dailydatewithgod

The various ways in which we can and will grow are endless.  It is not linear by any means.  I used to think it was.  In my life I went from one grade up to the next grade.  I took one step on the ladder up and then the next. Growing as a person may have a particular intellectual ascent upward according to most school systems but life is more like a series of twists and turns on a roller coaster. It is somewhat beyond our comprehension given our conditioning in western culture to the drive for forward and upward motion of growth. If we look at how nature is, we see something different.  Nature is cyclical.  We are both nature and nurture.  We can adapt by being upward and forward-moving but there will be a pullback down to pause and reflect.  We will find ourselves pulled into cycles of refresh and renewal.  Our hearts will call us to beat fast, then slow, and to modulate our heart rate based on the circumstance of our being in the moment.  We can see ourselves as being a victim to the pulling of these different directions in life or we can hop along for the ride.  The mystery of life is dynamic and multifaceted. We can either be afraid because it does not pull us forward and upward all the time and make it personal like there is something wrong with us or we can connect with the pulling back and forth and all around between the nature and the nurturing of who we are becoming.  I have spent lots of time pushing and making and pursuing and driving myself to move forward and upward.  These are important experiences but they are not more important than surrendering to the pulling of my heart to pause and reflect, to rest and come back around to see something with new eyes.  The pulling does not need to be seen as something downward and backward unless we choose to see it that way.