There are several people in my life that are currently experiencing a crisis in their lives. Some are family members or friends, and others are my online friends. Some have health crises, some have financial crises, or even the death of loved ones. As I have thought about them and prayed for them as they go through the trials in their lives, I stopped to think about my own response to a crisis.
Many years ago when I was in nursing school I had to do a group project with some of my peers. Our topic was Crisis Management. In our research we learned that two Chinese symbols are used for the word crisis... One that represents danger and one that represents an opportunity. I believe that we have a choice on how we view and react to a crisis or any problem in our lives. Sometimes in my own life what I originally viewed as a crisis turned out to be a blessing in disguise, even though I could not see it that way while going through it. Many of us have probably used the phrase that when God closes a door, He opens a window. In my life that has been true so many times. I have sometimes struggled a bit with having faith when bad things happened in my life as well as trying to understand why something actually happened. In the midst of the crisis I did not always view it as an opportunity for growth or react in a positive way as I was going through a crisis. It was only by looking back in hindsight that I was able to see the evidence of God's hand in that situation. Could I improve how I respond in the midst of a crisis? You betcha! That is why I am reflecting on this topic and writing about this in my blog. My hope is that when I am faced with a challenge or a crisis in the future, that I will come back and read what I have written today and be able to respond in a more positive way so that I can change for the better and grow.
In doing a recent web search I found an article that contradicts the view that the two Chinese characters for crisis actually are danger and opportunity due errors in translation and that is dangerous to make the assumption that crisis = danger + opportunity. The author states that the two symbols together mean something more like an "incipient moment; a crucial point when something begins or changes.
Whatever the original meaning of the two symbols, I continue to believe that we indeed do have a choice in our response and our thoughts concerning the perceived crisis. We can either respond in a positive manner or a negative manner, all based on our perception of the events and our internal belief structure.
Over the last few years I have kind of branched out from my fundamental beliefs and have been willing to embrace some new ideas. Not ideas that replace or necessarily contradict my own beliefs, but just a new way to look at someone elses point of view. Many times a person would come into my life with a recurring theme or message, or a certain phrase or subject would appear over and over again in books or articles that I read. It was almost like I was being shown another path or a message that I needed to hear. Synchronicity is defined as " the coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic events (as similar thoughts in widely separated persons or a mental image of an unexpected event before it happens) that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality -- used especially in the psychology of C. G. Jung."
I really don't think there are coincidences in life. I think we are all here for a specific purpose even if we don't yet know what that purpose is, and that there are no random experiences. We all have the power of free will and the ability to make certain choices in our lives. I believe that people and experiences are placed in our path for a reason and sometimes even bad things come into our lives to help us develop strength of character and faith. Usually a crisis brings with it an opportunity for growth and a learning experience. What we learn from a crisis or problem in our lives is really dependent upon our thoughts and feelings and our reactions based on those thoughts and feelings.
As I continue to struggle with the recent passing of my mother, I am reminded that life is a series of beginnings and endings. Change is an inescapeable part of our lives. We have only to look at the seasons, or to watch a flower grow, or a baby grow into a child, and then into an adult. Life and death... an endless cycle of beginnings and endings. Yet we resist change...We want to keep the status quo. But in resisting change are we ever really able to grow and develop? Without pain are we ever really able to appreciate joy? Most crises represent some form of change. It is how we view that change or crisis that will lead to growth or to despair.
Every season in our lives serves a purpose. Winter can be a time of reflection and contemplation. Winter also brings times of celebration for many cultures. In my own Christian religion, Christmas represents birth, hope, and miracles. In the Jewish religion, Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, is a celebration of the victory of the Maccabees and the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple. It also commemorates the oil that burned for 8 days. Kwanzaa is a celebration with focus on the traditional African values of family, community responsibility, commerce, and self-improvement. New Year's Eve and Day symbolize and commemorate the ending of one year and the beginning of the next. Winter is the perfect time to reflect on change and our personal choices.
“One of the themes most strongly associated with winter … across the world is the re-emergence of light out of darkness, bringing renewal of life and the promise of a successful future,” writes Jennifer Cole in Ceremonies of the Seasons (Duncan Baird, 2007).
I am looking forward to the spring but I am learning to appreciate the stillness and symbolic meaning of winter. I hope that this new year will bring you hope in whatever challenges or trials you may be facing and that you will be able to see the opportunity in the crises that come into your lives.
“Things don't go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up. They happen to break you down and build you up so you can be all that you were intended to be.” ~ Charles "Tremendous" Jones
“To exist is to change; to change is to mature; to mature is to create oneself endlessly.” ~ Henri Bergson
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is.” ~ Albert Einstein
“Much as we may wish to make a new beginning, some part of us resists doing so as though we were making the first step toward disaster.” ~ William Bridges
“Our lives are a sum total of the choices we have made.” ~ Wayne Dyer
No comments:
Post a Comment