Over the past few days I’ve spent some time doing some minor auto repair. In the midst of doing so, I’ve been reminded of the importance of being able to both see and reach what you’re working on. For instance, there was one bolt that had to be removed, but it was buried deep beneath a web of other tubes and wires. Its location, coupled with these other obstacles, made it difficult to see, let alone get to. Countless times, as I struggled with getting it out, I told myself how much simpler it would be if this part was easier to reach, and there was nothing to maneuver around to get to it.
These same dynamics can take place in other areas of our lives. There may be things within us that need to be dealt with, but they lurk below the surface. Not only may they be difficult to see, but there may be all kinds of other things that can make it difficult to do the work that needs to be done—perhaps even some emotional or psychological baggage we’ve gathered along the way. In these cases, sometimes there are no easy answers. Ideally, we would be able to cut through all periphery and deal with the core issue, but sometimes everything is so intertwined, it can be near impossible to do so.
In these kind of cases—just like in my experience with the car—lots of light and lots of patience are invaluable. Patience, because this kind of work can take some time. And light, because although it may not fix the issue in itself, it can enable us to actually deal with the reality of the issue, and not just the shadows.