A man was walking through the woods one day, taking in the sights and sounds of his surroundings. He came upon a point where he needed to cross the river to the other side in order to progress on his journey. Taking a deep breath, he began confidently meandering his way across this river. When the level of the water appeared to be rising, the man picked up his pace and continued with a bit more caution as he walked closer to the other side, to relief from the power of the stream in which he found himself. As he was nearing the other side, he lost his footing and immediately became swept up in the current, thrashing about as he was submerged and brought up once more to the surface with force.

Swimming for his life, he looked around to see if there was anything to save him from his predicament. Noticing a log floating downriver nearby, he lunged out toward the chunk of wood and held on for dear life. This log became the man’s salvation. Time passed and the waters settled, and the man continued to cling onto that log as if the waters continued to rage on as they had in that first moment. Finally, the water became shallow enough for the man to stand once again, yet he would not let go of that log and make his way to the shore. The same log that had once been his salvation was now preventing it.

Many times in life, our struggles and circumstances threaten to (and often do) sweep the rug out from under us. In these moments, we immediately begin to imitate the man in the story, seeking safety and salvation from somewhere within reach. The things which help us get through those difficult times, be it an addiction, an unhealthy emotion, etc., become the very things preventing us from moving forward down the road, or “stream” if you will. These things become the logs that we continue to cling to for life, preventing us from stepping out onto shore and regaining control of our true lives, our true selves.

Here at Refuge, we are so honored to hear your story, to experience the logs in your life. We aim to understand what it is like to be in that river, and to provide the resources necessary to help you let go of that log and swim to shore. In this process, we delight in seeing you regain control of your true life, your true self. If you feel like the logs in your life are preventing you from moving to a happier, healthier place, come visit us here at Refuge and allow us to walk alongside you in this journey. Call us at 615-591-5262 or email us at info@therefugecenter.org.