I had a conversation with a friend a couple of weeks back and I find myself still thinking about it. It was one of those conversations that will likely stay with me for years to come, and I'm pretty sure my friend has no idea that something she said-made such a big difference.
At the time, I had been struggling with something. I had made an important decision about something that has bothered me for a very long time and I found myself now dealing with the consequences of my own choice. (It's always so much easier when we can blame our "trials" on other people or events. Not so easy when you have nobody to blame but yourself;)
On the day that I ran into this woman, I was struggling with feelings of regret, insecurity, and complete and utter disappointment in myself. I truly felt miserable, and as I sat at the edge of a local pool and watched my kids swim I prayed that my sunglasses would do an adequate job of hiding my tears.
That's when she came and sat beside me.
When she asked me how I was doing, I quickly gave the most fake yet positive answer I could muster up. Whether she accepted my answer or not- I don't know. She didn't press or pry. However, she did begin to share something that she had learned for herself several months back.
She spoke of a time when a lot of people where really counting on her to "show up" and preform to the best of her abilities. Yet she felt exhausted, and un well, and she worried that she didn't have it in her to do what she needed to do.
Her husband's advice to her was simple, but profound.
"DIG DEEP."
As soon as she said those two words I was struck with how applicable that advice can be to anyone in any situation and I felt an intrinsic desire to do just that.
Perhaps down deep is a strength that we rarely have to tap into, but is there nonetheless. A strength that perhaps God only knows exists within each of us. And maybe these painful experiences in our lives can actually be very exquisite moments, when we come to see (or at least get glimpses) of that strength hidden somewhere within.
The key is to embrace it. Learn from it. Dig Deep.
And you just might even astonish YOURSELF!
"Pain is an invitation to surrender to this greater universal love. It’s a demand to breathe more deeply. It’s the guru that won’t leave you alone. It’s the master that forces you to let go of control so that you can release yourself from the future and the past-- and discover your True Self right now. Your True Self doesn’t need things to turn out a certain way for it to feel secure and alive. Your True Self has master tricks up its midnight blue sleeves, and stardust on its eyelashes. It has more options than you know how to count." Tama Kieves
