In the Absence of …

At times a course is charted as much by the absence of something as by the presence of something.

Poets and philosophers have thought long and hard about ‘the road not taken’ or the search for the missing ‘something’ leading to something entirely different being found.

We don’t have to write in rhyme or become Sherlock Holmes to understand that sometimes the most significant thing in life happens or is found in the absence of …

I have an astrophysicist daughter who explores this concept in her ongoing research and discovery of the power of black holes. She explains that whereas we think black holes are large areas of nothingness, the opposite is quite true!

To those of us who don’t traipse through the galaxies via telescopes, our idea of a black hole is the dryer that steals half of our favorite pair of socks or the car that needs one repair after another while on its last good tire. Our telescope’s focus tends to land on what’s missing. The sock or the cold hard cash.

In faith-based coaching there is always another focus. It’s the one I like to bring into the mix every chance I get because it is where life and wisdom and clarity and hope and encouragement come from:

In the absence of … (you fill in the blank),
what has God allowed or brought forward
to fill up the space created by that absence?

When we get hung up on what we don’t have we can overlook and even miss the very thing we do have.

Lack of focus on a God who cares about the expression of our life and desires to be a part of it may lead us to perceive large areas of nothingness in our life. That, my friend, couldn’t be farther from the truth!

There is not one of us relegated to living a mis-perceived ‘black hole’ life.

It’s one of the reasons I love to share elements of the Listen To My Life visual life maps with ones who are charting the course of transition now or “I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.” The maps are a wonderful resource for helping discover and embrace this life given us by the One who loves us.

For those of you in the local Spokane or surrounding area, you are invited to join me and others this Thursday, December 3 from 6:30-8:30 pm for a complimentary acquaintance with the maps. All the details are here: Listen To My Life introductory evening.

If not in the area but interested in learning more about how  you can experience Listen To My Life, I invite you to contact me. I welcome a good chat about one of my favorite living life forward tools.

~ Nancy

Photo credit: http://www.redorbit.com/media/uploads/2013/05/black-hole-birth.jpg – (thanks, Misty!)