Post #29- Don't Rock the Boat Baby

There are some things I don’t do well (go figure!). Part of living an examined life and being authentic to who you are, also means knowing your strengths as well as your weaknesses and being able to admit when you don’t do something well. Today I was going to get all esoteric and highfalutin and talk about manifesting miracles by positioning ourselves to receive revelation, etc., etc., etc.. No worries, I’ll get back to that, but I thought it might be more practical and possibly helpful to lift this spiritual principle instead. The Principle of Non-Resistance.

Maybe you can relate, but many, many times in my life I have struggled and fought and scratched and clawed for what I wanted. Most things in my life have seemed like an uphill battle or the path of most resistance. I’ve always been a ‘pull yourself up by the bootstraps’ kind of person, so most elements of achievement in my life have been through pure endurance and tenacity. Most anything I have, I’ve had to hustle my way to get it. However, I don’t…in my heart of hearts….believe this is the way life is suppose to be, and in fact, I know that this isn’t the way my life has had to be.

Some time ago I blogged about “going with the flow” (Post #10). In other words, we must find our sweet spot, that “unforced rhythm of grace”(Matthew 11:28, The Message Translation), and in doing so we will be swept up in the tide of love, peace, joy, and goodness. Well, today I’d like to offer you the Principle of Non-Resistance.

To continue with the water metaphor, people who can’t swim but find themselves drowning in deep waters are told to stop struggling, stop thrashing, stop fighting, but rather ‘go with the flow.’ The human body has enough buoyancy  to float, to effortlessly go along with the flow of the water. Life is strikingly similar. When you find yourself in the deep water, stop fighting, stop struggling, stop thrashing…don’t resist. Instead, find your sweet spot and allow the tide of God’s guidance and grace to carry you.

So, I said that to say, I find myself at an employment crossroads. I have desire to move and have done due diligence to find employment in other places. However, those leads have not panned out for me. In my disappointment, I recently prayed for an opportunity to come to me, rather than through my habitual life-pattern of struggle, labor and burden. Then, seemingly out-of –the blue I received an email that has lead to a job offer locally. While the dust has not completely settled (sorry for all of the metaphors and analogies), it looks very promising.

Though I had almost made up my mind up that I was moving, this opportunity has presented itself. My first inclination was to go into fight mode, simply forcing relocation, but instead I reminded myself of the Principle of Non-Resistance. I will not force; I will not fight, I will…go with the flow. I will surrender. I will trust.  If the chance to relocate presents itself, I’ll go. If not, I’ll stay, but I will not force anything outside of the right time or season.

With that being said, my lease is also up where I am currently renting. I have not been very happy here and have wanted to move, almost since I first moved into this apartment complex. However, this is not something I do well. I don’t apartment hunt (house hunt) well. In the past I have jumped at the first thing I saw, not asking the right questions, and in fact not even knowing the right questions to ask.

If I’m going to stay in Dallas, I need to secure another place to live. So, today I toured a property, and when I began feeling that sense of anxiety and insecurity about making the decision, I intentionally slowed down, stayed in the moment, and committed myself to not rushing or forcing, but going with the flow.

These are only small examples from my life where I practice these spiritual principles daily. In my own sense of authenticity I have examined my life, knowing who I am and what I do and don’t do well. And when forced to engage that which I don’t do well, I have committed myself to being present and experiencing the moment…even when that moment is very uncomfortable.

I know that if I can slow down, get quiet and centered, and listen to my own inner voice, I’ll be guided to the right decision. I know that if I take the time to be present and truly experience my life, I’ll never go wrong, because….

This is not the end of my story. My best days are not behind me; they are ahead of me. I know that joy and abundance is my birthright, and if I can just keep still, I’ll attract all of the #bigthingscoming!

In stillness,

 ~Ray

NOTE: If you’re new to the site it might be helpful to read my first introductory post. Also, feel free to post your questions or comments here and you can always reach out to me on Twitter @raycjordan using the hash tag #bigthingscoming.

(Copyright, 2013, Ray Jordan)