Thank
God inspiration didn't wait for me. Had it
done so, I'd probably still be trying to ward
off the person holding the knife.
I
wasn't trying to be inspired. I was trying
to survive - literally trying to spare my
own life. I knew if I didn't hold the door
closed then the knife in the hands of the
other person would be slashing at my flesh.
Trapped
in the back room of the house, nowhere else
to run, all my weight pressed against wood,
knowing the other person wouldn't give up.
That was when it happened.
Inspiration
intervened.
'Put
your coat on and let them in,' a small voice
inside me whispered.
I
looked at my coat hanging on the peg, a big
thick skiing jacket. Would it protect me?
Maybe.
I
unhooked it as I rested as much of my weight
as I could against the door. Slipping it over
my shoulders the small voice continued. 'Now
let them in a bit at a time. A crack in the
door at first, then let it open. When you
feel it's right, pull them inside.'
It
sounded bizarre to me, to allow someone attacking
me to come beyond the piece of wood separating
us, but that's exactly what I did, disarming
them and then holding them until it was safe
to let go.
You
could argue that the small voice in my mind
was the voice of common sense. You might call
it intuition, spirit guides, God, or just
plain crazy!
I've
come to think of it as the voice of inspiration.
Back then the voice of inspiration came as
a surprise. Today, it's more of a friend.
The
example I've given you may have saved my life,
but since then it's helped me build and shape
my life.
As
I said at the beginning, 'Thank God inspiration
didn't wait for me,' because I don't think
I've necessarily been good at preparing to
hear it's wise voice.
Yet
inspiration has been with me, nudging, suggesting
and playing around until I follow it's wisdom,
change my reality and look back and laugh
at myself for not following it's guiding force
sooner.
Once
a man wanted to win the lottery. For weeks
he prayed to God and each week when his win
failed to materialise, he complained during
his prayers.
Then
one day God came down and spoke to him. 'Meet
me half way,' God's voice boomed. 'At the
very least, buy a ticket!!'
And
I think this is a little like what Edison
meant when he said, 'Genius is 5% inspiration
and 95% perspiration.'
Inspiration
is just the thought, the idea, the guidance.
Perspiration is the practical application,
the grounding, the making it happen. And when
we get this part right, who knows what great
things we can create.
