Breaking Better

“I wasn’t naturally a tenderloin—not born perfect and rich. I was spawned more a round steak. To make me tasty, I had to be marinated, pounded, stripped, cooked slowly and seasoned greatly.” Bo Sebastian

            I wonder how hard it is to sustain training for years as an athlete, then have a major break or injury, soon to come back from that injury and compete again and actually win gold, as is the story of many Olympic athletes.

            We tend to believe that when we fail it is a devastating blow at all levels. We wonder if we could ever get our lives back together. We imagine if we could ever come back from things like bankruptcy, business failure, or the loss of a job.  And even worse when we fall from grace with messy divorces, drug addiction, alcoholism and spiritual tyranny, does this mean we will never find our way back to the light?

            Certainly not. This is just fodder for our personal growth? Don’t we just set ourselves up for the welcoming arms of a loving Father-Mother God who can’t help but to smile when we open our hearts for the greatest lessons of our lives? “Welcome home, my loving son or daughter!”

            I look back at my own life and remember what has made me the man I’ve become. Had I not failed and walked a million miles in the garments of so many different emotions, I would never had the tenacity and compassion to help the people I coach now. Every moment that I had been broken and then healed, I remember as if it were yesterday. I know what it took to heal: the strength, the moxie, the spiritual depth, and the friendships and family support to move back into life with grace. No life is without falls and breaks. But the best lives and the greatest stories are the trips back from the falls.

            “Today, make my life a testament. Find me in the place I am and lead me home, whatever that means, oh Great Spirit. I want to be Whole!”