Today an old way of coping reared its ugly head. A link I needed was not working.  I had reached out to the person who created it.  She thought all was well.  I asked if we could connect over Zoom but she was unable to.  

And for a moment, I wanted to give in and simply walk away. 

But then, I sat up, took stock, and talked with God about it.

And I knew that I had to persevere. 

So I thought about that for a bit, tried a few things, scratched my head, and then decided to do something different for a while.   I needed to give my brain a break – because I was beginning to feel defeated by the non-working link. 

I looked up an address for a place I am going to on Saturday.  And while my brain roamed around the map, I thought of asking my niece for help.  She is generally available and picks up her phone.

So, I called her and asked her to try the link.  She was unsuccessful.  So I asked her to go down the page and try another link.  I did it also.

And we had success!!!!  And in discussing it, we realized that the first link was not working properly – for either of us.  But the second link did 😊

So I sent an email to the person responsible and am currently peacefully awaiting a response.

And this is what I learned:

1. No need to assume that it is me that made the mistake.
2. Persevere with the problem.  Seek a solution – in the past, I would give in or find a way AROUND the problem.  But I felt God encouraging me to go THROUGH this problem.  I sensed that He wanted me to LEARN this lesson well.
3. I reached out to someone I knew would be available and talked it through with her.  She is kind and willing and made my request easy.
   1. Reaching out to ANOTHER person when one person can’t help, is a good strategy. 
4. We found the problem.  Now I wait for a response.  I know it will come.
   1. And together, my niece and I were able to discover something that others may not have mentioned.  I imagine that plenty of people clicked on that first button and then moved on because it did not work.  But when I put out information, I want to reach for excellence – and I know that the person I am working with wants that too!

I am glad that I persevered.  I feel empowered now.  The problem may not be completely solved, but it is well on its way and I feel supported and skilled.  In the past, I would have felt angry, disillusioned and helpless. 

But no more 😊

What old behaviour of yours would you like to let go of?  How will that make your life different?