I remember calling someone very dear to me to tell her about my cool experience. I had been walking through my neighborhood praying my guts out about the direction I needed to take in life.
“If I am supposed to keep writing, could you just show me three crows?” I asked. “Sitting on a fence, flying through the air, it doesn’t matter, I just need to see three of them. Then I will know.”
I immediately realized that I wasn’t supposed to test a supreme being, but I needed an answer. I walked two miles through my neighborhood and saw every kind of bird in existence, but not one crow. This was weird because I had kind of padded the answer, knowing that in the country, crows are everywhere.
As I got to the edge of the gravel road that leads to our house, I finally said, “Thanks for nothing!” Don’t worry, God is used to this kind of behavior from me.
I had a few houses left to pass, one being a farm with horses, chickens, and a gang of rogue roosters that wander around our neighborhood. As I passed by it, I heard one of the roosters crowing his heart out. I laughed a little, because his crow broke like my brother’s voice during puberty. Then I heard him crow again. I stopped in my tracks and waited, and he belted out a third crow. I waited for several minutes, but he didn’t crow again.
Three crows. Hadn’t I asked for three crows? I burst out laughing and said, “Good one. Thank you for the answer and the laugh.” My heart knew this was my answer – I felt it. I was now powered up, ready to start writing.
Because I wanted to share the moment, and since I have a pitiful need to take a Gallup poll on every decision I make, I called a friend and told her my story. After an awkward moment of silence, she said, “Don’t you think that was just coincidence?”
Suddenly, logic slammed into my passion and let the air out of it. She topped it off with, “And I wouldn’t tell other people that story — they’ll think you’re crazy.”
I ended up going to a regular job and gave up on writing for a while.
Reflecting back, I wonder why I let one opinion power me down so quickly. I’m sure that friend was just responding from her perspective, without putting too much energy into the thought. She was was not trying to discourage me, she just didn’t understand all of the pieces and parts of my journey. And there was no way she could. That message was personal . . . just for me. My gut understood the moment, while her gut was across town getting groceries.
Ask Yourself One Question
So let me ask you –
Have you given up on some important part of your life because someone you trusted didn’t understand your decision?
Okay, Not Just One Question
If you have, then ask yourself:
Are other people here to fulfill your goals? Are they here to live your life?
If the answer is no (and I think it is), then start following your own heart.
Because the journey down that path is yours, and yours alone. Every message is specific to you.
Let’s face it, a rooster crowing three times didn’t work out so well for a man named Peter, but it did work out well for me. Listen for your own Power messages, and don’t worry about the rest of the world.
They’re not on your journey.
“Every creature is a word of God.” — Meister Eckhart