An Inciting Incident

For anyone who has read Donald Miller's "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years," you already understand the concept of the title for this entry. (if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.) In this book Mr. Miller speaks about the concept of your life being a story and how you can edit it into a better narrative. An inciting incident is an event in the main characters life that forces a change, it is something that has to be done in order to solve a problem or make a drastic change for the better.

It has been months I have been saying my life needs an inciting incident, rather it be in my professional or personal life. As I have mulled this thought over and over again in my mind, I had wondered, do I seek this out or what for it to come to me? After many months of seeking out this incident, I began to sit back. As I sat back I started feeling like I was right where God wanted me, that I should sit and wait. After all, good things come to those who wait, right?

Now my question is, what do you do when multiple, potential inciting incidents produce themselves to you within a short amount of time? It is at this point things get blurry, no longer black and white, gray if you will. One potential incident is completely unrelated, so no big deal.

But then there are two that in someway correlate. Potential Incident #1 needs a reaction of some sort. Potential Incident #2, I have no control over and have to patiently await an outcome. The long term reaction of potential incident #1 can have an effect if anything came out of #2. So What do you do? Sit like a dunce in the corner and wait for life to happen, no reaction to #1 at all? React to #1 in a dismissive manner so it has no affect on potential #2? Or react to #1 with your initial thoughts?

This is where I wonder if God and his will for us can be seriously that black and white. After all there are a portion of us God-fearing Christians that believe God's will is pre-destined and another portion that believes we as humans have free-will. In some ways I wish I had strong conviction on this idea-logy one way or another, if so this whole potential incidents #1 and #2 would be no debate whatsoever. But alas, I do not have conviction on either.

I do believe God has a will for us and his will be done. After much debating, I thought, "how would I feel when I am 80 if I did not react to potential incident #1 with my initial thoughts?" Truth is, I'd regret it. So here I am following my gut (for NCIS fans, my Gibbs' gut). Maybe later I will have information to post on this potential inciting incident in my life. Either way, like everything else, I am sure this will prove to be a learning experience. Here it goes......the old cliche, I am going to follow my heart. Potentially to be continued....