dailydatewithgod

Traps are funny things.  They seem to come out of nowhere and we find ourselves in them and wonder how we got there.  Usually we find a way out and then invariably end up there again. The universe of learning we are in is dedicated to the idea that we grow. Sometimes life catches our attention when we find ourselves trapped in similar places.  The circumstance may look different but we are having the same thoughts and feelings.  If we are willing we can begin to take a closer look. Perhaps there is something for me to learn.  Growing up I just thought it was a sign that I had messed up yet again.  Clearly I was not meant to be involved or go down that particular path.  But when I took a closer look and realized I was the common denominator each time, I began to wonder if I was the trap.  Historically I would berate myself for ending up in the trap and make myself wrong.  In recovery, I began to see it differently. Perhaps it was not about changing the circumstances by changing my thinking. Starting with my perspective on the whole thing.  I cannot do this on my own.  I must reach out for God’s hand to show me back to my heart.  Sometimes I need to come across the same trap one more time to learn something new.  Other times I can see it coming and engage in asking God for a different perspective.  None of this process is a sign that we are messed up.  It just means we are in the human story.  God is dedicated to the freedom of our hearts so we may experience the vast and great nature of the love from which we come.  Sometimes we need to walk into those traps so we can choose to find a way out of them.  There is a great story by Portia Nelson “There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk” which illustrates what happens when we find our traps. The only part I would change for me is involving God: