Living Life Poetically: Unanswered Prayers
Reflect on all the things you’ve prayed for that never came to pass–those prayers that seem to have gone unanswered. It’s natural to feel disappointed and unheard. The poem “Unanswered Prayers” addresses those prayers that seem to fall on deaf ears. Unanswered Prayers We don’t always get what we want.Our prayers seem unanswered.Perhaps it’s with good reason, which we cannot see,Our prayers go unrenderedNo matter how many times we are on bended knee. We don’t always get what we want.Our prayers seem undetected.But they are heard and answered indeed.At times, in ways unexpected.In ways we truly need.
The “Life Maze”
There’s a big difference between the maze you see drawn on paper and a physical maze one, typically made out of hedges. Sometimes, when we’re not sure which way to go in life, it helps to imagine our life as a physical maze. This depiction reveals three important realities about life that can help put our uncertainties about which way to go into perspective.
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“If you’re reading this… Congratulations, you’re alive. If that’s not something to smile about, then I don’t know what is.”
“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.”
“Change is hardest at the beginning, messiest in the middle and best at the end.”
“If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake.”
This quote, by Confucius, reminds us that our actual mistakes in life are ones that occur and are never corrected. Not correcting a mistake is what makes it be called a mistake. However, when we correct our mistakes, they are no longer called a mistake. They can then be called a lesson.
“Sometimes failure is the beginning of success.”
This quote comes from a novel by Astrid Scholte. It makes us imagine ourselves accomplishing a particular goal with our first step or attempt being falling flat on our face. It reminds us that sometimes there’ll be failures on our road to whatever destination we’re trying to reach. And sometimes that failure happens at the very beginning. The key is to not take that initial failure as final. It may just be the perfect beginning.
“It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.”
This quote, by Benjamin E. Mays, reminds us that having goals puts us at risk of disappointment, because we may not reach all of them. So we might be tempted to not have any goals at all. If there’s nothing we’re trying to reach, then we’d never have to feel like we’ve fallen short of anything, right? But while we may avoid feeling disappointed, we miss out on the sense of purpose and direction that goals bring. We also miss out on opportunities to learn from where we fell short of our goals.
“The secret of having it all is believing you already do.”
You’ve probably encountered someone who seems to have it all yet they’re generally unhappy. There’s always something else out there they’re chasing after. This quote (author unclear) serves as a great reminder that without contentment, you can never feel like you have it all even if you were to miraculously have it all. The truth is, no one really does have everything–even when you consider all the intangible and tangible things most people need or would want. So, if no one really has “it all”, the feeling like you do is more so a factor of how you perceive what you already have. And that begins with gratitude.
“Being deeply loved gives you strength, while loving deeply gives you courage.”
During challenging times, we may need to lean on loving family and friends for support. Their support gives us strength; and something as simple as a hug or a listening ear can go a long way. So, the idea that being deeply loved gives us strength makes complete sense. However, the idea that loving deeply gives us courage may not be as straightforward. At the heart of the second half of this quote by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzuloving is the fact that loving deeply makes us more selfless. With less focus on ourselves, we can have more care about the wellbeing of those we love. And care for something beyond…
“You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it.”
If you’ve ever thought ‘why me?’ when something bad happens to you or when you realize your situation isn’t quite what you hope, there could be a simple answer to that question. The simple answer could just be because that’s the life you’ve been given. When we’re born, we have no choice over what life we would be given. We have no control over the cards we’ll be dealt. We may not feel like we can change, let alone handle, our life. However, this anonymous quote (possibly by Ain Eineziz) reminds us that whatever life we’re uniquely given is also one we’re strong enough to live. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be…
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.”
Most of us are familiar with the saying about looking at the glass half full or half empty. This anonymous quote is similar in its underlying message. The point is that we can take any event or circumstance and either see the positive or negative. We can complain about everything that’s wrong or try to see the silver lining. If we search hard enough, we will find a silver lining.
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“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.”
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
“Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. When there’s a big disappointment, we don’t know if that’s the end of the story. It may just be the beginning of a great adventure.”
“The soul is stronger than its surroundings.”
Think about your soul. It’s the part of you that is YOU at the core–your essence. It is there on good days and bad days. It is there no matter where you go. And it is there no matter how you look on the outside. This quote, by psychologist and philosopher William James, makes us consider our soul. Moreover, it reminds us of its strength in the midst of whatever surrounding or circumstance we find ourself. And the best part is that its strength can grow with time. The keys to its strength are: Knowing who you area at the core (your soul) and standing confident and firm in who…
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“The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.”
“If you’re reading this… Congratulations, you’re alive. If that’s not something to smile about, then I don’t know what is.”
“You can’t fall if you don’t climb. But there’s no joy in living your whole life on the ground.”
