The Chasm Below

If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve.

I said that if I didn't know what to write I'd look at Kristen's quotes. This one struck me today. Why do we try to hold onto so much? Think for a minute of all of the things that you try to hold onto. Youth. Money. Image. Status. Fame. Possessions. Feelings. Life. You can add your own to this list. The world tells us that we should hold onto these things. And yet when I read God's word, I know that we foolishly to try to hold on. It is not ours to possess in the first place. We often allow ourselves to live in fear of change. In fear of letting go of something that we really don't even possess. In fear of stepping forward. We fear falling, failing, and looking foolish. So we never move forward. We never step out of our comfort zone. I was talking to a friend recently about things I would like to do some day. When I showed reluctance she asked me if I'd learned nothing from the past year. Why wait until tomorrow? Tomorrow may never come. There is only the guarantee of the here and now. This minute, this hour, this day. What desire, dream, or daring deed are you secretly wishing you could or would do? Are you stuck holding on?

I've been stepping out of my comfort zone for the past year. I have been speaking out about the journey. I have been honest about my feelings and fears and my spiritual life. And yet I am holding on too much. I have only taken a step. I am at the edge of a chasm wanting to traverse it over a rope bridge. I am still gripping the ropes within easy reach of the edge. Only I can take the next step. And the next. If I'm pushed I am sure to lose my grip and fall. I must convince myself to look forward and not down. There will always be a long way to fall. But the reward ahead is more than I can ever imagine.

If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve.