Adjusting

In honor of my contracting the flu, this seemed fairly appropriate to discuss.  Enjoy!

“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash.

 Become like water my friend.”

~ Bruce Lee

The change of seasons brings and adjustment for everyone.  The leaves turn, becoming foliage for onlookers to see.  Animals start preparing for their winter endeavors under rocks and near streams.  People pull out their winter clothes and - more often than not - catch a cold.  It is not as cool as building a nest however it is a natural response to the temperature fluctuation.  But how can one get ready for the pending weather shift?  It seems that no pea coat or wool scarf could ever prepare for the first sensation of the chilled air. Combine it with a frigid, windy breeze and … well, how can we do more than adjust to the new circumstances? This does not mean that we will not have some emotions toward the new situation, only that we still have to move through them.

The same is the case when we are faced with major events that occur in our lives.  When we are suddenly given new tasks and duties at our jobs or are in the process of moving. When we are faced with the foreclosure of a home after years of unsuccessful maneuvers or the death of a loved one after a prolonged battled with a terminal illness.  We have prepared for the inevitable, rehearsed with role play exactly how we would respond, but nothing prepares us for that moment.  It is up to us to be malleable enough to evolve.

Christ was the master and the servant, the powerful and the weak, the teacher and the student, the sacrificer and the sacrifice.  To adapt to each of these on a daily, sometimes – in later life – hourly basis, require an understanding beyond the self.  “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).  It is not easy to walk in all the areas, however, necessary, no matter how uncomfortable we find the adjustment process.

Consider moments where we are adjusting and resist the urge to struggle against it, for it may only be preparation for the next level.

Reflections: Keep Walking

“If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, 

eventually you’ll make progress.”  

Barack Obama

Picture by R. Guy

It has almost been one year since I started writing Peace and Praise. Throughout that time, this has become an opportunity to explore my relationships with God and the world around me.  I have learned that it is sometimes easier to encourage others than to encourage yourself.  I have learned that sometimes what you need to hear for yourself is what others also need.  Sometimes you minister to others by ministering to yourself.  I also find it hard to believe that the most popular posts have been about butterflies, dryers and my reflections, proof of the fact that there is always interest in the personal story.

The other thing I learned is that as much as I love to write, it has been hard to know the responsibility of churning out posts is on my shoulders.  This is its own blessing and curse. There are many partial posts that lay in the abyss of my computer, never seeing the light of day.  There are some ideas that bob around in my head, even to this day, that I still have no clue how to write.  Peace and Praise has not always worked out the way I thought it should, but it is the one thing to which I return.

I believe that our spirituality is similar to this.  We never know how much our own explorations and journeys are perhaps the gateway for others to embrace their space and place.  We have to work very hard to remain consistent in our walk because, at times, it is so easy to convince ourselves that we do not need to complete it.  I often pondered whether I should write that post, or if no one will miss it if it is not sent (of course, one check of the blog traffic counter proves otherwise).  It is then we realize simply that we are far more connected to the world around us than we originally considered.

Bottom line, on our walk – whether spiritual, personal, emotional, career-wise – the road will get rocky.  We come across a few stones, a pot hole, a detour sign; if the walk is still worth it, we will kick it out the way, move around the inconsistency in the path and maneuver so that our sights are never too far from the goal.   “You shall walk in all the ways that the Lord your God has commanded you, that they may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess” (Deuteronomy 5:33).  Nothing is so strong, so critical, that it shakes the importance of the continuing the walk.

As year one is rapidly coming to a close, with the coming of Advent and the New Year Calendar year, I am instituting a vow to deposit more positively into myself and everyone in my surroundings.   This does not mean that there will not be bumps – personalities do remain as they are – but there will be a change in the approach.  I invite each of you to consider this vow, remembering the importance of your walk so that it deepens, you never forget the reason you are there in the first place.