In my experience, I have found when things happen that are of my control happen, that a loving God is doing for me what I can not do for myself. I am being protected from what I can not see down the road. In my experience, I have come to recognize that I do no have the big picture. In my experience, I have come to realize that I can trust a loving God with the BIG Picture. Past experience has taught me that I when I let go of things that are out of my control, I am able to put the focus on what I can control. What I can control is:

I can admit my powerless. I can ask for help. I can look for solutions. I can do the footwork. I can trust the process. I can let go of outcomes. I can move forward. I can trust a loving God. I can trust that more will be revealed to me in time. I can trust that the pieces of the puzzle will come together.

Update and Lesson:

I woke early this morning and God provided some one to push my car forward, down a small hill. I released the clutch and whalla, my Honda started up – standard gears. I drove to the garage and my friend and mechanic replaced the clutch pedal stopper – that apparently communicates with the working of the car that there is indeed a clutch. After my mechanic put in the new stopper, my Honda started up like new. What my experience reinforced was that a loving God supplies my needs and uses kind people to help me on my way.

I am glad that I did not spend time and energy fretting over what was out of my control. I am glad that I decided to instead focus on what I could accomplish. I am glad that I trusted the process.

In the event that things come up in your life that are unexpected my friend, my encouragement to you would be – as I need to encourage myself — let go and surrender to what is out of your control. Move on. Take the focus off of what is out of your control. Put the focus on what you can do with your time. Move forward. Look for solutions. Do the footwork. Let go of outcomes. Trust that a loving God will supply your needs and use kind people to help you on your way. Trust that more will be revealed to you in time. Enjoy the process.

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My Experience

As is my habit, after getting what I wanted to accomplish with my daily projects, I went to go to work out. Before leaving the community I stopped to check my mail box. After checking my mailbox, I got back into my car, put the key in the ignition and expected the car to start. Low and behold, instead I saw all the the various dashboard lights come on and stay solid. Was not some thing I was expecting. I turned the car off and then tried to turn the key with the same result. At that time some one drove up to the mailbox and offered a jump.

The battery jump did not work and then some one else came over to get there mail and I asked them if they knew much about cars. They were kind enough to help me the best way possible, but did not change the situation. These two individuals kindly helped me to push my car into a empty space. I then went to the community office and was able to call my mechanic. He told me that the issue could be attributed to 2 things. A small part the size of a dime (an inexpensive fix) or a bad starter needing to be replaced (an expensive fix).

To make a long story short my mechanic — told me that if I found blue crystal type pieces under the clutch pedal on the floor board, that would indicate the small part. If not, the starter would need to be replaced. I went back to the car and with a flashlight looked under the clutch pad on the floor board, and found the blue crystal type pieces present. A good sign. Tomorrow I will jump start my car and head over to the mechanic. I am glad that I stopped at the mail box and not some where down the road. I believe this was intervention.

In my experience, I have come to recognize that when I surrender to — or accept — what is, what is out of my control I have peace in my life. On the other hand, in my experience, I have come to recognize that when I do not surrender to — or accept — what is out of my control, I do not have peace in my life.

Please read the conclusion in  Part 2 of this article, by clicking on this link. Thank you. A Clutch Pedal Stop, A Starter and Trusting the Process Part 2.

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“In today’s article, I want to share some thing with you that helps me to remember to be kind to myself. As you watch this video presentation may you too remember to be kind to yourself.

For many years of my life I berated myself for not being enough. I chided myself for not being enough because I did not live up to expectations – other people’s expectations and my expectations. For many years I used my sense of not being enough as a reflection of not merely making mistakes – for not measuring up to expectations — but of being a mistake. Consequently, in my quest to eliminate my sense of being a mistake, I was driven to do more, to be more, in an attempt to be enough, however more never seemed to be enough.”

To watch the video presentation of the article, please click on the following link Forgiving Yourself and Finding Freedom Video Presentation

In the event that you would like to read the article, in addition to watching and listening to the article, please click on the following link. Forgiving Yourself and Finding Freedom

As you watch, listen to or read the article and questions come to mind, please send those questions to me my friend. All questions are good questions. In the event that you would like to leave a comment, I would love to hear from you. You may leave your question or comment by clicking on this link:  Contact Page

I look forward to hearing from you.

Have a great day.

Craig

You may send your question or comment to me by clicking on this link: Contact Page

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For many years of my life I berated myself for not being enough. I chided myself for not being enough because I did not live up to expectations – other people’s expectations and my expectations. For many years I used my sense of not being enough as a reflection of not merely making mistakes – for not measuring up to expectations — but of being a mistake. Consequently, in my quest to eliminate my sense of being a mistake, I was driven to do more, to be more, in an attempt to be enough, however more never seemed to be enough.

Because I did not just feel like I made mistakes, but that I was a mistake, I lived with a sense of urgency in my attempt to prove that I was enough. I saw efforts to be more as an indication that my efforts were failures, which left me feeling like I perpetually failed in my attempts to be enough. In my urgency, I did not give myself the chance to relish in or celebrate what I was learning through what I viewed as failures. Through my process I discovered that my perceived failures were meant to be empowering opportunities, not punitive in nature; to harass and belittle me. 

Through my process, I discovered that I needed to lighten up on myself. I discovered that I needed to change the way in which I responded to what transpired to my living, moving and having my being.

Earlier today I read something in one of my daily meditation readers that I would like to share with you. The excerpt from this reader reinforces what I have shared in this article. Life’s experiences, lessons and opportunities are about grooming and teaching us things – to empower our process – not to point out where we have not measured up. By embracing –  my circumstances, lessons and opportunities –  instead of using them to berate, scold and chide my process — I am able to experience the freedom to forgive myself.

By forgiving myself — instead of berating, scolding and chiding myself – I am able to find the freedom to see things in a new light. By forgiving myself, I am able to find the freedom to make new choices.  

“You don’t have to hold your mistakes against yourself any longer. You don’t have to deprive yourself of comfort, joy, love and acceptance. It’s much easier to say, I made a mistake. This isn’t right for me. I don’t like this. This is wrong. Then forgive yourself.

Forgive yourself if you’ve done something wrong. Forgive yourself even if you haven’t done some thing wrong. Then see how good forgiveness feels. Forgive yourself and be free.”

Journey to the Heart – Daily Meditations on the Path to Freeing Your Soul Melody Beattie — Forgiving Yourself May 13 page 139. 

You may send your question or comment by clicking on the following link:  Contact Page

You may send your question or comment to me by clicking on this link: Contact Page

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“I am a traumatic brain injury survivor, but I am not my brain injury. Society may put me in a box through stigmatization, but I do not have to live in that box. People may want to dismiss, discount, minimize and marginalize who I am, but I do not have to be limited by short sightedness. Instead, I am free to fly like a bird out of a cage that has been opened for me by my acceptance of who I am as a uniquely qualified  individual.”

To watch the video presentation of this article, please click on the following link. Thank you. Second Chance to Live, Thoughts and Quotes to Inspire Video Presentation

In the event that you would also like to read the article, please click on the following link Second Chance to Live, Thoughts and Quotes to Inspire

I will say so long for now. Have a great day.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Craig

You may send your question or comment to me by clicking on this link: Contact Page

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All material presented on Second Chance to Live is copyright and cannot be, copied, reproduced, or distributed in any way without the express, written consent of Craig J. Phillips, MRC, BA Creative ,  Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs CC BY-NC-ND