To ask what something means takes courage. The something can be anything: an event, a feeling, an encounter with another person, or a message. And messages come in so many different ways: through a song, a poem, a movie, a picture, a conversation, an intuition, a thought out of nowhere, or through an event, a feeling or an encounter with another person.

Yes, that did just circle around to what I had already said. The point is, we are constantly coming into contact with new “stuff” that is different or different enough from what we have encountered before. To ask what it means takes courage. And we know why it takes courage even though most of the time we are not willing to say it out loud.

If we ask about the meaning of something in our lives, we find ourselves standing right at the gateway between where I am now and some new way of being in the world that we don’t know much if anything about. To ask about the meaning of a thing opens that gate and it invites us to change. In fact, it might just demand that we change. 

It is the exceptional person who does not face change with some fear and hesitation. Here’s what I’m beginning to learn about change. When the possibility of change presents itself to us especially because we have asked about the meaning of a thing, we never take a step without the resources showing up within us and around us to help us navigate the change. When we begin to step through that gate of change, it might feel like we are about to jump out of a plane, but the parachute is already open, already helping us sail into this new way of being. 

Resistance to inquiring into the meaning of a thing can be incredibly strong. And, it’s perfectly fine to stand at that gate and take some deep breaths for a while. But, the question of meaning and the risk of change are profound signs of the work of Spirit helping us to engage with our life’s journey. 

~Robert Patrick

If these kinds of questions and experiences sound familiar, you might find spiritual direction a good way to explore them.  Here’s how to get started.