We can think of our path as a spiral and we’re in the middle - the sacred middle, the place where the journey begins. The place where we learn, grow, and polish our being. If we can learn to honor this space, this starting point, then we can begin to walk outward along the spiral.
To remain frustrated is to remain blocked. To be unsatisfied with your current situation is one thing. To be unsatisfied and angry and bitter is another. Those emotions create stagnation and nothing gets done.
I like the story of the lame man who was healed by Jesus at the pool of Bethesda:
One man had been an invalid there for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him stretched out by the pool and knew how long he had been there, he said, “Do you want to get well?”
The sick man said, “Sir, when the water is stirred, I don’t have anybody to put me in the pool. By the time I get there, somebody else is already in.”
Jesus said, “Get up, take your bedroll, start walking.”
The man was healed on the spot. He picked up his bedroll and walked off. (John 5: 1-8)
We can learn something from this; we may feel like the lame man at times, stretching our hands out towards a miracle, but getting ran over by everyone else. We look on as all the other people are happy, healed, and free, and feel jilted because here we are stuck on the sidelines with no one to help us out.
You’ll notice that the story doesn’t mention Jesus picking up the man or holding his hand or offering any assistance. He merely says, get up and walk. I suspect that’s what many of us need to hear from time to time. Me included. The Sacred Middle was born through a divine message that was as simple as “keep walking.”
So I’m telling you now, let go of your bitterness and frustration, take a look around at where you are and what you have to do, and walk. Honor this present moment for what it is and keep walking the path.
To remain frustrated is to remain blocked. To be unsatisfied with your current situation is one thing. To be unsatisfied and angry and bitter is another. Those emotions create stagnation and nothing gets done.
I like the story of the lame man who was healed by Jesus at the pool of Bethesda:
One man had been an invalid there for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him stretched out by the pool and knew how long he had been there, he said, “Do you want to get well?”
The sick man said, “Sir, when the water is stirred, I don’t have anybody to put me in the pool. By the time I get there, somebody else is already in.”
Jesus said, “Get up, take your bedroll, start walking.”
The man was healed on the spot. He picked up his bedroll and walked off. (John 5: 1-8)
We can learn something from this; we may feel like the lame man at times, stretching our hands out towards a miracle, but getting ran over by everyone else. We look on as all the other people are happy, healed, and free, and feel jilted because here we are stuck on the sidelines with no one to help us out.
You’ll notice that the story doesn’t mention Jesus picking up the man or holding his hand or offering any assistance. He merely says, get up and walk. I suspect that’s what many of us need to hear from time to time. Me included. The Sacred Middle was born through a divine message that was as simple as “keep walking.”
So I’m telling you now, let go of your bitterness and frustration, take a look around at where you are and what you have to do, and walk. Honor this present moment for what it is and keep walking the path.
