On the Minister's Mind
with Rev. Laine Morgan
Do you want something new in your life? The spiritual Law of Sacrifice explains the truth that we must surrender things to have that something new. Perhaps you have learned this law for yourself.
The most recent example of this law at work in my own experience had to do with my move. I wanted to be in a different city, in a new home. But, if I was going to have that, I had to surrender the beauty and order of my current life. I had to release my sense of comfort and familiarity - knowing where every street led, knowing where my belongings resided in our space, and knowing the neighbors. In other words, I had to let my life melt down into formless goo and swim amongst boxes and exist in several long days of the unknown whereabouts of many things I needed.
Andre Gide, the Nobel Prize-winning author of many books, wrote about this. He wrote – “One doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.”
It is uncomfortable when we lose sight of the shore, or the familiarity of life as we know it. So, what is the wisdom in doing it? We do it because we have the inner urge to grow and learn.
My mother is leaving this weekend on a very long trip to see many countries and cities and natural sites she has never seen. When I was talking to her yesterday, she commented about how unbelievable it is that she is actually taking this adventure, leaving her very familiar home and routine for months to explore the world. We talked about how much she will learn and expand with this experience as she truly does “lose sight of the shore for a very long time” as she discovers so many new lands. What a blessing! I am so proud of her for accepting that inner invitation to just GO!
While most of us will never take that kind of a trip, we all have the opportunity every day to discover new things. Our souls crave fresh experiences, but it is our human selves, that crave stability and predictability, that often drive our lives around in familiarity and routine.
Step into the discomfort as often as you can, to stretch yourself to discover new lands within your own heart and mind, within your own life. Those new lands are there, awaiting your decision to explore!