Nothing against peanut butter and jelly. I love a good PB & J on white bread. Tasty. But sometimes it’s not the tastiness that attracts me. It’s the easiness of it. And therein lies my loss. The comfort of the familiar holds me back.
Settling for the Status Quo
I’m not really talking about food here. Being chained to the familiar inhibits a lot of things.
What if a person clings to the familiar even though it’s not something that’s good for her? Maybe it’s an abusive relationship, a bad habit, a job. Maybe it’s just the status quo. It’s the putting off of something better because right now is okay enough.
Sure, we’re smart. We can see how our current predicament isn’t ideal, but we can also see that it’s better than what might happen. It’s not as bad as it could be. It might improve on its own.
Scared and Lazy
Some undetermined person once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Doing the same thing over and over is fine if you’re happy with the way things are, but if you’re not—if you want things to be different, then some things will need to change.
That part’s scary. It’s so scary that a lot of people never get there. They settle, letting go of the dream and believing, that for them, this is the best life can ever be.
It’s not just the scariness that can slow you down, though. It’s also the extra effort change would require. It’s laziness. Making a change would require us to do something, and we’re tired, insecure, and unsure, so it’s easier just to stay put.
This whole chapter in 2 Corinthians is pretty good.
Losing to Gain
I’ve written a lot over the years about how God has a plan for you and for me, about how he gives us strength when we feel weak, how he helps us overcome. But I’ve gotten to a point—a stopping point, and honestly, it scares me.
I still believe all those things about God, but something else has become glaringly obvious. For things to be different—for me to move on to the place I’m dreaming about, some things are going to have to change. I’ll have to let go and take a risk. I’ll need to take the first step before I know what the second step will be. I’ll have to do something.
So, I stand here frozen by my options and wondering if I have what it takes to do what I need to do. I’m not even sure what that thing is. I just know I want more.
I believe God is familiar with the mystery of losing to gain. He’s been pretty upfront about it.
It will cost to be the person I’ve been created to be—to live more. It’s already cost for me to be that person. God has done his part. Now I must do mine.
So, I have a choice—PB&J again or do I try something different? You have a choice too. What’s your next step?
WORN
by Tenth Avenue North
“I wanna know a song can rise from the ashes of a broken life and all that’s dead inside can be reborn.”
Check out my short story “The Door” on page 41.
Okay, dear friend. I felt like you climbed into my head (not a good place to be) and read my thoughts. Now I’m pondering my next steps and trying to listen harder at God’s answer to my prayers. Thanks for inspiring me!
I’m still struggling with this. What’s a God-ordained risk, and what is something I should not even try?! I liked what you said about listening harder. Maybe there’s something to that. Thanks for commenting!