Monday, June 20, 2011

Danger, Will Robinson!

If you grew up in the 1960's, you remember the robot; that lovable bucket of bolts from the popular television show, Lost in Space. As a kid, I loved him.  I wanted my very own personal robot.

The Lost in Space robot acted as guardian to Will Robinson, the young, adventurous and exceptionally intelligent boy.  Despite the popularity of the phrase, "Danger, Will Robinson!" it was only said once in the entire series. This was during the episode: The Deadliest of the Species (Episode 11, Season 3). In all the other episodes, the robot simply alerted Will or the other crew members of the Jupiter 2 by crying out, "Warning!" or "Danger!" *

The crew members of the Jupiter 2 paid attention to the robot's warnings. They didn't attempt to reason or argue with it. The robot sensed danger and they obeyed. The only times they did get into trouble was when the evil Dr. Smith intentionally disabled the robot to promote his own agenda.

How wonderful it would be if we all had a companion continuously warning us of danger ahead. It would shout out before we made terrible mistakes. We certainly would avoid an awful lot of heartache, pain and tragedy.

We do have such a companion. It's called our Gut Instinct.  You know that feeling you get deep inside that something just isn't right?  That's Gut Instinct.  Sometimes, it's just like the robot. It waves its arms and shouts, "Warning!" and "Danger!"  Most of the time, however, it is subtle. It's something you just can't quite put your finger on, but you know if you don't pay attention, it could mean trouble. Gut Instinct. We all have it and we need to trust it.

How does it work?

 Here's how it works for me: I get a premonition; a queasy feeling deep inside. Something just doesn't sit right. Something smells fishy.  Or it just seems too good to be true. There are times that I don't listen. I reason and argue with it. I tell myself I'm crazy or being too cautious. When I refuse to pay attention to these warning signs, I experience serious consequences. The times I have actually obeyed it, I've been saved from heartache, disappointment and pain.  I've even escaped real danger. My Gut Instinct has always been correct. Every single time!

Our Gut Instinct sees what we don't see. Don't ignore it.  It senses. It knows. Listen to it. Don't reason with it. Trust it and go with it. Even if people think you are crazy.  Even if your heart says something completely different! The heart, at times, can be misleading. It doesn't always see the truth because it is often blinded by love and hope. Gut Instinct is that realistic voice of reason that sees beyond love and hope. It knows the truth. It sees the road ahead and attempts to steer us away from danger and keeps us safe.

I need to make a major, very painful decision. Those warning bells and whistles are going off continously and they have been for a very long time. That's my gut instinct- my very own personal robot. It has been alerting me to danger for over a year now. I've been trying to reason with it. I've been making excuses. I've been tempted to completely disable it. If I don't listen,  I could be in for a lifetime of pain and misery. I have already had enough of that. Why would I want to endure more?

Listening to my gut instinct is not going to be easy. In fact, it's going to hurt. It's going to hurt others. But the pain will be temporary and NOTHING compared to the havoc that will most likely occur if I continue to reason with it, make excuses, or ignore it.


My dad told me something wonderful as I sat with him sipping coffee this morning. He knows my struggle, but he will never tell me what to do.  I am an adult. I make my own decisions, but I don't want to make the wrong ones.  I openly shared with dad all the pros and cons of my situation. The advice he gave me was priceless:

"There is a place deep within where your heart and your mind come together. It's the voice of reason, the place of balance, your God-given instinct. Listen to what it has to say and you will make the right decision."

In other words: Trust my gut instinct. It will never steer me in the wrong direction.

And this is my Daily Cyn.......

*Wikipedia Dictionary

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