She was standing at the doorway of the next chapter of her life. She paused and wondered how many other people in the world were about to do the same thing. Millions, she guessed to herself. Millions of people were at a threshold where there lives were about to change dramatically.
Some are aware of this coming evolution and welcome it with open arms, a skip in their step and a smile on their face. They are making a change that they have been wanting to make…a new experience…a chance…a challenge. Oh, that new doorway offers so many different possibilities and they can’t wait to take those first steps in! A whole new course awaits them as they dream about the exciting new season of their life. Another birthday. A long-awaited vacation. An adventure. A new business. A new diet and exercise plan. A new love.
Others cross the boundary carefully and with much consideration. The, “What the heck am I doing? I am scared and nervous.” kind of walk. A tiptoe like something out of a cartoon, hands in front of their eyes with a slight “peek” through the fingers and holding their breath kind of crossing. With great trepidation, they anticipate what is about to come once they enter that new phase of their life. It is all new them. Becoming a mom or a dad. Entering womanhood or manhood. Aging. Soon, the tiptoe becomes a confident stride. They got this! Cause that’s what happens.
Still, others are about to be pushed into their next beginning with the force of a NFL linebacker coming at them at full speed. They weren’t expecting it either. This was not a threshold that they wanted to cross. It wasn’t their choice, but they really didn’t have one to begin with this time. The door behind them slammed and barricaded itself tightly so there was no doubt their life was about to take a dramatic turn. There is no going back to the life they literally had just 3 seconds before. A diagnosis of an illness. Loss of a job. Loss of a loved one. Something major. A cusp that has been irreversibly crossed.
Regardless of where and who you are, there are a few things in life that we all will experience – life, death and change are some of them. She realized that the doorway that she was just about to gain admittance to was just one of many that will come before her in her life. Life is full of seasons. Some she would enter with a smile, some with apprehension and others she would get forced into.
So that is why I should be graceful to others…she nodded to herself. I don’t know what someone else is going through. I don’t know where they have been.
Lives change. I must embrace and accept where I am right now. I need to feel those emotions, moods, and sentiments. I will receive them wholeheartedly. Have deep affection for the “time” I am in.
What am I supposed to learn?
What am I supposed to experience and how will I come out better from it all? She realized that THOSE were the questions that she needed to ask herself. So she did.
She realized that we have to learn from these stages, these junctures, these spells…they prepare her for the next room we she is about to enter. The next threshold she is about to cross. She understood that no matter how much she wants it to, nothing ever stays the same.
The realization hit her that the doorway that she was standing in was exactly where she needed to be at this moment of her life, even if she did’t understand why just yet. She had to trust. She had to open her eyes to the possibilities that God had set before her. She prayed that she would recognize the million miracles in her life and in the lives of others.
So, next time, when I see someone standing at their own crossway to a new chapter, I will offer them encouragement and let them know that God is with them, in their hearts. I will pray for them to have courage, peace and acceptance to enter the next part of their story.
That is also my prayer for you.
Thank you so much for reading today. I hope that I made you smile and think a little bit. Be sure to check out my Podcast on iTunes, Soundcloud and Stitcher —- Jen’s 10 G’s