This Forward Friday is for those going through or having come out of a disappointment.. It's never easy when the pain is especially acute..
It's understandable to be afraid when these moments hit us in the gut so to speak but what if.... There are some lessons to be learned when we're not where we thought we'd be? Some hopeful thoughts to start the weekend off right!
So I admit that it was hard…. Hard realizing that the place I had been in for many years was no longer my place. Being fired and the how was like a smart bomb that blew my life apart. That life was going to change dramatically and I didn’t know what that change was going to look like.
For many of us who have had life altering moments; a marriage/family break up, job loss/firing, love lost/love not found, the shock of now feeling lost and where does it leave us is a scary proposition.
The story below is powerful and nuanced; we need not be a person of faith to appreciate the relevance for those of us who have either walked through disappointment or are walking through it right now.
There are some wonderful elements in this story that I believe can be of great benefit to us.
So Elijah has just won this epic battle against the King & Queen of Samaria. There had been a drought and after his epic win, Elijah then prays for rain and it’s about to come down in buckets and…. He tells King Ahab to get in his chariot and head back home ahead of the rain and Elijah… beats the king back to the city…. running!!!!!
So then, this next picture is stark; just took out all of the Kingdom’s Seers, beats the king back to the city running and the next picture is Elijah sitting under the Broom Tree, wanting to die because the Queen wants his head.
But this Broom Tree is interesting: its deep roots draw in the moisture of land that is otherwise barren. It’s said that the broom tree is a place of desolation, ruin, and abandonment, but it also becomes a restart; an anguished place to cry for help.
So, we are under the broom tree/the disappointment moment(s) and it is a place that isn’t easy but little did we know that the same place where we are in pain, has rejuvenating powers and could be the place where healing and new starts begin.
Have we ever looked back and noticed that there were strength moments even during some of the most trying, disappointing times?
I was thinking of 2 places I took contracts to work during the 1st year after that major Geography disappointment from many years ago. While I was reeling in one sense, we were able to bring stability to those places that we only found out about a little later.
I was even thinking of all the places that I’ve walked in, the people I’ve come into contact with and there would be no way that I would have learned all the new skills, or put into practice lessons discovered had I been in the geographical position I thought was in the place I was to remain in.
I was fortunate to learn kitchen skills and running a homeless center; years later, geography has changed but those skills have parlayed into a catering sideline business, using kitchen skills in my present job postings, even recognition from the government for passing the province's kitchen manager license course.
These are not boasting moments but realizing that when I ended up under the broom tree so to speak in anguish, there was moisture (staying power) under that same tree that helped me help others and grow skills that were always there but came out because change happened.
There was moisture (staying power) under that same tree that helped me help others and grow skills that were always there but came out because change happened.
Didn’t like it one bit but…….. but the broom tree was more than just a covering for me…
One other thing about the broom tree; besides the cactus tree (who wants to touch that tree?), the broom tree pretty much is the only tree in the desert. The sun scorching heat of the desert can take out even the strongest of the strong but…… even if the shade of the tree is not what we’re normally used to, it has the ability to be enough to protect us until we can get on our feet.
Some Sun Scorchers That I/We Have Had To Deal With:
Maybe you’re not cut out for this; go back to what you used to do before..
I don’t love you anymore; or I never really loved you; I just faked it from the beginning.
We don’t need you anymore; pack up and leave at the end of the day.
It didn’t mean anything; one thing led to another and it "Just Happened!"
Just because everyone thinks you’re good at what you do, I don’t. You aren’t that much.
So, we need to figure out how to deal with the sun scorching heat of words, actions, the disappointment of geography and use where we are to begin to move again.
It bears repeating, especially if we are in a place of disappointment and we aren’t where we thought we’d be.
It’s a natural emotion to be disappointed but at some point, the journey of life demands that we figure out a way to get up, even if it’s with the aid of a crutch, a walking stick, a cane, a friend, a counselor, a family member but we somehow have to get up. For our own sake and whether we always believe it or not, our life matters…
For our own sake and whether we always believe it or not, our life matters…
I look back to some years ago when a former leader said that “you aren’t that good a leader and the kids don’t really respect you.” Those words were among some of the worst things said during a 6 month stretch. Too many sleepless nights, too many mornings driving in to work, wondering what “New Thing” did I do wrong that I would get a call full of yelling or accusing me of "said" thing.
I remember thinking 5 months before the end of the year, that this place that I called home for 5 years wasn’t going to be that place for me anymore…
What would I do moving forward?
6 years later, I am looking at where I am and never would have guessed that the pain has made me appreciate who I work with even more, the students/clientele we serve, work on different skills and ideas….
Adding a few new wrinkles to the toolbox.
Those things wouldn’t happen if…..we didn’t look at the broom tree through another set of lenses.
So, we may be going through a geography disappointment; it could be that we are reeling because our family is being rocked by the choices of another; our employment world has been blown up; it could be personal attacks..
When we find ourselves under the broom tree; while it may be a place of anguish, it can also be a source of relief and a place to reset….
Elijah had a moment of anguish; but the broom tree kept him from the scorching heat of the desert, long enough for an angel to come along to give him what he needed to continue his life journey.
It can be that way for us too!
Forward Friday Broom Tree Thoughts
Dave
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