“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.”
Romans12:6
W
e are creatures of habit. Our lives follow patterns that
we take with us wherever we go. I remember a phone
call from someone I had met on a course. He
explained, “I just wanted to tell you that I am going through a bad
patch in my life. My relationship with my partner was not working
out so I decided to finish it. And I have been very unhappy in my
job so I have decided to resign. And I wanted to tell you that on
top of all that I have decided to leave this country—I am fed up
with the climate and the culture here.” And he thought that he
would not take his patterns with him!
It is our patterns in thinking and behaving that create our
response to our circumstances, not the circumstances
themselves. It is only by becoming aware of these patterns or
habits that we can begin to choose the life we want. Running
away from what we don’t want is not the answer. We remain the
constant that creates our circumstances, unless we choose to
look within to uncover and review those patterns that are
making our lives what they are.