Word of Encouragement for a Struggling Soul
If I could tell you one thing...I would say don't be too hard on yourself. We are all trying to live up to someone elses standards in some way or another even if it is unspoken. I think God maybe gives us 80 +or- years because it takes that long to come to the place of knowing and accepting ourselves without judgement. 1st we have to shake off any damage done in childhood, then we have to undo our societal education to conform, After that we move into the struggle of feeling that our beauty is fading followed by the realization that our relationships with our children and family end up not being the fairy tale story we thought they would be. In a way, Like everyone else, we pretend our way through all of this to only one day, deeply see that what was suppose to matter, mostly doesn't. Maybe, the lesson is that as we get closer to the end of our life, we decide to let all of it go, the rules, the expectations, the unfulfilled dreams...and with this step, comes the peace, the joy and the knowing that we can be alone with ourselves in God's spirit completely satisfied and ready to say...that it was the best life and the perfect path to make us more like him.
The Donkey Story
One day a farmer's donkey fell down into an old, dry well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed shovels and began to fill the well with dirt. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. Many shovels full later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every throw of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, to everyone's delight, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off! Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!