While reviewing some older notes I’d written myself, I decided to revisit this one on tempering and add a few new thoughts. [original post]

My collective essence (mind, body, spirit) is never as clear, grounded, and focused as it is at dawn’s first breath. This is when the answers I seek come, while my mind is still not 100% alert to what’s going on in the world, before the distractions of life –and living– establish their pecking order on my day’s To Do list.

I seek God for clarity in dealing with all situations in my life: those that bring joy, those that being pain; those that I am aware of, those I’m not, and those to come. Clarity is a good thing, but it can come with a bite. Clarity can be truly a painful thing.

[readolog_blockquote ]Temper [temp-per] v.- to impart strength and toughness to by heating and cooling.
~Dictionary.com [/readolog_blockquote]

…Imparting strength through the heating and cooling, through the pain and the reprieve, through sun and the shade.  There is something to learn in all situations, good or bad, that will bring you closer to the person you are meant to be, to the blessings you are meant to have.

Through the heating and the cooling.

Not everything I want is what I need
Not everything I think I need is good for me,  now… or ever
Not every smile is an invitation, nor every rejection a curse.
Not everyone that flows into my life is meant to remain: just as they arrived in on the morning tide, so they shall leave on the evening’s.

Yes, I find most times clarity comes with a bite. I could ignore the sting and proceed headfirst down the path of my own creation…into whatever lies beyond. But this usually increases the chance of encountering chaos, increasing the likelihood for missteps, increasing the likelihood for real discomfort vs. God’s gentle reproach.

Or I could pause to clean the tear, where ever it falls in my spirit, emotion, or psyche, and deal with the pain or discomfort that comes with the cleanse. I’ve learned  sometimes the “situational temporary” is all I’ll get.   This lesson must be well learned so I recognize when the “situational permanent” arrives.

Is it always easy? No
Is it always fun? No

But it is always educational & fortifying.  It always tempers my mettle.  It teaches me to appreciate my worth.

Being content is not a crime, settling for it is.

Death is a necessity: Insecurities, unhealthy desires, & recklessness must be culled and applied as mulch.  Use them to fertilize the positive growth and the true direction of your life.

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