“People turn to God when their foundations are shaking, only to discover that it is God that is shaking them.”
Sitting near the shoreline a flock of pigeons landed close by me. As they hunted for food, I watched them peck and scratch, hoping for some crumbs, beady eyes glared towards me. A passer by stirred up feathers, the birds scurried to the side away from his path. One bird caught my attention; he seemed to hop like a bunny. On close observation I noticed he only had one leg. I watched as he hopped and partially flew as he compensated for his missing leg, pecking his meal. Suddenly they scattered, rising into the air on their way to the next destination.
I thought to myself they could be many ways the pigeon lost that leg. Just like many people we are all living with wounds. Some you can see others you cannot. But like the bird we have wings internally that can always bring us the flight of freedom. These wings are our spirit, independent of our body. Your spirit is free to fly the skies if you choose. This time of year we are all scratching on the island. With the economic situation it can feel disparaging, but no matter what is going on in the physical world we have a choice on how we relate spiritually.
There is a story called “Touching The Void”; it tells the tale of a mountaineer who set off with his friend to scale a mountain in the Peruvian Andes. A terrible accident forced his friend to abandon him; his friend believed he was dead. The mountaineer had to take an agonizing journey alone, with a broken leg, across hostile terrain, fighting for his survival.
The mountaineers’ worst moments came when he began to doubt for the first time that he can make the distance, faced with a seemingly impassible rock face and his own increasingly weakened physical, mental and emotional state. He survived by setting small targets to reach ahead of him every 20 minutes. By competing with his clock and through sheer determination he was able to access inner strength despite his pain and fear. He said: quite clearly like a separate part of me. A voice said, “Do this, do that, and you are going to get there.” The mountaineer survived and goes on to scale others mountains.
I believe deep within each one of us is the void of spirit. This is God’s domain where we can access infinite power to accomplish the impossible. Nothing is impossible with faith and divine grace.
Are you allowing your wounds to ground your spirit? Can you tap into the deeper part of you to survive? Below are ways to access the divine spirit in you:
- Know what has value. When time get rough it’s important to know what is important to you. Compromise is always a factor. For a bird, wings are more important than legs.
- Have a clear goal and preferred options. Sit down and plan your moves now. Look at all your options and starts to take small steps towards them.
- Find your passion. You need to want it. Whatever it is, you need to have a burning desire like the mountaineer, and you must want to go the distance to access inner strength.
- Chart your results. Willpower is a powerful start for your engine, but seeing your results allows you to celebrate the journey and provide proof of your efforts. Take time to acknowledge your progress to your destination on the way. It helps to keep the “doubt” from blocking your path.
Excerpt from “Secrets To Life Book” by Chris Emmanuel
Book available at Chris Emmanuel Art Gallery (Sunbreeze Hotel) and Pages Book Store
– by Chris Emmanuel, Columnist
