This is part 2 of the Pit Series and if you have not been able to read the first one, you can find it here. This week we shift our focus to life beyond the pit. What does life look like after the pit? Many times, after we are out of the pit, we find ourselves living in that moment as we keep dwelling on that particular experience. This hinders growth and keeps us stuck in the past which is not a place we would like to be in. I want to share with you three things that have helped me navigate life outside of the pit and put me on the path of my journey.
Helping others who are in a similar or worse pit experience is the first thing that helps me all the time. This might seem crazy because our natural response is to feel like we need a break and would love to throw a pity party. The answer here is to be on the lookout for others in situations you have been in. This helps shift your own focus off your pain and experience and channel your energy in helping other people. Life does not always work out the way we expect it to and many times we find that the same people that hurt us might be the same people that we are being called to help. This requires grace and maturity to be the better person and do the right thing, and not right as culture would say but the noble thing.
The second area I focus on is my vision. What is my intended vision of what I desire to accomplish? Even with setbacks, it helps to know that I need to put my focus on the big picture. This helps drive my focus off my problems and the past, and see and appreciate what is in front of me in the moment. This reminds me of an analogy of a car, “the windshield is bigger than the rear view mirror because where you are headed is more important than what is behind you.” You can glance back once in a while for learning experiences but your whole focus should not be on looking back because you just might miss all the beauty of what is in front of you.
Third and finally is gratitude. When I am ready to complain and compare how other people’s lives are looking better than mine, I am taken back to square one. Instead, I decide to choose gratitude. Gratitude comes even in our attitude. Many times, our salty attitude and complains at every chance we get, do not do anyone any good and these are things we need to get rid of and leave in the pit. We step out with gratitude for the lessons and growth of the pit experience and the people that God brought into our lives to help us in that particular season. When we are ungrateful, we become bitter and when we are bitter, we are hindered from experiencing all the blessings that are before us. It is never easy, and this is a process to discover that all that matters is showing up and trying the best way we know how.
Hope you enjoyed reading this week’s article. I will see you next week with Part 3. Do not forget to let me know what ways you have been able to live your life to the fullest beyond the pit
