Uncertainty is everywhere. And the best thing we can do isn’t fight it, try to force things to happen—control. No.
Sometimes the best thing we can do is just do this—surrender.
That’s not the same as giving up. You’re not quitting. Absolutely not!
Surrendering is different. It’s not giving up; it’s giving in. And that’s an important distinction, especially in times like these.
It’s like quicksand. When you get stuck in it it’s terrifying and your temptation is to just fight and flail and twist and turn and writhe. The fear grips you and you want to gain control, but that only saps your strength and weakens you until you don’t have any energy to actually solve your problem.
Instead, when you’re in that situation, you need to relax. Make yourself light, and then you make slow and deliberate moves to get yourself out. It takes time, patience, and persistence.
We’re all in quicksand now.
We feel it. With a crazy political world, incredible divisions, an election year—a pandemic—looming possible school openings, quarantines, lockdowns, financial stress, and the list can go on, there’s just more to make us want to fight and flail and twist and turn and writhe, isn’t there? We want control but can never really get it, can we?
And we’re tired. We’re stressed, fatigued.
Stop trying to control and fight.
Instead, surrender. Don’t give up. Give in. Let your mind and body relax. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Think about today. Make a plan. Take deliberate and slow steps. Feed yourself. Feed your family. Find time to laugh and play. Create. Work. Find a way to survive.
Remember, you can’t control the quicksand: the political mayhem, people’s comments on Facebook, their ideologies, the economy. You can control yourself, your mindset, your prayer-life, your meditation practice, your routine, your actions.
Slow down. Let the future unfold. Persist. Go with the flow.
And, when you do, I believe, you’ll be free to find freedom.
You’ll even grow.
Love,
John
John Pa 