An Answer Dressed in Unexpected Attire

We live in a very tense society. 

We are pulled apart...

and we all need to learn how to pull ourselves together....

I think that at least part of the answer lies in solitude. 

~Helen Hayes

Spirit is always trying to connect with us to offer guidance and support.  Divine Wisdom can come to us in many forms: praying, reading, singing, meditating, artistic expression, or simply listening in silence.

There are times when we are in need of solution, and unfortunately our expectations take the form of rigidity.

We are waiting for an exact response affirming what we seek.  It simply doesn't work that way. 

We sometimes say, "I never received an answer," when the truth is we received an answer we did not want to hear or we asked then neglected to listen.  I believe it is Garth Brooks who said, "Some of the best gifts have been unanswered prayers." 

Through hindsight, we all can recall a time we prayed so hard for something or wished upon a star ... every night ... never receiving the anticipated response.  In time, we realized that had prayer been affirmed, we would have missed out on something much more meaningful than our original request.

So how do we know the answer to our questions?  Spend some time in solitude, even if it is only a small segment of our day.  Do not be so rigid in our expectations that we entirely miss an answer dressed in unexpected attire.

What is that old joke about the drowning man.  A life guard tries to save him, but the man sends him away shouting, "I am a Christian and God will save me!"  Then a boat comes by with the captain offering a life jacket, but again the drowning man, going under for the second time, sends the boat away, certain that God will save him.  Lastly, a helicopter drops a rope pleading with the man to grasp for safety.  As the man goes under the water for the third and last time, he drowns.  He awakens to find himself at the pearly gates facing St. Peter demanding to know why God did not save him as he was a faithful Christian man.  St. Peter responded, "God sent you help three times!"

When we find our selves drowning in our own issues, desperately in need of rescue, pay close attention to the unexpected opportunities presenting themselves.  We can collect a variety of ideas and open our heart as we sit in solitude fitting the unlikely pieces together.