What a week? What a year we have had. 2020 has been full of unexpected challenges that continue to present –seemingly a new one each week. Last week the hurricane, protests, Covid 19 continues and devastation to our property in Lake Charles along with so many other people out of their homes. We have had births, deaths, sickness, and we still carry on. Change is truly the only constant. Nothing stays the same. I know at times I do much better than other times. I like being anchored, being stable kept safely tethered to something that holds me steady.
In an article in her latest journal, Joanna Gaines said, “Anchors still allow boats to move and float –to find a rhythm among the waves around them. Their purpose is simply to keep a boat from drifting so far off course that it is difficult to recover.” The anchors in my life are the only thing keeping me mostly sane right now. Prayer time in the morning and throughout the day (I actually have my timer set at certain periods just to reground myself in WHO has me in His righteous right hand of protection.) Healthy movement like bike riding and walking, stopping to talk with a friend for a few minutes, art journaling–all seemingly small quick activities but offer a place of refuge in the everchanging landscape of life. Even routine things like driving home from work, cooking a meal, doing my nightly routine–offer some order to my life.
A couple of helpful analogies from 2 thought leaders and a mentor of mine were helpful. One was from a chapter of a book my mentor wrote from the book Sacred Slow entitled, A Kite Without A String. She said the kite was brilliantly colored, riding the winds, and in no one’s hands. That sounds freeing but actually quite scary of the possibilities for its future. Sometimes I feel like that and I must re-ground and remember whose hands I am in and who holds all things together, God not me.
Another leadership analogy I heard this weekend from TD Jakes was so relatable. He said he loved weightlifting with his trainer. He would put him sitting or lying on the bench to lift weights. The bench was sturdy, and he could push back from the bench to help him lift his weights but he said now his trainer has him do the weight lifting techniques on a stability ball. This is much different and much like the environment, we find ourselves in. He said how much harder it is to stay balanced when things are moving beneath us. He stated that in times like these he must rely on his CORE to stabilize himself. That core as a leader was his core values and those standards and practices that keep him grounded and steady even in the midst of so many unstable events and challenges. My, how I can relate to that analogy. Strengthening our core makes the difference between strength and collapse on or off the ball!
Another helpful exercise that my mentor shared was doing a desire vs role exercise. She had me draw a full cross on the page. On the left side of the vertical line write the word desire and on the bottom of the cross at the parallel line write goal or role. We have so many desires of which much of those are out of our control but that does not mean we do not have desires, but we hold those desires in faith and focus on what we can control or what is our specific role/goal. We write down what we can do and focus on that alone, the line between desire and goal/role she had me write faith. The top of the cross I had to write, God, knowing that he is above it all.
Lastly another great visual from my mentor is called Spiritual Peripheral Vision. We all know what peripheral vision is. It is the vision we have when we can see things from the side of our eye, not the center of focus but an addition. She said, to keep all the issues and challenges in the peripheral by keeping our eyes focused on Jesus. It is not we deny what is happening, we see everything– aware of the things happening all around us, neither denying them nor losing myself in them. She offered a sample prayer that I offer for you – Lord you know what occupies my emotions, may I focus on you and you lead me in the best way to deal with the challenges surrounding me.
In the end, whatever plan is laid out for us, our job is to live it well, as best we can, standing in faith. Can we, even in this difficult time of change, together embrace a rhythm of empathy and encouragement for one another, building one another up and doing small acts of kindness to lift the spirit of the other? Can we think about our core values, focus on what we can control and keep our life-giving rhythms steady? Even in the challenges that we are presented with, I am grateful to be doing the challenges with you all. We are all in this together!!
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