| subject: | Life's Crossroads: Love-vs-Fear |
| post date: | 2007-03-24 05:55:46 |
| views: 63 comments: 2 ratings: 0 |
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Each day, each hour, every instant, I am choosing what I want to look upon, the sounds I want to hear, the witnesses to what I want to be the truth for me. –A Course in Miracles
All of us, at one point or another, reach a crossroad in our life. For some, the fork-in-the-road may be healing an addiction. For others, the crossroad may be creating an authentic relationship with self and others. But whatever thoughts no longer satisfies the heart and soul, the individual is compelled to choose, to take a risk and begin traveling down a higher path.
In my own life, I have reached a crossroad many, many times. Each new crossroad has offered me an opportunity, a new way of living life. Risk and excitement, coupled with fear and uncertainty has sometimes caused me to say "no" to certain opportunities and "yes" to others, depending on my emotional and spiritual state of mind. All of these events were preceded by a choice, a fork in the road—I could either keep doing what I was doing (and get the same results), or, I could choose a different road to walk down.
However, the most important crossroad I have reached—over and over again—is one familiar to all of us: love-versus-fear. This one appears day-by-day, hour-by-hour, moment-by-moment. Every day we are presented with a choice, a crossroad that has the power to change us forever, to recreate our lives. There comes a time when we make a non-negotiable choice between fear and love. When self-doubt and uncertainty shouts loudly to us, we can ask, "If I had no fear, what would I do?" Or, "If only love is real, what would I choose in this situation? Which road will I walk down?" As we choose love, we relax and open, our edges are softened and our breathing becomes deeper. So relax right now and take a moment to reflect on your life. Choosing love means making choices that expand your well being, heightens your aliveness and empowers you to stretch beyond your comfort zones. It entails reaching out to those you love instead of withdrawing. It requires saying "no" to something because there is a higher "yes" within you. One of my favorite quotes is from Mark Twain in which he stated, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Are you standing before the crossroads of love-vs-fear? Have you been repeating the same pattern only to see that it’s no longer working? Has the time come for you to walk down a different road? Doing so means change and for most of us, change can be frightening. Our fear of change is the reason why we keep walking down the same path even though we keep falling into the same old pot holes. It’s not so much that things outside of us will change, but rather, that we must change in order to embrace the new.
If you believe you’re at a crossroads but are experiencing some doubt and hesitation…just jump! Imagine yourself already on the other side of your dilemma. Look back with appreciation for the courage you summoned to take a different path, that courage, or faith, is always available because it’s a part of you. Trust in God for in Him all things are possible…love can be eternal!
Perfect love cast out all fear! The greatest fear is to never let go of past pains only to wake up one day alone and discover that we have allowed the past to rob us of the joy God had planned for our future. Let each tomorrow be one shared with that one God planned long ago. For He knew the pains we would bear, but He also knew the joy we two would share as we walk in oneness of life and purpose. Ok it is settled, I choose love! What will you choose? |
(Stepped away)
