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Dobson: Hard choice, but better to lose burdens that aren't ours

Recently, I saw an illustration from Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life. Initially drawn in by the beautifully illustrated birds, it was the accompanying statement that produced one of those “aha” moments:

“No matter what you do, someone will always talk about you. Someone will always question your judgement. Someone will always doubt you. So just smile and the make the choices you can live with.”

Profound.

I sat on this for a few days marveling at a couple of things. One, how is it that I’m at this point in my life where someone’s choice to lie bothers me; and two, how perfect is the Creator’s timing to send a reminder that this isn’t my baggage to carry?

We are surrounded by lessons if we slow down long enough to pay attention. Or in my case, putting aside my (first reaction) surprise and (second reaction) hurt feelings long enough to sift through ashes to get to the beauty of the lesson.

Growing up, seeing the beauty in the lesson wasn’t my M.O. Then, if I felt I’d been wronged, I wanted to grab my armor, jump on my horse and go avenge my honor.

Cue dramatic music.

Now that I’m older … I wish I could say that wisdom always wins out. But being human, it doesn’t always work that way.

We get lied to, lied about, feelings smashed, spirit wounded. Those things are hurtful and getting beyond that pain can be difficult. We didn’t have a choice in what happened; however, we do have choice in how we respond.

Don’t kid yourself; those choices can be hard. Do we take the high road, or do we grab our trusty steed and smite those who have caused us harm?

Cue dramatic music (again).

It’s easy to travel the dramatic route. But that isn’t our journey. Just as children grow into adults, we grow into our faith. Finding the lesson — the beauty in the ashes — is how we build our faith. Step by step. The lesson, for us, is in how we choose to respond. If we’ve taken those early lessons to heart, we respond better now than we did when we were younger.

Truth be known, some days are easier than others. But on those days when we can drop the baggage that doesn’t belong to us, that isn’t part of our journey, we make headway on our own spiritual path. Our load is easier, our heart is lighter, our steps surer. When we lose the weight of burdens that don’t belong to us, we can put our focus on what matters. It is our choice.

Patti Dobson writes about faith for The Eastern New Mexico News. Contact her at:

[email protected]