Chappy’s On Eagle’s Wings
Try Something New!
Ron Ringo
With the ushering in of the New Year and the recent Inauguration of President Obama, we see how most of us get very excited with the opportunity of experiencing something new. A start-over, or new look with different eyes. If you, like me, are tired of dealing with the same old thing over and over, maybe it is time for us to try something new.
We all have little frustrations and difficulties that tend to just ruin our day when they really shouldn’t have that kind of power. Why do we allow the anger, hurt or other nonproductive responses to control so much of our lives? I know I can get wrapped around the axle whenever I feel something is unfairly done to another person or to me. As often happens, I came across a story years ago that has helped me in this area and I wanted to share it with you to address this issue.
Year after year, an old farmer planted and plowed around a large rock in his field. His experience with rocks over time had taught him it would be a most difficult obstacle to remove. Even after breaking several plowshares and a cultivator against the stone, he continued to work around it. He grew rather accustomed to this enemy in the field. And, then, one day he lost another plowshare to the rock. Remembering all the problems it had caused him through the years, he finally decided to take action. Putting a crowbar under the stone, he discovered to his surprise that the “foreboding rock” was only a few inches thick and could easily be broken with a sledgehammer. Hauling the crushed pieces away, he smiled sadly as he reflected on all the trouble the rock had given him and how he could have gotten rid of it years ago. His life’s labor was much easier now that the rock had been removed.
Life for you and me can also be so much easier when we remove the rocks of our pride, the stones of our anger and resentments, and the boulders of our bitterness from pains, hurts and frustrations. If we refuse to supplant many of our “rocks”, they may actually become bigger and bigger over time. The more we allow our habits, especially not so good habits, to become entrenched in our lives, the more difficult they become to remove.
Like the farmer in the story, when we have stones of frustration rearing their ugly heads in our day to day lives, and we start to give in to anger, pride, hurt and revenge, may we use the crowbar of our courage to wedge underneath our debilitating weaknesses, remember to face our own faults, and to look past grudges.
It is true, that some of our rocks may be very difficult. Some may seem somewhat impossible to overcome or remove. Stories such as the old “Hatfields and McCoys”, remind us that many feuds, fights and grudges can develop from our reactions to a given situation. Some of these struggles can last for more than one life span, going from one generation to another. Do we contribute to this in our circle of influence?
We now all have the challenge to honestly look at, and face, the boulders in our lives responsibly and, in my opinion, prayerfully. Then it is our job to do all we can to remove these pebbles, stones, rocks and boulders from our lives. We are the ones who allow our actions to become a part of our makeup and often control much of our behavior.
We know that the solutions are not normally very easy to determine and it can be more difficult to remove those rocks when we have let them become embedded. However, it is equally as frustrating and difficult to only work around them. Our lives can be much easier and have much more joy and happiness, when we purge our souls of all these destructive stones to which we tend to cling.
I don’t know why it seems so hard at times to really let go, but I know that when we do, and when I actually have, life becomes more peaceful and daily activities are more consistently enjoyable. Much like the swearing in of the first African-American President, once thought close to impossible, we too can reach new horizons in our life to move beyond our embedded obstacles. It is my prayer that you find this in your life. Never be afraid to try something new. “Remember that amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.” It is my hope that this message will help you this week to, “mount up as on eagle’s wings”, and renew a little of your strength to keep moving forward and find joy…(Isaiah 40:31)
Until next week, may God bless you and may God continue to bless our great nation… SEMPER FI
Chaplain Ringo, is the Command Chaplain at MCRD H&S BN, holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Counseling, and is a Certified Trauma Specialist.
Chaplain Ringo is a good friend and supporter of HealthWalk’s. We are grateful that he is working with us on our integrated total health approach to enhancing and restoring our veterans’ resilience for re-engagement and for their transition from the high operational tempo back to their families and civilian life.