It won’t always be this way, but it is this way now

Setting the world on fire comes with risks.

Unfortunately, we usually don’t realize this until there’s so much smoke we can’t see straight.

Some say that stress has a purpose, that it’s an alarm clock meant to wake us up so we pay attention to what’s going on in our life.

In the heat of things, you may find yourself forcing things to look like they used to, demanding they turn out a certain way.

Or you might wash your hands off them altogether, disengaging with a shrug and a why-bother.

Both reactions are a form of resistance, a refusal to look at things as they are and what they might be trying to teach you (even if it’s only that it’s stupid and pointless and that you’ve reached a dead end). Each is a defensive stance in the face of a change you neither wanted nor expected.

Frustration is normal, and very, very real. But if you let the fire take charge, you’ll rage at the slightest provocation. If you let the fire rule, no amount of sleep will ease your mind and you’ll dread every what-if. If you let the fire lead, nothing will satisfy you because you don’t know what’s really wrong to begin with.

If you set the world on fire, you’ll give in to the ultimate seduction, that the fire is forever.

Don’t fall for it. Slow down, step back, and take a moment to let the smoke clear.

In a calmer state of mind, you can let your frustrations breathe but not take charge.

It won’t always be this way, but it is this way now.

And since it is this way now, you can accept it and begin to move forward.

Do what needs to be done, in this situation, for this task, in this season of life, because now is not forever.

It won’t always be this way, but it is this way now.

Onward.