Perhaps it’s only natural to want to do something when life happens to us. It feels passive, weak, and hopeless just to stand there and not do anything. And certainly there’s a place for meaningful and courageous action. At the same time, often the most courageous thing we can do is to just let things be for now.
To be sure, our inner warrior loves tackling problems and seeking to resolve the many challenges of life. And this is part of how we bring goodness to others – doing our part to remove the barriers blocking them from receiving the fullness of life.
But this gift becomes a liability when we don’t take wisdom with us. The pressure to do something causes us to rush to find a fix that might not actually serve the need of the moment. We’re offering a solution without a full appreciation of the problem or our role to play in addressing it.
For instance, our wife complains about being lonely in our marriage, our kids are struggling to find their way in life, or we’re confronted with social concerns that make our blood boil.
It’s difficult in these moments not to do something. But this is often our anxiety and discomfort getting the best of us. And we often end up with premature solutions that can make matters worse.
The wise approach is learning to let things be – to simply accept it for what it is without immediately trying to do anything about it. This allows us to fully appreciate the depth and complexity of an issue.
And perhaps we can partner together in finding a way forward. Or maybe our role is just to support and encourage others as they sort out their own problems. Either way, it’s helpful to let things breathe without immediately rushing to fix it.
In the end, your strength is needed to find meaningful solutions to the many challenges of life. And the first step might be simply learning to let things be and not rushing into premature fixes for your own comfort.
