The job is difficult this week. I am quick to want more money, more authority, more variety, but none of it comes and I struggle. Seeking to help myself, I turn to a favorite line from poet Kahlil Gibran:
Your children are not your children They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
Might I think of the job as one of Life’s children? Might I challenge myself to respond as selflessly and whole-heartedly to the demands of the job as I would the demands of a child?
It is revelation to think of surrendering my ego’s position ‘selflessly and whole heartedly’ to what I criticize and resist. Yet, who am I to say what should be, or how? I would not presume to stylize a child, why do I insist on stylizing a job? Perhaps it is time to forego my partial, limited dreams and let Life dream itself.
As with a child, I return to the job with what awareness I have and let go.
4 thoughts on “Psalm of surrender”
I chastised an elderly man at Walgreens the other day for not wearing a mask in the store. As it turned out, he did have a mask, but had simply forgotten to pull it up over his mouth and nose. I felt churlish as soon as the words passed my lips. Such is my need for control: it extends even beyond myself to others.
Yet the passages you quote above suggest that our individual needs and desires are superseded by natural laws already in place. What an appealing idea that is, but how difficult it would be for me to be as a child, uncup my hands and release all of my demands and expectations to the wind.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Paul. Perhaps it is an idea that goes two directions: receiving Life with some child-like acceptance and, when Life is frustrating and disappointing, extending patience and compassion to it as though to a precious child. Not to be naive or avoid responsible action, but meaningful imagery can mitigate bitterness or hopelessness and help us stay with what we cannot change in a more positive way.
Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.
I appreciate the encouragement.