Lately I've been thinking about a joke I once heard. It's about a man in the ocean who was drowning and a couple of fisherman in a small boat happened by. The fisherman said to the man, "give us your hands we'll pull you in." The man replied, "No, that's ok, God will save me." A few minutes later, a yacht came near the man and threw a life ring in the water yelling, " take the ring, we'll pull you aboard." Still, the man refused saying, "Don't worry, my Father in heaven will rescue me." After another while, the man really began to struggle to stay afloat when a cruise ship came up to him. They threw him a life boat and shouted, "get in and row towards the ship and we'll save you." Once again the man replied, "No thank you, I have faith that God Almighty will save me!" As the cruise ship sailed away, the man's struggle became too much for him and he drowned. Once he got to heaven he met his maker and asked, "God, I had so much faith that you would save me! Why did you let me drown?" God replied, "I sent you three boats!" I guess it's more of an allegory really.
How many times have you missed the boat because "salvation" didn't appear the way you imagined? External influences and indoctrination cause us to formulate ideals and expectations of how our desires will manifest. God, The Great Spirit, the universe, fate, or whatever you call the higher energy that seems to move throughout our world gives us ample blessings, opportunities, and chances to fulfill our needs and desires, but we are often blind to them because they don't appear the way we expect.
I'm learning that the best thing to do is to eliminate expectations altogether. Once we open our minds and hearts to all possibilities, we are then able to let go of ideals that keep us from seeing what's right in front of us. Media seems to influence most areas of our lives. We are told what beauty is, what love and success looks like, and even what will make us happy. All of these things are subjective and will therefore look different for different people. Once we stop allowing outside influences to dictate how we think, feel, and behave, then we let go of expectation.
Now this doesn't mean that one should not have hope or be optimistic. Though hope and optimism both involve expectation, one is not attached to the outcome. When we are hopeful or optimistic about a situation's outcome, we essentially "willing" the best to happen rather than looking for the best to appear as we imagine. For example, if the drowning man was "hopeful" and "optimistic" about God saving him, he would have recognized the boats as being his salvation. Instead, the man must have had "expectations" of a giant hand reaching from the sky and snatching him up out of the water.
Be hopeful and optimistic that the best will happen for you. Let go of your preconceived notions of what "the best" is and you will be able to recognize it when it comes. Miracles happen around us everyday...don't miss the boat! Peace and blessings.
One day a man was fishing in his boat out in the ocean. Suddenly his boat sprang a leak, sank, and left the man treading water to survive. He considered himself a man of great faith and a servant of the Lord, so he knew God would save him and thus he began to pray. Soon, a man in a small boat came upon him and said, "grab my hand and I'll pull you into my boat." The man replied, "No thank you, God will save me." A couple of hours went by and the man was growing tired when a couple in a speed boat happened by. They threw a life ring in the water and shouted, "Take the ring and we'll pull you in!" But the man told them, "I am faithful that my God will save me, but thanks anyway." Another hour passed before a large fishing boat came and threw a life raft out to the man. "Jump in," the captain shouted, "We'll pull you to safety." But the faithful man informed the captain, "My God will save me, thank you." After another hour, the man, too weak to stay afloat, drowned. Being a faithful servant of God all of his life, he went straight to heaven. When he met his creator, the man asked with great consternation, "My Lord, I have been a faithful servant my entire life, why did you not save me?" God replied, "I sent you three boats."
I love this story because it has many lessons in it. One lesson that is most evident is that we often ask for guidance or help, but sometimes we can't recognize the help when it comes. I think a lot of people, when they want a sign, some direction, or help, expect to see a burning bush, or a blinding light and hear a booming voice. Sometimes the answers are right in front of us but we expect or want something else. Miracles happen all around us everyday, we ARE miracles. But some of us just can't see them.
When I was a youth, I used to shoot baskets on the basketball court and say, "If I make this basket then that means I should or shouldn't do x y z," not taking my own skill, or lack thereof into account. These days, I've learned to be in the moment, observing and experiencing everything and everyone around me. Being this aware of my basic surroundings has enabled me to see the forest, if you will. The more aware and in the moment we are able to be, the more obvious the signs, signals, and guidance becomes. Have you ever had a day where the same message has come to you many times? For instance, maybe you heard a song that said, "No fear, no fear, in my heart, oh no, oh no," then someone posted a saying on a social networking site that said, "There's nothing to fear, but fear itself." Would you begin to connect the dots back to the question in your head about whether or not to move to a new city, or change careers, or leave a relationship? Of course, you'd have to be self aware and realize that fear is a key component in your indecision.
I look and listen around my external world because I know that it matches my internal world. We, of course, already have the answers within us. When I am acutely aware and paying attention, the answers, guidance, signs and signals often appear as obvious as a burning bush. If the man in the above story was truly faithful, he would have known that God, The Creator, the universe, sends help in many forms, and often without pomp and circumstance. Of course, all he had to do was pay attention. Look, listen, and learn. Peace and blessings.
