Author: Lisa Hromada, Writer, Author, Speaker – LoveIsTheSeed.com

My heart raced as I ran through the London airport to catch the connecting flight from Paris —the last flight of the day heading home to the States.

Twenty years old at the time, this was something I had gotten somewhat accustomed to over the past several weeks traveling through parts of Paris — running in pursuit of finding my way to the comfort and safety of something familiar.

While in Paris I had also nearly missed the last train of the night, which would have left me stranded alone with no other way to get back to the apartment I was staying.

Other times, I found myself running from metro to metro and taking unfamiliar streets in search of a specific destination, often questioning myself and feeling unsure in my direction.

And now here I was running through an airport to catch the last flight out.

Embrace the Detours

As I reflect on this particular time in my life — ambitiously running toward a desired destination, wandering all-new paths and streets, always feeling a little behind, a little lost and a little unsure of myself and the world around me — I believe it is a suitable analogy for what we experience in our life.

We pursue finding our unique place in the world, wondering what God wants from us, how we are a part of some sort of bigger plan, and what we are actually capable of being, doing and having in our life.

While it would be nice to always have a smooth and direct path to our goals and desired destinations, sometimes the small detours (the unexpected challenges) along the way are required to further experience not only our own capabilities, perseverance and faith in ourselves, but our faith in God to provide the modes of transportation.

Sometimes it will be one fast-track metro to a direct stop; and sometimes we are required to go by foot, taking the journey step-by-step, and at times needing to pause and ask for direction, so that we can experience something that will ultimately awaken us more to our own magnificence and abilities, and our place in God’s plan. 

In nearly all religious and spiritual teachings from both Eastern and Western traditions, we are reminded that while we may not always know where our journey will lead us, we can have faith that there is a special purpose for us, and we are being guided to gain the experience needed to fulfill this purpose.

A Clearer Path Begins with Balancing These Two Things

Each come into this life with a certain level of knowing.

This knowing does not mean that we always know where to go, what to do and what paths to take to get to our desired destination; it means that there is a knowing deep within us of where we’ve been, the general direction we should go and that we don’t walk the journey alone.

I believe that to find our way onto more clearly guided paths, we are required to find the balance between two things:

1) taking action: intuitively move in the direction of what we want or feel called to do, and

2) allowing the space for God’s work through us; to help us see our way past our challenges and allow God to take care of the circumstances beyond our control.

As you mindfully allow this loving grace to walk with you each day, you experience greater flow.

And the easiest way to begin is to simply ask yourself where you can take action toward what you want and what is out of your control.

This practice requires that you take action where you can and then allow the outcome to be what it will.

Doing so takes a significant amount of stress off of you because all that you are required to do is your part — to go about your day with purpose, determination and faith, and then allow the rest to find its place in God’s plan.

In this way, you’re not frantically running toward that next desired destination or wandering unfamiliar paths feeling lost, alone or unsure of yourself and the world around you; but you’re courageous in the steps that you can take as you gain the experience needed to fulfill a special purpose, and confident that the rest that is out of your control is always divinely taken care of for your highest benefit.

“Believe firmly in your ability to influence (not force change upon) your present moment, and simultaneously surrender to the divine guiding energy found within.” — Lisa Hromada, The Sacred Truth of You