It was almost twelve years ago that I first sat in a church basement and saw the words “Live and Let Live” on a white cement block wall.
I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah, ok. What does that even mean?”
A slogan that went against every fiber of my self-willed run riot lifestyle.
Yet, there I was – life was unmanageable, and it turned out my will wasn’t running the show all that well.
Over a decade later, during this holiday season, when I think of what I’m grateful for, these are the words that come to mind.
“Live and Let Live.”
What does that mean to me today?
Freedom.
The freedom to live.
Let go.
Make mistakes.
Take risks.
Sustain rejection.
Give and receive love.
Be who I am.
Let others be who they are.
Survive loss.
Dream and take action.
“Live and Let Live,” to me, expresses the reality that life is unpredictable.
And complex.
And so are we.
It means that most of life is outside the lines.
Undefinable.
That timing is always perfect.
And that there are no mistakes, only learning.
It means that there are times that what was right for us then, isn’t right for us today.
And it means authenticity is a journey.
It doesn’t just happen.
It happens with rigorous honesty.
With courageous experimentation.
With an unwavering commitment to courage.
And with practice.
It happens step by step,
with deliberate intention and readiness.
And when we aren’t ready,
We shouldn’t demand that we be ready.
Because with each step, we find crumbs along the way that prepare us for readiness.
Crumbs of strength
Validation
Healing
Pieces of ourselves, that whisper, you are whole, you are enough, you are worthy.
From another perspective, authenticity also doesn’t mean that we have to tell everyone our deepest darkest secrets at every turn, because we fear that if we don’t, we may be fraudulent.
“Live and Let Live,” still invites boundaries.
It also invites mercy and forgiveness – for myself and others, because at the end of the day aren’t we all just doing the best we can?
“Live and Let Live,” means that everything doesn’t have to mean something.
That sometimes there’s a difference between behavior and identity.
Because I did this, does not mean I am this.
When we “Live and Let Live,” we have to accept that part of the human experience is to feel.
And for some of us, that means a lot.
And deeply.
And that’s more than ok.
We can learn to manage those feelings –
The pleasant ones, are a gift.
But so are the painful ones, because they lay the foundation for transformation.
And lastly, “Live and Let Live,” means having goals, and desires and a life vision,
but not being so rigid, nor so arrogant, that I believe that my vision is superior to God’s.
Sometimes, God grants us with opportunities outside of our vision, because He is greater, and the plan is greater.
Life isn’t meant to be tamed and mastered.
We are.
We cannot control the universe, only ourselves.
So this year, I’m grateful for that stupid little slogan that planted seeds which took root in my heart all those years ago.
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