When It Looks Like Nobody's Coming, Do This.

I’m in hot pursuit of finding elegance in simplicity.  That means seeing things for what they are, not as I’d like them to be.  In doing so, I try to target truths to wrestle with.

One truth is that nobody’s coming.  Those seeking sympathy wait alone.  Grueling missions, on the other hand, attract talent.  Swinging your sword, and taking action toward the promised land is the answer.   Doing it inspires other crusaders to join the cause.   Standing in place doesn’t take you anywhere, but one step is progress.  The first dancer on the floor always brings more.

Another truth is, at some point, you’ll accept everything.  So get on with it.  Fast forward to that point.  Find out what’s working, do more of that.  Hone the art of accepting what is.  Instead of expending energies on stuffing square pegs in round holes, find round pegs.  Seek to realize how square your pegs are sooner.

More truth is realizing what you want.  The easiest way is to identify what you don’t want.  Life’s busyness steps in to steal time from pursuits of passion.  When you find yourself consumed with what you don’t want, correct course to doing what you do want.  Sounds easy, wickedly hard.  That’s where the courage to trust in your future comes into play.  Find that courage, jettison distractions.

A hidden truth, how you see the world is what you see.  Look for suffering, there’s an ocean of it.  Look for love, everyone’s a sweet-scented flower.  What you choose to see is what you’ll find.  Happiness is the perfect example.  It’s not a result, it’s a choice.  Becoming an observer of your emotions, biases, and worldview wipes away judgments obscuring the best outcomes.

You’ll be dead.  Soon.  Perhaps the most brutal truth.  If your joy factor is stuck on zero, contemplate what you’re settling for.   Taking inventory of what you’re trading your life for defines its value on your terms.  If the jam on your bread isn’t appealing, you have two great options:  Choose to love the taste or try another flavor.  Choking it down is also an option, but not a great one, and it is certainly not worth trading a life for.

A reflection.

Horatio Gates Spafford’s story is a powerful testament to perseverance through unimaginable hardship, and how maintaining a positive mindset can turn personal tragedy into a lasting legacy.

Spafford, born in 1828, was a successful lawyer and real estate investor in Chicago. By the late 1860s, he and his wife, Anna, were living a prosperous life, with four young daughters and a son. Their life seemed idyllic, but fate soon took a devastating turn. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire ravaged the city, destroying much of Spafford’s extensive real estate holdings along Lake Michigan. This financial loss was just the beginning of their trials.

In 1873, Spafford decided to take his family on a much-needed vacation to Europe. He planned to join his close friend, the famed evangelist Dwight L. Moody, in one of Moody’s preaching tours. However, business concerns kept Horatio behind in Chicago for a few extra days. Not wanting to delay the family’s trip, he sent his wife Anna and their four daughters – Annie age 12, Maggie 7, Bessie 4, and Tanetta 18 months – ahead on the luxury liner, the SS Ville du Havre.

On November 22, 1873, tragedy struck. The Ville du Havre collided with the Scottish ship Loch Earn in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. In only 12 minutes, the liner sank, taking 226 passengers with it, including all four Spafford daughters. Anna, found unconscious on a piece of wreckage, was one of only 61 passengers rescued. When she arrived in Cardiff, Wales, she sent her husband a heart-wrenching telegram: "Saved alone. What shall I do?"

Crushed with grief, Horatio immediately set sail for England to join his grieving wife. It was during this voyage that he experienced a moment of deep reflection and peace. As the ship passed near the location where his daughters had perished, Spafford was overcome with a sense of surrender. 

Despite his pain, he felt a divine comfort. It was then that he penned the words to the now-famous hymn, It Is Well with My Soul. In the face of immense sorrow, Spafford expressed a profound acceptance, writing, "When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.”  The hymn became a staple, still popular across the world’s churches to this day.

Rather than being consumed by his losses, Spafford and his wife chose to forge ahead. They had 3 more children and in 1881, they moved to Jerusalem and founded the American Colony, a Christian community dedicated to philanthropic work in the region. The colony grew, helping to bring relief to the local population during famines, epidemics, and World War I.

Horatio Spafford’s life teaches a profound lesson: though life can be filled with unimaginable pain, a resilient spirit, and a positive mindset can transform even the darkest moments into opportunities for growth and giving. His hymn, born out of deep sorrow, continues to inspire millions, serving as a reminder that even in the face of life’s most crushing waves, we have the power to choose peace, forge ahead, and leave a lasting legacy.

Your mindset is everything.  Finding gratitude decimates envy, the thief of joy.  Choosing to smile attracts friends and weakens fear. Seeing opportunities instead of threats inspires action.    Clearing away life’s debris clarifies your purpose, making your mission more simple.