Standing on the edge

Are you afraid to take the leap? Are you afraid to take the step to what comes next? I know the feeling, but there is no walking on the fence. It is a choice that only you can make. Yes, someone can push you, but you will find yourself back on the edge once again. Today it is about taking the step that you have to take to be free from the fears, from the things holding you back and seeing that there is life to be had, even after you take the step.

I have found in order to forgive others, we must forgive ourselves first, we must take the step that will set us free from the pain and fear. It is time to learn how to love, learn how to be free. It is a simple, but complicated thing. But just think it is only as complicated as you make it. Do you want to be stuck in the same place? Or is it time to move forward?

We can lead others to the water, but to make them drink is another thing. It is like a story I read and I will try to capture it here.

A man found himself trudging one day through the stark, bone dry desert in the blazing sun. As he walked for hours and hours on end, he became parched and dehydrated because of the blistering sun and unrelenting heat. The miles and miles of sand offerent no moisture for him, and, as he crested every sand dune hoping to see even a tiny puddle of water, the desert only offered him more dry sand and more blazing heat to deal with.
Finally, after miles and miles of miserable journey, he was about to drop and give up, but crested a dune and saw a most blessed sight. A few feet away, stuck in the middle of the sand, was an old fashioned, hand operated water pump. As he staggered over to the old rusty pump, with its long, metal handle and curving spout, he noticed that a message was stuck to it. He reached up and removed the withered paper message that had been browned by years in the hot sun and read it. It said…

“If you are reading this, I assume that you are interested in obtaining water from this pump. At the moment the pump is not primed and will yield no water to you, no matter how hard you pump it. But, do not fret. If you follow my EXACT directions and trust me, you will obtain an endless supply of water that will fill you until you can drink no more. Please take note of the following. If you dig directly down at the base of the pump for one foot, you will find a pint of water in a glass bottle. DO NOT DRINK THIS WATER. You must use every drop of this water to prime the pump. Once you have dug up the bottle, remove the cork and pour exactly half of the water over the leather seal that connects the pump handle to the stem of the spout. Currently , this seal will not work because the hot sun has dried it out. Once it is wet again it will swell and retain its seal. It will take exactly half of the water from the bottle to be poured on the leather seal for it to swell enough to work again. Next, pour the rest of the water down the front spout of the pump to prime the pipe to the underground well. This will provide the proper suction and will begin the process of drawing water once you start pumping. Again, do not drink the water in the bottle, but use it for this process!!! Once the water begins to flow again, drink until your heart is content then refill the bottle and bury it back in the sand for the next person to use when their time comes and they are thirsty. Do not be tempted to drink the limited amount of water in the bottle and exclude yourself and everyone else from the endless supply of water that could be yours if you follow these directions. Trust me.”are lost.

Life is so much the same way, we have an endless well available to us, but we have to have a little faith to prime the pump with the one choice to change. What would you do? Do you have enough faith that the note is right and are you willing to take the step? Today it is about that choice. Don't wait for the right time, because it is time, time for change, time for a refreshing drink of water. Take the step of faith and see life is worth it. All you need is a little faith.