The Storms Of Our Lives

The Storms Of Our Lives

I’ve been thinking about storms lately. As Hurricane Joquin blows its way around the Southeast and the Atlantic, there is a sense that these storms can be random. We never know where they are going to hit and who will be effected. These real physical storms are felt but storms are not all of an environmental nature. We all are subject to storms in our lives. These storms can take the form of a health, relationship, business or financial crisis that can land unexpectedly. What these storms do is put us at a choice point. The storm signals to us that something needs to change in our lives. Perhaps we need to make a change to really move forward in our lives, and the storm awakens us from complacency.

The Storm Offers Two Choices

I believe that the storm offers two choices. The first choice is to resist the need to change or remain stuck. The second choice is to flow and adapt to the change to become unstuck. The stuck choice is motivated by fear. Perhaps the fear is of an unknown future, a desire to cling to the past, or a lack of confidence regarding our ability to handle it all. The unstuck choice on the other hand is motivated first by an acceptance of the situation, of what happened. It is also marked by a calmness and a knowing that you have the ability and inner resources to deal with the crises. It is out of that calmness with curiosity, openness and belief that a new direction, a new course can be forged.

They say that it is darkest before the dawn and so it is with the storms of our lives. I believe that we are never given a situation that we cannot handle, and we have more ability and wisdom than we know. It is also within the storms of our lives that our greatest life purpose can be excavated. When Moses was a privileged Egyptian prince, he saw and felt the storm of a people in bondage. His exile from his known life, his storm, allowed him to hear the voice of his God to move into his life purpose as a leader and liberator. Whatever your life purpose is, pay attention to the storms you may find yourself in. It is those storms and the way you process them that may lead you as well to your greatest purpose and destiny.

The following is a passage from our book, Messages to the Heart, Reflections of Beauty and Truth. The Passage from Reflections On Transformation/Change calls on you to see a storm in your life in an empowering way: The passage is paired with Elise Okrend’s original pastel painting, Southern Sky:

A Cycle of Change. A storm can free your desire, your calmness can free your wisdom, your actions can free your destiny.

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Southern Sky by Elise Okrend, www.eliseokrend.com

Messages to the Heart Book Salon at Malaprops Books & Cafe

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Do you want to go deeper, have a dialogue, contemplate what is possible in your life, in the world? If you are in Asheviile, or plan to visit this Fall, please join us at one of our book salons. We meet every other Wednesday through the end of October at Malaprops Books & Cafe from 5-6p.m. We welcome your presence and participation. The next Book Salon will take place on Wednesday, October 14th. Also, we would love your feedback on this blog. Please feel free to add your comments below. We look forward to connecting with you.

Phil & Elise Okrend

You can order the book, Messages to the Heart, Reflections of Beauty and Truth  through our web site , the retail stores listed there including Malaprops, or on Amazon.com

To learn about Phil’s Life Coaching services, visit his coaching page at the Messages to the Heart Website! Take advantage of a 30 minute complimentary coaching session to see how coaching can move you forward in your life and/or career.

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