Awakening to Wholeness is a series of prompts, reflections, and teachings about how holding the tension of opposites can help us to heal division and experience wholeness. If you feel moved to share your own reflections, we invite you to email us with the subject line “Wisdom of Opposites” or tag us on social media with #EHoPWisdomOfOpposites.
This is a guest post by EHoP community member Dianne Schlichting, in response to “What I Want, When I Want It” by Christine Luna Munger.
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Reading this reflection brought to mind a scene I recently observed in Target, while shopping. A mother with two children in her cart and two additional little ones holding onto the cart’s side was teaching her children that “What I want, when I want it” will not happen at this time, in this place! The oldest of the four wanted an expensive Lego set; the mother had allowed the child to hold the box, but had made it clear that that was the extent of the “wanting and having” on this shopping trip. Placing the item back on the shelf caused an uproar, literally. I was impressed, however, as the mother used this occasion as a teachable moment and calmly (“What a saint,” I thought) explained to her young son that the item would likely make a wonderful birthday present, but it was far too expensive to buy on this day. She was literally creating a space in her son’s heart for a deeper longing!
She gathered all four of the little ones in the aisle and suggested that each pick out something special that they would like in the future, and she would take a picture of each child holding their future gift so she would know what each wanted. She also shared that they would be able to change their minds before their birthdays, if they chose to do that. I smiled, chuckled actually, at the wisdom and the patience this mother was displaying. Time can often give us perspective about what we want and how important it really is in our life’s story.
How does this episode relate to the Awakening to Wholeness reflection? Not only are we conditioned as young children: how we cope, how we react to chaos, how we create safe places for ourselves, how we balance wants and desires, but we are capable of teaching others how to discern, how to prioritize, how to wait for the right time to realize their dreams. It takes practice and the support of fellow pilgrims to sort out what we want from what we truly want! A question worth asking oneself, “Will this help me or others grow in loving God” is a good place to start. Realizing that “having or not having” are both places of grace also helps. I try to remind myself that the Beloved is with me in both my impatient wanting as well as in my deeper longing for Wholeness.
Join the conversation! If you feel moved to share your reflections—either in response to one of our posts, or on the topic of the wisdom of opposites more broadly—we invite you to email us with the subject line “Wisdom of Opposites” or tag us on social media with #EHoPWisdomOfOpposites.
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Dianne Schlichting
Dianne is a member of EHoP; she and her husband John value the opportunity to share contemplative prayer and outreach with others who make the House of Prayer their spiritual home. Dianne is a wife, mother, and grandmother who loves spending time in nature, especially canoeing with John.
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