We have all had at some point in our lives that “aha” moment. That jolt of mental lucidity where an epiphany takes place, the mental clouds part and the sunshine of clarity shines through, illuminating an answer. Sometimes the answer is to a question we didn’t even know we were asking.
For me, these moments usually come when I am out for a long bike ride. In moments of prolonged exercise, my mind clears and then begins to wander. Undirected, my thoughts search through the mist of my mind like a heat-seeking missile looking for a target to lock on to. Most of the time, these targets are small and don’t lead to another thought, but every once in a while, they are like a hidden powder keg; once hit, they explode into something larger.
That’s what happened one day recently when both the wheels of my bike and my mind turned steadily and my mental missile found a target.
As often happens with these kinds of clarity explosions, I can’t follow a bread crumb trail back to what initiated the contemplation.
The sun was warm on my face and the gravel crunched steadily under my bike tires when I suddenly thought to myself, “Have I been thinking of my position in life all wrong? What if I’m not the main character?”
What an idea. Me. My. Mine. All those aspects of my life viewed through the first person, but what if the bigger picture wasn’t about me? What if I was a supporting character to another — to the main character?
That idea hit me like a missed baseball, thumping into my chest with a lingering thud. It was the kind of thought that changes your worldview, especially your personal view of yourself. But what did that mean to be a supporting character?
It is human nature to look at our lives, through only our eyes. To consider and focus on our own needs and wants. It is Christian, however, to look at our lives through God’s will, to consider and focus on the needs and wants of others before ourselves. This “aha” moment was humility slapping me in the face. It was saying, “Hey, dummy, quit thinking of what you want to do. You’re here for others, not the other way around.”
I had been focused solely on my desires. Especially when it came to what I wanted my life to look like. I was so busy looking at my future that I had neglected to look toward God and ask Him, “What is Your will, Father?”
Proverbs 3:5-6 clearly tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight”.
I hadn’t been looking to God to make my paths straight; I had been leaning on myself. I was playing the main character, and I had so easily forgotten what we say in the Lord’s Prayer, “… Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
There is peace, however, when we relinquish the lead role and submit ourselves completely to God.
No longer did I need to shoulder the burden of worry and doubt. Jesus had already told me plainly when in Matt. 6:25. He said, “... do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
This is what the Holy Spirit was guiding me to realize; this is what led to my “aha” moment. I was currently looking at life all wrong. Humility was calling me to be a supporting character. The burden of being the star was no longer one that I had to concern myself with. What’s important is that I look to Heaven, to seek out God’s will and put that in focus.
I will always cherish my long bike rides for numerous reasons, but the most fruitful is that it gives me time to let my mind be free of distractions and to open it to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
Sometimes being a strong supporting character is more important than being the lead. God’s will is for us to humble ourselves and accept the supporting role. Humility is a powerful tool. One that when embraced and used correctly has the power to change our worldviews and unite us more completely with the will of God.
This column may include both fiction and nonfiction, and views expressed do not necessarily represent those of The SUN. Submissions can be sent to editor@pagosasun.com.
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