I came upon a great divide one day. Towering cliffs faced each other, each a world of its own. The people on either side, certain they were right, shouted instructions on which way to go.
I stood at the edge, lost and confused.
Fear appeared beside me, fretting, “What should you choose? Who should you be?”
I couldn’t answer.
Love appeared before me in the open space between. “You’re already you.”
Love held out her hands to me, and as I shifted my weight to take a step, Fear pulled me back. “Don’t go! You’ll fall!” she cried.
Love called me forward. “It’s only an illusion.”
I peered over the edge.
“It’s a long way down,” warned Fear.
“You know your own story,” said Love.
I do.
People called out to me from the left and right, their arms outstretched, waiting for me to fall. I thanked them for their caring.
I searched for my dearest ones in the crowd, and in a language all our own, I told them which way I must go. They already knew.
I took one step into the space between, clear in my intentions.
Fear clung to my sleeve and begged, “Don’t do this!”
Love encouraged me to carry on.
I took another step, clear in my heart. Right and wrong, whole and incomplete, big, small, success, failure fell away until all I saw was the clear, blue sky around me.
“What is this?” I asked.
“It’s foolish is what it is,” shouted Fear from the cliff.
“This is clarity,” said Love.
Fear called me back.
Love called me forward, “Come. This way.”
I took Love by one hand and offered Fear my other. “You can come with us if you’d like.”
Fear hesitated, but even she couldn’t resist the freedom there. She closed her eyes, grabbed my hand, and took her first steps into the unknown, groundless space.
Sometimes the hardest part of making a choice or taking a step is accepting that there will never be one perfect answer.
Not if you measure it against anything on the outside, anyway. The answer is always a paradox (have you ever noticed that?), and someone will always disagree.
This used to scare me.
When I’d reach a great divide, I’d cling to both sides to avoid falling. I never wanted to acknowledge how exhausting this was, but…it was.
Back then, I relied on my own force to keep all the pieces within reach. I thought that’s what “keeping it all together” looked like. I mistook approval for confidence, safety for freedom, and pressure for strength. And every now and then, when I thought I had a handle on it, I’d look up and wonder why I didn’t feel the way I thought I would.
When I reach a great divide now, I still experience fear, but I’ve also learned how to listen for the love. This is what guides me to clarity.
Today, I value true self-expression, authentic expansion, and whole-heartedness. I choose to follow those values at the great divide.
Today, I trust in compassion, curiosity, and taking the most loving action. I choose to lean on that trust at the great divide.
Today, I know the difference between love and fear. I choose to listen for love at the great divide.
And when I do, it’s like stepping out into the clear, blue sky.
Clarify where you’re going and take the loving steps with this free gift:
Clear Yesterday, Clear Tomorrow Bundle
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