Struggling to cross the vast expanse of concrete, an earthworm was attempting to cross the sidewalk. He was inching along, but forward progress was difficult. This little guy is made for smooth dirt, not rough pavement.
From my vantage point, I knew the grass on the other side was where he was headed and I wanted to help him get there easier. Placing him in the grass would be easy for me to do and it’d save him a lot of effort. He could get on with digging in the dirt instead of struggling on the concrete.
When I attempted to pick him up, he didn’t view me as help. He began wriggling every which way trying to escape. He was really hard to get a hold of, but I finally gently got him in my hand. I’m sure he was just reacting and defending himself. He didn’t know that my intention was to take him to a better place. All he saw was he being taken to out of his familiar element to who knows where.
He continued to fight as I gently placed him into a grassy area. Once he realized he was in the grass, he settled down and began to dig into the dirt. He was in his element and could now easily do what he needed to do.
Have you ever experienced this?
I have. I’ve struggled and made slow progress because I wasn’t in the most effective place. Tons of effort was expended with very little results. Why is this so hard? Please send me help! Of course, I’d expect it to be in a particular form; someone to help me, maybe smooth out the sidewalk, give me wheels so I can roll, etc.
True to divine order, help always comes as I least expect it but as I totally need it. It’s that unexpected which catches me off guard. “No I don’t want to do that” or my perennial favorite “I can’t see how that will work out”. I resist what I don’t understand…..
In spite of my verbal and physical protests, I’m just picked up and moved to where I need to be. Just as an earthworm is out of his element being in a closed hand, in the air, so I’m often out of my element when I’m moved. Guess that’s why they call it faith.
And in the perfect time, I’m placed exactly where I need to be and my soul instantly knows it. I’m calm, I feel at home, and fulfilled. I realize this is where I needed to be all along. I just didn’t get here the way I expected.
The lesson for me is this: guidance and help aren’t often what I expect them to be and often take me way out of my comfort zone. Sometimes I’m just picked up and moved. In the end, I am exactly where I need to be.
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