CAUGHT IN THE RAPIDS

Thomas Merton has written…

“To allow oneself to be carried away by the multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence…It kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful.”*

 The problem is that this “violence” is difficult to stop.  It’s like riding the rapids.  As the water carries you, the rush of adrenalin produces a short-lived thrill.  Eventually, one of three things is likely happen:  you coast into smoother waters, the waters become rougher causing you to lose control, or you smash against the rocks, capsizing your boat.

When it comes to all the demands, self-imposed and placed on us by others, I think most of us are under the illusion that we will “eventually coast into smoother waters.” We tell ourselves, “Once these projects are done, I’ll slow down.”  Yes? No?

Unlike getting caught in the rapids, there is good news!  We can make choices even if it doesn’t “feel” like we can.  If we humble ourselves and acknowledge our human limitations, there is hope!  This is not the same as “quitting” or “giving up”!  It is living life according to God’s rhythm and design for my life, for your life.

 Enjoy the ride!

*Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Peter Scazzero, Thomas Nelson, 2006 (Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, NY: Doubleday, 1968).