Positioning Ourselves to Receive It

When we lack clarity, there are some things we can do to position ourselves to receive it. These incorporate mindfulness, which helps push confusion aside. Running helter-skelter, without stopping to take a breath tends to leave people breathless, and anxiety-ridden.

Be Willing to See and Listen

A good place to start is stepping back, and assessing the situation. But this does require a willingness to see things as they are, and listening to what we don’t necessarily want to hear. Otherwise, we can be easily blind-sided, which only makes things worse. Honesty with ourselves helps us avoid the pitfalls of self-deception. Unfortunately, the things we want to be true are not always anchored in reality, and reality can be quite cruel. More so, if we refuse to see it.

Stating the obvious, if you don’t properly assess the situation, you will not be able to make the proper adjustments when necessary. Initially, extracting a sliver is uncomfortable; however, it’s far more painful to leave it embedded and allow it fester. Once it’s out, there is relief and comfort. The longer we refuse to see things as they are, the longer relief eludes us. Do you remember all the slivers you’ve pulled out from your feet and fingers during the course of your life? Hmm.

Put Away the Distractions

 Being distracted is the antithesis of mindfulness. That lack of focus only prolongs the agony. It does not help gain clarity. Some use distractions to numb their senses, because of the discomfort associated with the situation. However, self-medication never solves the issue.

Some use busyness as an excuse to avoid facing things head on. Why do people procrastinate? They don’t want to do the “hard things.” Busyness can be a form of procrastination, and used to rationalize lack of progress. Others make themselves busy, because they don’t want to procrastinate. They feel action is always better than inaction.

Thus, they spring into action before knowing exactly what needs to be done. They look like those who find themselves flailing in the deep end of the pool, because they didn’t learn how to swim before making the leap. They find themselves looking for others to rescue them after the fact. Needless to say, it doesn’t make for a very good plan. By the way, others may not know how to swim, nor have a life-line to cast. We cannot always expect others to fix our problems. As the saying goes, ones lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on their part.   

Ask God for Wisdom

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Most importantly, ask God for wisdom. He both knows precisely what is needed, and has made provision for it. This leads us back to the first point: we have to be willing to see what He shows us, and listen to what He has to say.

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