I’ve been writing about how things really get done. I don’t mean the way the story is told: work hard and you can accomplish anything—I mean how they truly get done. I mean the unexplainable happenings that occur—the ones where we claim all the credit while secretly marveling at how it happened.
I know how it usually looks, but maybe there is something beyond our version of obvious. Maybe there is something else to think here. Maybe there is something else going on.
I used to find it painful to attempt accomplishments when I knew I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M DOING! I used to think that going forward without fear was THE ANSWER, but it takes too much time to get unafraid. It’s easier to go forward in spite of the fear, to go forward with the fear.
Then I thought that going forward in certainty and with bravado was THE ANSWER, but too often certainty eliminates all other options and I miss too much along the way. Certainty might be comforting, but it may not get me where I’m headed. Certainty may feel like a replacement for faith, but it’s not an ideal replacement. Certainty can mask fear and certainty feels powerful. Powerful is much more appealing than “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
My newest favorite prayer:
Lift me from self-limiting, self-destructive knowing and help me invite the unknown, the maybe. Or my more spontaneous version when speaking to myself:
Stop acting like you know everything!
My goal is to go forward in faith. If I’m afraid, then go forward with faith and fear. If I am certain I’m certain, then go forward with faith and some humor about my certainty. My goal is to go forward in faithful unknowing.
Here is an excerpt from my newest book, Your Life Is Your Prayer:
I don’t try to guess what’s behind the next door—
It’s all good, yes all of it’s good.
I’m the last one to know what this life has in store
It’s all good, yes all of it’s good.
We are human and we want and we want to plan and we want to be certain. So what is our job? Our job is to get started. To experiment with not knowing. To find moments of peace from the certainty and worry that we are supposed to know what to do with our lives, when no one ever taught us. Our job is to find a way to peacefully deal with our fear and certainty and get started not being so certain all of the time.
Here is a prayer you might try:
I pray to live my life in the glorious, powerful, divine unknown.
You can find my latest book here:
https://www.amazon.com/Your-Life-Prayer-Spiritual-Everything/dp/1633539709/ref=nodl_
https://m.barnesandnoble.com/w/your-life-is-your-prayer-bj-gallagher/1129825511?ean=9781633539709
Your Life is Your Prayer 