to rebuild your world from broken pieces. It’s not easy, but it’s possible. You just need the strength of will to let go and move on. It’s not over until it’s over. So don’t waste your time holding on to what already belongs to the past, rather embrace the now and expect a better future.
Don’t be scared of what lies ahead. Remember the courage and boldness you once had when you were a kid. Use it to propel you into a brighter future- one that’s colored like a rainbow with glittering sunshine, glowing butterflies, chirping birds, blue streams, blooming flowers and breathtaking trees. Keep your hopes up. Life can be as beautiful as you would want it to be. You have the power to shape it.
