Last week we talked about when you have to leave everything behind and start all over again. Thomas compared it to leaving your comfort zone, which is exactly what it is. It’s just like leaving the Garden of Eden or leaving your homeland, where everything is familiar to you, to go out into the wilderness.
The wilderness is where your real life begins. Where you go out and all on your own, you build a life for yourself.
Today, we’re going to talk about why you’re not excited to do that.
When The Rules of Our Lives Change
There was this ginormous golden doodle named Broodie. When he was a little puppy, it was time for him to stop nursing from his mommy and start eating solid food on his own. So he’s trying to nurse on his mommy, but do you see how his mommy is trying to stop him? She won’t let him.
She’s like, “No.”
He’s like, “Hey, I know what I want— I want to nurse.”
She’s like, ‘No.’
He’s like, ‘Yeahh—!”
She’s like, ‘No.”
He knows how and where to get milk. From his mommy. But she’s forcing him to be on his own. That’s just like us.
We don’t like it when suddenly the rules of our lives change— and now where do I get food? Where do I get money? Where do I live?
Life just stops us in our tracks and says, “You’re done!” But there’s no instruction manual for the wilderness. You just get booted out of how you’ve always done things— and boom! It’s not that way anymore. Sorry. Time’s up. You’re out.
Garden of Eden
When Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden of Eden, they had no idea where to get food. They always just picked it off the trees. There were no fruit trees in the wilderness. Just thorns and cactus.
They’re like, “Well, what do we do now?”
And that’s probably where you find yourself— when overnight— life as you know it is over.
When It’s Over
Write down in your journal a time when…. life as you knew it was suddenly over. For example:
That’s it. Sorry, ________. I want a divorce.
Or, that’s it. Sorry. You need to move out of your house.
That’s it. Sorry. You’re fired.
That’s it. Sorry. You need to make your own money now.
That’s it. Sorry. We’re closed. You have to find somewhere else to go.
The Primary Reason It’s So Hard To Move On
When life as you know it, is suddenly over and you hear those words, “That’s it. Sorry.” That’s why you’re not excited to go build a life for yourself.
When you get fired from your job, you’re usually not thinking, “Oh great! Now I can find a better job!” Instead, you’re thinking, “Oh crap. How am I gonna pay rent?” The first thing that comes to mind is your loss, not your opportunity. Please write that in your journal.
What comes to my mind is my loss, not my opportunity.
What Everyone Else Is Thinking
Let me tell you what everyone else is thinking. The person who fired you, or evicted you, or broke up with you— they’re thinking, “What were you thinking? Do you think this gravy train was going to last forever?”
Did you really think— you’d be at this job forever?
Did you really think— you’d be married forever?
Did you really think— you’d be happy forever?
Everything in life has an expiration date and it’s time, my baby love, for you to be out on your own. To provide for yourself. To stop relying on others or relying on this job or relying on your marriage to take care of you. Get out there and start walking on your own two feet.
It’s shocking to find yourself in this position. It goes against your understanding of how things have always worked. Just like the puppy dog. He’s a puppy. That’s his mommy. What do ya mean, I can’t nurse on you?
What the puppy doesn’t know— that his mommy does know— is that he’s not going to be small forever.
He’s going to be very big, very soon. But the puppy doesn’t know that. He only knows that he’s small.
Growing Up
Your mommy, who is God, knows— that you are going to be very big, very soon. But you still think you’re small. You have no idea that you’re not going to be small, forever. You have no clue, how big you’re going to be.
Remember what you wrote in your journal before?
What comes to my mind is my loss, not my opportunity.
Please add the word, “because” and then these sentences. So it should read:
What comes to my mind is my loss, not my opportunity, because… I still think I’m small. I have no idea how big I’m going to be, very soon.
