lessons shelved

Transition.

Change.

Anticipation.

These words demand to define my life as of late. Some people may associate these words with excitement ,challenge, and adventure. I tend to associate these words with instability and disharmony. A few weeks ago a friend and I were reading through the book "Understanding How Others Misunderstand You". My personality fits well with the "Steadiness" behavior style. "S" people don't like change in fact the book tells me "the basic fears of the "S" are disharmony and instability". A few pages later "the S deals with this stress by sleeping".  How does a book know me so well! This is too funny. So as I face a new semester, a new job, and a new house I am met with the anticipation of both pain and growth (and apparently a lot of sleep too).    

and here is when things get better....

Clearing off my bookshelves I discovered a paper crisply folded yet crammed between the dog-eared pages of an old planner. Forgotten notes scribbled during one of my undergrad counseling classes outlining the process of change we all go through when faced with discomfort and pain. Underneath the outline only a few sentences were written:

To the degree that we have sinned or been sinned against we can not love.

Some pain stays with us for the length of our life but we learn to no longer compensate for it.

Some people suffer and become broken bread and poured out wine.

There will be some events in life that trigger old responses of pain and hurt. There will be some events in life that appear to threaten our sense of stability and peace. It is the hope of redemption that invites us to look with new eyes as our wounds are transformed into broken bread and poured out wine.

and we will choose to live from love and not fear.