Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 “Notice the way God does things; then fall into line. Don’t fight the ways of God for who can straighten out what he has made crooked? Enjoy prosperity while you can. But when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. That way you will realize that nothing is certain in this life.”
There is an ebb and flow, a rhythm to life and the trick is to learn to go with it. Find the currents and allow them to move you, relax and don’t fight the pulls. But when the current ceases be calm and patient. There will be emotional highs and lows beyond our control, relationships will feel close and distant. There are moments of spiritual ecstasy and dark nights of the soul. Loneliness and connection….as Ecclesiastes puts it, for everything there is a season. We can’t plant crops in the winter but we must take advantage of the spring. Gestalt therapy highlights a concept called “shoulds” verses “wants.” The focus is helping people identify how much of their life is governed by shoulds and encourage them to explore their wants. Much of the pain I see is not that someone is sad or that they are alone but rather that they SHOULD be happy or SHOULD not be alone. Whenever we are governed by shoulds there are hidden messages and meanings behind failing to live up to that should. If I’m sad I’m weak, if I’m alone I’m unlovable, etc…. Shoulds often get in the way of finding our own rhythm of life and accepting and enjoying the currents of the seasons. What works for one person does not work for everyone.
There is an ebb and flow, a rhythm to life and the trick is to learn to go with it. Find the currents and allow them to move you, relax and don’t fight the pulls. But when the current ceases be calm and patient. There will be emotional highs and lows beyond our control, relationships will feel close and distant. There are moments of spiritual ecstasy and dark nights of the soul. Loneliness and connection….as Ecclesiastes puts it, for everything there is a season. We can’t plant crops in the winter but we must take advantage of the spring. Gestalt therapy highlights a concept called “shoulds” verses “wants.” The focus is helping people identify how much of their life is governed by shoulds and encourage them to explore their wants. Much of the pain I see is not that someone is sad or that they are alone but rather that they SHOULD be happy or SHOULD not be alone. Whenever we are governed by shoulds there are hidden messages and meanings behind failing to live up to that should. If I’m sad I’m weak, if I’m alone I’m unlovable, etc…. Shoulds often get in the way of finding our own rhythm of life and accepting and enjoying the currents of the seasons. What works for one person does not work for everyone.