Ropes & Straws
Ropes and Straws
Have you ever said, “I’m at the end of my rope?” Or what about it’s cousin, “This is the last straw?” Have you ever noticed the end of the rope and the last straw share the same emotions? Come on, be honest, I know you, WE, have been there. You know, emotions like disappointment, frustration, anger, hopelessness, desperation and fear all from a Rope or a Straw.
You didn’t start this way as the rope slipped through your fingers. Neither did you start this way as the straws were pulled from your grasp. At the top of the rope and with a hand full of straws you had vision, hope and a passionate excitement that woke you up in the morning. But as each day passed the rope slipped through your fingers just a little, then a little more, and then a little more. In the same way, a straw was removed from your hands, then another, then another, then another. Without realizing it we were experiencing the “Insanity Formula.” You know, doing the same over and over again but expecting a different result. Yet when you grabbed the rope expecting to climb disappointment hit you and…slip. Or when you filled your hands with Straws expecting to build bricks disillusionment showed up and…”that will be one straw please.”
So what’s the answer? Believe it or not the answer is neither in the Rope or the Straws. The answer is learning how to let go of both and trusting the creative ideas you have within yourself. Dreams that require Ropes and Straws for support leave many of their Dreamers dashed on the rocks below or empty handed and hollow. Ropes and Straws were never meant to be used for Dreams because of what they represent, the unmet expectation we place on others who can’t or won’t follow through. On the way down the rope our expectation is for “Others” to change. While holding our straws, the expectation is for “Others” to follow through. When “THEY” don’t change…slip. When “THEY” don’t follow through…”That will be one straw please.”
What would happen if you let go of the rope? What would happen if you, YOU, not someone else, but you, chose to put down the last straw. What would happen if you let go of the Rope you’ve tied to Expectation? What would happen if you emptied your hand of the last Straw called Expectation? Where would you be? What would you have left? You would have, “You.” You would have the greatest resource God created. Instead of our focus being on the unmet Expectation of others our focus would be on the untapped creative resources we have within us.
So instead of holding on to expectations that others can’t meet, what if we simply let go of the rope or put down the last straw? What if, instead of focusing on the rope or the hand full of straws, we let go of the rope and stood on the solid ground of our own imagination or put down the last straw to lift our eyes towards possibilities? If you let go of the Rope, instead of tying a knot in the end and hanging on, I’m willing to bet you will discover that you have been so focused on looking up at the rope that you failed to see the solid ground inches from your feet. In the same way, if you put down the last Straw, I’m willing to bet that when you lift your eyes, you will see a horizon unlike anything you’ve seen before. Ropes and Straws were never meant for Dreams. Let go.