Meeting your Waterloos head-on

Webster's Dictionary describes the word Waterloo as a decisive or crushing defeat. As I listened to the western song "Waterloo" on the radio recently, I paid attention to the meaning. The song carried a powerful message. Rather than focusing on a physical battle between armies, the words asked a question. "Where will you meet your Waterloo?"

Although not everyone has met a "crushing" defeat, few have been spared the agony of some type of loss. A successful and famous talk show hostess was fired from at least one job before she finally made it to the top in her field. In various articles written about her, she spoke about the experience. She was crushed and for sure felt like a failure. She had already faced a Waterloo.

Since people are only human, they can reach emotional highs and lows. When you are on an emotional high, you might feel that everything in life could never be better. Yet when reality sets in, you often come down to earth with an abrupt thud. You finally recognize your plan isn't working out. Perhaps your path of least resistance hasn't brought the results you expected and it's time to settle down and attend college or undergo another type of training. Your original lifestyle brought you to that decisive point in your life. In that instance meeting your Waterloo is a valuable thing.

When one is young and beginning his journey through life, Waterloos are inevitable to success. Scripture talks about Paul in the Acts of the Apostles. Paul hated Christians and persecuted them. Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus where Paul, again, intended to commit evil against Christians. Rather than completing his goal, Paul instead met a Waterloo because Christ had other work for him to complete. Paul was struck from his horse and blinded for a time. Consequently the aftermath of his suffering was that Paul became a follower of Christ. Paul made history as an evangelizer during which time he endured excruciating hardship. Nevertheless, Paul felt himself to be a success, which became evident as he faced death. Paul said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4: 7) Paul's Waterloo caused a turning point in his life that brought joy to him and invaluable teaching to humanity.

Often one fails to be a good spouse until he loses his marriage partner and finds himself without a mate. Even though it's a defeat of his own making, he can benefit by becoming a better person and learning from his mistakes. If he chooses to reunite with his companion or seek another, maybe the relationship will be a better one.

Your Waterloo may even be a serious illness that caused you to stop, think and change your priorities.

A man I knew a few years ago always followed in his brother's footsteps. Rather than attempting to find out what he genuinely liked to do and what skills he possessed, Jack tried selling insurance -- unsuccessfully. Then he tried the loan business. That profession wasn't the right fit, either. His wife hounded him to be more like his brother. Finally Jack entered the military and found his niche. He rose quickly and became successful. Jack met more Waterloos than you can imagine by refusing to follow his dream rather than doing what others urged him to do. Through discouragement and failure he found his true calling.

Waterloos can be experiences to treasure if they lead to you to a more joyful existence. You may choose to investigate your life's story to find out what Waterloos you've lived through to get to the point where you are now. Rather than dreading your Waterloos, you might welcome them, knowing the best will come.

@body_no_indent italics:Ellen Shuck holds degrees in psychology, religious education and spiritual direction and provides spiritual direction to people at her office.