The hardest part about finding your joy is having the faith to do what you know in your heart of hearts is right for you, no matter what anyone else says!
Ned Lips – Author
Listen and watch, including my interview with Genera Moore, Founder and CEO of Motorparts Nation, on my YouTube channel, Resetting Your Life, http://bit.ly/NedLipsAuthorYouTubeChannel or listen wherever you get your podcasts by searching Ned Lips. I’m the only one.
Last episode we discussed believing that God, whoever you understand her to be, is communicating directly with your soul and provides you with the right path for you to joy, if you will only listen.
By far the hardest part of this is in the doing.
So often we know, in our hearts, that we should act. We don’t. Why?
Self-doubt? Fear? Uncertainty? Negative past experiences? Guidance from parents, pastors, books, counselors, friends or others? Desire? Greed? Emotions and drivers of all sorts? Disbelief, lack of trust, in ourselves and in that voice?
How often have we done something contrary to what we know is the right next step for us and looked back on it and said, “I knew better.”
In this passage, Sarah has found her girls, Jazz and Janie, amidst a large group of others stranded as a result of the Storm taking everything man-made from the earth. They have the survival skills to run off by themselves and live. But Sarah knows that is not the right thing to do. Rest page 33.
Sarah refocused on the girls. What would be best for them? Can we stay here safely? We can’t feed everyone; no way we can get much this evening. Then, what about tomorrow? She was here in this particular place for a reason. She could feel it. Asha’s strange message returned to her: ‘Save the Family.’‘What, Mommy?’ Janie asked, as both girls turned toward Sarah as she mumbled these words.
‘OK, girls. Come in close. We are going to have to save this group. It’s going to be our new family.’
Reset page 33
Her girls are everything to her. She takes a big risk making this big decision. As the scene moves forward, even frightened Jazz agrees that saving these people, helping them to survive in this new world, is the right thing for them to do. Sarah stands and takes the challenge on because she knows, in her soul, that saving the Family is the right thing for her to do.
Often what we know we need to do is far less challenging, but equally difficult for us to contemplate at the moment we know we must act.
In Entwined, Sarah wrestles with several challenges, humans, her greatest fear, need help, she has to let Jazz deal with poisonous snakes alone, and she must release her heart to love Tom completely despite her terrible history with men.
Then that plume of smoke rose in her brain again. Her logical side said, Leave them. We have enough problems. Nobody knows about them. They’ll die soon and won’t create more havoc in the Family. But it was clear her spirit, the part of her connected to the universe of souls, was guiding her in a different direction on all of these issues—Tom, Jazz and the people under that smoke—and regardless of what her logical brain thought, her heart of hearts was never, ever wrong. No matter how much it frightened her, she had to try to help them, she had to let Jazz lead, and she had to figure out how to release herself completely to Tom. She buried her face in Latifah’s mane and began to sob.
Entwined page 106
Knowing what you have to do can be hard to deal with. Your path is not always easy. Next steps can be steep. Doing what you know in your heart is right for you can and will, at times, break you down, but this is where faith truly exists. Faith that God, whoever She is to you, will not lead you astray.
I have found this to be the hardest part of this process, both for me and for others. You know in your heart you’re supposed to do something. It makes no sense, or it’s hard, or scary. So, you hesitate, and perhaps the moment, the opportunity is lost. You cannot think this through. When you know in your heart that you are supposed to do something, do it. It is amazing how often that works out in your favor. Amazing.
I met my lovely wife, Barbara, by following my heart and ACTING, DOING! Before we knew each other, we both happened to attend a presentation by former Secretary of State James Baker at the St. Louis University School of International Law. Common pickup joint, for sure.
After the event, the University held a reception. I had secured my plate of food, drink and a spot at a table. Barbara happened by and was looking for a space. I took the moment and invited her to join me. As it turns out, a mutual friend also joined us. Barbara respected her opinion, and for some reason, she spoke highly of me. Several crazy coincidental meetings and a number of other events later, we were dating. We’ve been married for 12 years. How about that for following your heart of hearts and DOING?
