For the last week, Caterpillars kept showing up in or outside my apartment. This conspicuous sign arrived around the time I got the sense my soul required cocooning. My word of the year had seemingly sent my system into a shocking need for inner cultivation—especially after I fell backward into old habits for comfort and consolation to my painful grief and depression.
In the past, I have had words find me — in a serendipitous manner with a lace of intuition. This year was no exception as my favorite poet and artist, Morgan Harper Nichols, created an Instagram Reel of suggested words for the year. A screenshot determined my word this year, but I am certain it was meant for me (even if it were a millisecond between my word and another.)
I was clouded with so many fearful thoughts of the future, the what-ifs and I can’ts and worry-mixed-with-doubt. It was hard to gain clarity and even find out the truth in God’s sight: what is the best decision and next-right-thing? If only I could see through the fear, I pondered; what would that feel like? A sigh of relief, a breath of fresh air, and peace? Likely all of the above.
Discernment is a tool in our spiritual arsenal – one of the Holy Spirit gifts to us. It guides us to the will of God, which is to say the best possible outcome for us.
When our foundation is made of fear and ego-based thoughts, we are more apt to fall through the quicksand of life's eruptions.
After so many sinking moments in my life, I saw that I needed something to hold onto. Hope seemed to only settle my heart momentarily. Because ultimately hope isn't faith.
Like Jim Carrey says, "Hope is a beggar." It breeds the same kind of fear resistance that our ego loves to hang onto, because it doesn't require any action on our part.
Problems sculpt us because they force us to grow. Our soul is here to experience expansion (or we wouldn't be having this human experience). If our purpose is to evolve into our true selves, then problems are imperative. Which is precisely why we must see problems as opportunities rather than set backs.
Opportunities to gain deeper understanding of ourselves and others, opportunities to practice forgiveness on ourselves and others, opportunities to rise beyond limiting belief systems and old patterns. And in the case of today's post: opportunities to deepen our spiritually.
I am a week out from the incomparable Global Leadership Summit; when Bill Hybels spoke on the topic of legacy, I immediately thought of my late grandfather, Robert Amento who wrote: Want to be humbled? Ponder how the world will consider your legacy.
Leading with love takes commitment, perseverance, self sacrifice and above all, passion. Bill shared his philosophy on the four lenses of great leadership. On some level, we are all leaders. Each of us motivates, inspires and mobilizes others in some capacity, be it in our homes, communities or workplaces.
I felt the passion in my heart quadruple as I saw the many facets that are combined to create an effective leader. Leading with the passion in my heart must flow to every part of my life; this became abundantly clear after the leadership summit.
My mother once told me, "Kari, you're never happy. You are always searching for something better or waiting for the greener grass." In that moment, I felt like I'd been turned upside-down and shaken until my deepest, darkest shortcoming fell out. And that shortcoming was staring me dead in the face. It was my very search for happiness that prevented me from ever being happy. But let us first examine this word. The Webster definition of happiness is: feeling pleasure or enjoyment because of your life, situation, ect. Dictionary.com says: delighted pleased or glad as over a particular thing.
