Tangled Nets and Hard Choices

Tangled nets and hard choices; that’s a mouth full, right? These topics came up more than once this week. Not surprising since this  was my birthday week. The more we age, the more we ask the question – what is my purpose?

According to my mother, I was born at 9:53 p.m. at Marion County General Hospital on January 17, 1966. I know this because she told each of us our “birth story” every year. My middle sister was born on January 16 ten years prior. We enjoyed a chuckle this week when we both called with our reminders. To say we miss our mother is an understatement, not to mention her birthday cakes!

Wednesday I attended an online meeting of fellow writers. The topic of discussion was websites.  It was a small group which allowed everyone an opportunity to share their thoughts and woes. During the discussion, someone asked each attendee what their ministry was.  It gave me a moment of pause.  What is my ministry? Is writing my ministry? Art? Music? 

It’s natural to question our purpose.  Am I on the right path? What if I do not think I am?  What if I do not know what my purpose is? How do I find it?

The same applies to making decisions, especially hard ones.  Many people are currently faced with tough challenges that require a difficult action.  Spend some time watching the news, or talking to friends on social media.  Life. Is. Hard. 

I know very few people that had the discernment early in life of what their path was going to be. For the lucky few that figure that out early – hats off to you!  As for the rest of us, I say keep asking.  Keep exploring; keep praying; keep doing whatever it is that you need to do to find the answers for yourself. For those of you who feel the time has passed – only if you want it to be.  It is never too late to do something different.  In kind, it’s okay if you do not want to attempt something different, but never say it is too late. 

Sometimes it comes down to the base realization that we do not like the answer or direction we are being shown.  It’s completely our choice if the choice we make is to ignore it.  I fear many people have the answer they seek, but choose to ignore it because it is too hard or not the answer they want.

Another installment of Secret Sins will post this Friday. It has been a darker story and I realize that. I am working on a new installment of the Eustace/Howard clan that will be up next.  But it is a good  reminder that we must understand the dark to appreciate the light. I hope you will stick with me until the conclusion.  

Life is not all sunshine and roses. I suppose I could always write stories with happy endings.  Everyone loves a happy ending, but life doesn’t work that way 100% of the time. What it does give us is hope.  We will always have hard decisions and challenges, but there is always going to be hope.

By the end of the meeting on Wednesday, I told those present that I am an Ambassador of Hope.  I have always been a person of hope. In previous years, I did that through a corporate job. Now I ‘minister’ through writing, art and other creative avenues.  

Trust me, friends. The answer you seek is there.  You have a purpose.  Listen to your gut.  Sit in silence and let Spirit speak to you. Where is your heart drawn?  Also, remember that hope walks with us hand-in-hand for every tough decision we must make.  

Have you ever seen a spider weaving it’s web? The attention to detail and time involved is amazing. We can all learn a life lesson from the spider. The minute it’s web becomes damaged, it begins spinning all over again. Life is going to present us with tangled nets and sticky webs that need constant repair.  Close your eyes and watch the thread of hope spin you a path.