Sunday, May 31, 2009

Time to Go Shopping!

Have you ever slipped on your favorite sweater and realize that it’d gotten too small? At first you figure you could make due and wear it anyway. But as the day wears on, you notice the sleeves keep riding up, it begins to itch around the neck and you find yourself constantly tugging on it and pulling it down at the waist. By the end of the day, your once-favorite sweater has fallen out of favor.
I compare situations in life to that once-favorite sweater. Sometimes you just simply outgrow them. Maybe it’s a relationship that is no longer giving you what you need, but is instead sucking life out of you. Maybe it’s a job that refuses to recognize your talents and giftings. Whatever the circumstance, you’ve become increasingly uncomfortable and can no longer ‘go along just to get along’. What’s the solution? Remember that the relationship or the circumstance did meet a need at one time, so you should try to transition with grace. You shouldn’t cuss out your boyfriend or walk out on your job without proper notice (although you may feel like it). The better way to handle the transition is to acknowledge the role it played, appreciate it for what it provided and move on. It may not be that easy and may take a process. But like that once-favorite sweater, another relationship or another job opportunity will come along and when it does, you just may realize that you wore that sweater way too long!