THIS KNOWING
Ironically, though my passion is creating beauty in this physical dimension, I am obsessed with the unseen world.
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The first snow drives the Loons to the water to fish. Standing on the shoreline it’s impossible to see even two feet beneath the dark water. But somehow the Loons know. To watch the black and white tufts of feathers gliding on the surface, then suddenly rolling under to snatch their breakfast, is mesmerizing.
This sensing without seeing. This instinct to respond to what is felt even before visual validation, is what keeps them alive.
There has been much said about acting too quickly. But what of the possibility that we act too slow?
WYKYK. When You Know You Know.
You see it everywhere on the internet. But what of its power in your life?
This Knowing has as much to do with listening to the quiet whispers inside of us, as it does with concrete facts.
Is it possible we are so concerned over having all the information that we do nothing at all?
I draw a circle on paper and from top to center carve a little slice. This is “What I know that I know,” depicted by a tiny portion of my spherical universe. Then, I draw the next slice and widen it just a little, naming it, “Things I know I don’t know.” What remains before me is two-thirds of an empty circle. This, most of my lived reality, is the space that represents, “What I don’t know that I don’t know.”
I have come to a crossroads of beautiful surrender to the reality that I understand so little about this life. But I will gladly trade the need for being an expert of the world for being a student of myself—
When we become obsessed with knowing all the details,
When we wait until every answer is made known,
We fail to capture the moments set before us,
And stifle the wisdom that comes from within.
There is nothing more profound than being startled by some small or grand wisdom that comes out of you, that you didn’t know was there.
Over the last three years I have poured myself into learning everything I can about how to heal the body of cancer. And I have watched as others, like me, ravenously devour the stories of other patients’ journeys, then become confused by infinite information and conflicting advice.
But I have learned that the secret to my healing won’t come from knowing everything—
It will come from knowing myself.
How often do you dismiss the messages that originate from within you?
How often do you act exactly opposite of what you’ve told yourself is right?
When we fail to trust our own judgement,
When we acquiesce to popular opinion or the loudest external voice,
We rob ourselves of a supernatural power that is intended to direct our paths.
Falling into the category of “Things you didn’t know that you didn’t know,”—
A fish can swim up to 70 miles per hour.
On that fact alone we would make the assumption that a Loon could never catch his meal.
But that little Loon doesn’t look around when he’s hunting, to see what the other ducks will do.
Instead, he calls upon an on-board system, placed there for one exquisite purpose—that is, to survive.
What leads you forward? The power that is within you, or some hollow fascination with other people’s lives?
It has occurred to me more than once along this surprising journey that the life that was intended for me is discovered in the vast and endless territory of learning to trust myself.
We name it “intuition” but it’s so much more than that—
It’s a calling upon of our experience,
It’s a remembering what we’ve learned,
It’s taking in the testimony of another,
It’s believing we have a Mighty Counselor [within us] that calls upon us to be bold.
NOTES:
The past three years have been mostly lived in the land of surprises, a territory that was virtually untamed. I had little mastery of the subject [cancer] and yet I had big decisions to make.
Of course, I did my research. But doing too much of it risks living out the adage of, “the confused mind says no.” I’ve watched the reality of this statement play out in the lives of those around me. Ironically, sometimes the more we know about something, the less we are likely to make any decision at all.
I took the liberty of joining two of our Creator’s given names [Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God] in the ending line above for a reason. As we draw nearer to Christmas it seems not only appropriate, but necessary, to speak of Him as not only Protector but Master in everything about my life.
Here’s what we can all claim whether we know Him intimately or not:
We come to this planet with an onboard system, This Knowing that is inexplicable, is present in all creation. The human species questions its authenticity and then diminishes its purpose in our lives. Yet, in the animal kingdom it frames every aspect of existence without conscious awareness, without question.
We call this, “Instinct.” Perhaps what we witness [Loons fishing on the lake] is more sacred…and sovereign than we know.
Our Creator will never hide the truth from me…from you.
When you question the reality of your situation,
seek the answers in the unexpected, unseen, unfamiliar places.
This is where you will meet Him. In this quieting of all other voices He dwells.
Isaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.
