Reinvent Yourself

"The biggest intellectual breakthrough in the life of the great poet William Butler Yeats came when he realized that happiness and growth are one and the same.  They could not be separated.  You can notice this for yourself: you are happy when you are growing.  And no growth you have ever made has been effortless.

Watch the nature film of the butterfly struggling to push through the cocoon.  You will see the effort.  You will be moved.  You will see the animating force within living beings.  It’s the force of personal reinvention.  Watch the movie Rocky.  You will see the hidden connection between effort and joy.  Pay attention to your reactions to certain scenes in movies.  Pay attention to your goose bumps and your tears.  They come in response to courage and effort.  They don’t come in response to a scene in which someone is being comfortable.  Pay attention to why you are chocked up.  It is your potential self trying to tell you something." ~ From the book, Reinvent Yourself: How to Become the Person You've Always Wanted to Be, by Steve Chandler

A Miniature Rocky Balboa

Most of the time we never think about the fragility of life.  We think we are invincible.

My newborn grandson Austin is making small but thrilling improvements.  He reminds me of both how fragile life is and how durable.  He’s a miniature Rocky Balboa, running up the steps of his own training field, ready to throw his tiny hands in the air.

He is facing several serious battles.  But no child has more love pouring over them.  His parents are examples of what parents should be in these situations.  Attentive.  Courageous.  Fervent in their faith.  Determined in their care.  Abundant in their love.

I am so proud of both of them.

It is easy when things go wrong to want to blame.  To feel as though life is against us.  To toss a look of disdain upward and ask what happened to all of that power God has.  To assume the devil is up to something and we are under some form of spiritual assault.

But the truth is, life is just a mystery most of the time.  It’s impossible to figure all of the good and bad things out.  And really, to be honest, it’s unnecessary.

The ancient Rabbis used to say, “Sometimes you have to rake through many ashes before you find an ember.”

That’s a worthwhile task in life.  There are embers to be found in the ashes of our hurts and sorrows and disappointments.  And from them warmth, comfort, light.

Ashes come to all of us.  And all of us come to ashes.  Searching for and finding those embers of okayness with life and with its mysteries is a significant part of understanding our humanness and our humanity.

It takes a little bit of Rocky in us to do it well.