Watch the Unfolding

20
May

Teri FranaIt’s the first summer-like day of spring.

I’m looking at an open lot about an outfielder’s throw from my window. There’s a tall grove of oak trees shaking off winter’s skin. Three weeks ago, they looked like straggly kids stretching skinny arms to the cold.

Today, you couldn’t tell they were the same trees, busting out all over in the new spring green. The leaves haven’t fully unfolded yet, giving the trees a bit of a fuzzy look like baby hair just starting to grow in.

It reminds me of why I do what I do.

I mean, there are loads of reasons why, but there is one that’s my **secret** favorite.

Come closer and I’ll tell you…

I love watching my client unfold.

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It usually starts with a spark in their eyes, a flickering flame of fresh life deep inside them.

Typically, I’ll see it before they do and it makes me giggle. But, I stoically keep it to myself because it’s still too fragile to point out yet. It’s kinda like sap starting to flow through branches again.

Over the next week or two, it’ll start appearing on their face. There’s a softness to it, a peacefulness in their expression. The lines around their eyes start to look more like smiles. The tone of their voice has an upbeat to it, rather than a steady downbeat.

But, it’s still fragile. A cold snap will scare it away. It needs sunlight, warmth, and care to come fully alive.

If given what it needs to grow, leaves start to burst out of their stupor, the roots expand to take in more nutrients, and now everyone can see the tree coming alive.

Often (in people) I’ll see a new haircut or color or wardrobe. I’ll see a creative burst and renewed hobbies. Their hearts will pump faster and they start dreaming again. It’s when they stop listening to the inner and outer critics who tell them all the ways they don’t shape up. It’s when they start hearing God’s voice say, “This is who you are. Now, come.”

I get to witness people reconnect with who they really are.

That’s my favorite part. It’s when I see my clients get a whiff of the possibilities, a taste of what life could be if they just had the courage to stand strong, unfurl those new leaves in splendor. It’s when they shake off the expectations of who they think they should be. And when they begin the difficult but significant journey to be authentically who God wired them to be.

Are you ready to branch out?

Find out more about Life Coaching and how it might help you unfold.

About the Author

Lori Hommer