...and Let it Begin with Me

“You have peace," the old woman said, "when you make it with yourself.”

~ Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Have you ever seen someone who just could not keep their focus?  Every five minutes they move on to another subject, constantly thinking of the next item on the agenda. This could be a little frustrating to those surrounding them, anxious for them to sit down and complete something.  But how can they if their minds are fragmented, divided, and overwhelmed by the many details, and lack the attention to proceed.  

But what if it is us?   The discord in our minds so distracting that we are not sure if we can finish. How can we even move forward in any conceivable way when are struggling to make sense of the space we are in?  How can we continue our journey when the direction is unclear? We do so by returning to the peace within ourselves.

During the Advent season, we celebrate observing Peace on Earth, but we have to know how to achieve it.  We obtain it spiritually by taking time out to pray and listen for God’s response.  We obtain it mentally when we organize our priorities and work, little by little, to make them settle.  We obtain peace emotionally when we consider our feelings an investment and only use that sentimental currency for those things that will bring a positive profit in your life.

In Ephesians 4:3, Paul writes that we should be “Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  We can only be on one accord once we have found what, within ourselves, brings us peace and work toward maintaining it at every turn.  This peace will encourage us to fellowship as persons actively seeking to be whole in Christ.

Consider letting the peace from within grow, grow and grow until it spill over into unifying fellowship with all we meet, see, hear and touch.

A Moment to Hope

It’s almost been one year!  To celebrate, next week, you will be able to download for free an excerpt of 30 Days of Peace and Praise, a compilation of this year’s best post with matching activities.  The complete book will be available for purchase by e-book and by hard copy soon.  

For Advent, we'll take on each element around the theme of "For Today".

Hope is passion for what is possible.

 - Soren Kierkegaard

In a season where we go from being thankful to thirsty for goods overnight, our mood seems a little schizophrenic.  We often move from sharing, feeding those less fortunate and spending quality time with loved ones to instant competition to best others in finding the perfect gift for these same loved ones.  How can we operate in this way, giving and taking in quick turn?  It seems rather, well, impossible to consider our own beauty, the grounding that has kept us, in the crazed moments.  The glimmer of hope seems to be yet diminishing in a season that is based around the very idea, each of us caught up in the frenzy of the present.  In the frenzy, we can lose ourselves, temporarily abandoning the morals we have come to know as our own foundation.

How can we return ourselves to that place of remembering the season?   We can be reminded of our space and place in this season by taking a moment to hope.  Henri Nouwen writes, in Out of Solitude, “A life without a lonely place, that is, a life without a quiet center, easily becomes destructive.”   Just a small minute to reflect on what the end of the year, what the moments of these holy days, what the coming of Christ truly means.  For many, this is a new beginning, a reminder that no matter what has transpired this year, there is no stronghold that can stay over you when it is time to move forward.

Understand that we are not here to be perfect, only to live the best we can in truth and love. Matthew 12:21 reads, "...and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”   Hoping sets the ambiance, the mood, the tone, the theme and our expectations of a situation.  Hope is the positive thought that changes our disposition, our mindset, our entire attitude toward the seasons of our lives.

Consider today taking the time to just remember the attitude we want to assume for this season in our lives. Write it down. When you feel things start to spiral or become a frenzied moment, read what you wrote as many times as necessary.

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.

The Season of Tangible Outcomes

“Do it no matter what. If you believe in it, it is something very honorable. If somebody around you or your family does not understand it, then that's their problem. But if you do have a passion, an honest passion, just do it.”

Mario Andretti 

We love a good promise. I like to make them – I love to make my word good by backing it up with action. However, sometimes I over commit.  I tend to get a bunch of small things together, dedicate myself to the smaller simpler tasks, because the quantity seems great!  Vesta Kelly did, after all once say, “Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but just look at what they can do when they stick together”.  And, honestly, there is a pleasure in being able to see all the check boxes marked on a list that shows things are complete!  I have my list even this week detailing the same kinds of things.

But I’m learning that it is not the quantity of the list, but the quality of the list.  It’s similar to buying toilet paper – you could spend $5 dollars to buy 20 rolls of 1 ply that will break the moment anyone looks at it, or spend the same $5 dollars on 10 rolls of 2 or 3 ply that is stronger and has more weight to it.  Often our lists contain things like “Walk the Dog”, “Put in the Rental Car requests”, and “Write this one page report’.  Also on the list could be “Edit book”, “Write Grant Proposal” and “Establish new office space”.  How much do you want to bet that that first group are things that get handled much sooner, while week after week, the same larger, higher impact items linger?  The small things can be distracters and even, dare I say it, a way of procrastinating from the larger goals and milestones.

I often think of Jesus performing the first miracle at the wedding in Cana.  Until this point, he had done out of the ordinary things – became a talented carpenter, sat with the rabbis while his family looked for him - but he had not yet tangibly shown his greatness.  When he turns water into wine, at his Mother’s urging, and there is not only more wine, but better wine that the first, it is a physical declaration of what he could do.  It is the first of so many miracles to come, but it all started with this first showing of his talent and ability.

The winds are blowing.  It is our turn to show that which we are capable.  We should embrace this tiny wind and ride it out to the next level of our lives.  This is not to say that all the smaller items are not important; your dog will not be happy if you forget to walk them.  But, if your dog walking turns into a three hour play date every time, it may be impacting your outcomes.   It could be the difference between enjoying the family party and using your gifts to be the reason the party continues.

This week, consider joining me in shifting our focus to whittle down the list of distracters and move toward those tangible outcomes.

Mind the Gap: Between the Margins

Anyone whose every typed anything, especially for a college class or while constructing a resume, has had to worry about how to manipulate the margins.  Whether it is because there is just one line too many left over, or one word that is falling down to the next, hanging by its lonesome, playing around the edges is a daring feat that can often prove to be successful.  While, to the natural eye, these do not seem to make that much of a difference, unless you are a well-trained professor with the uncanny ability to catch these nuances, for the person make the adjustments it means a lot.  It can take hours to get the margins just right so that they fit the requirements of the task.

As we survey what lies in our gaps, in the very pores of our being, we will note that things that may be taken for granted actually did play a large part in time. In the commentary Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Peter Jackson mentions how the 2 minute scene of Gollum running would take days to get right.  It is fascinating to hear someone speak French, however it took years to develop that talent, possibly even spending time in a francophone country.  Audiences who attend an inspirational and truly moving play often never see the hours of work actors, directors and all the other theatrical personnel place into making the experience. These times are BTM (Between the Margin) experiences.

At the wedding in Cana, Mary commanded Jesus to provide wine for the attendees when the family had run out. Mary never asked if he could do it, probably was not around to see how long it took him to make it happen or to perfect the skill – it was something that Jesus worked out was between the margins.   Miracles, skills, gifts and inspirations come from between the margins.  This work, this refinement, this tampering and tinkering until we get it just right is apart of the BTM stage.

This week, reconsider those trying, diligent or times of extreme focus, these BTM (between the margin) experiences.  Think about the lesson, the skill and how adjusting to the new circumstances made us who we are today. 

Mind the Gap: The Smallest Hints

“Mind the Gap. It’s the Difference between life as you mean it and life as it is.”

~ Sheba Heart, character in Notes on a Scandal (film)

Fall is one of those special times of year when you are not exactly sure what the weather will be – it could be hot or cold. The leaves could be green and pretty one day, then brown and orange (or even off the branch completely) the next.  The reason people get caught so off guard is because it literally happens when we are not paying attention. Sure, we notice the slight nip in the air, or the days are just a little shorter, but sometimes it’s not until we are drinking apple cider or hot cocoa to keep warm that things have changed so much.

In our everyday dealings, we often miss paying attention to these elements.  We miss the signs that someone likes us until it is a full-blown love interest or the interest has waned. We miss that opportunity that we are perfect for, so busy trying to just make ends meet. We miss the growth of our children, the stubble growing on our chins and reading a chapter here and there until one day the children are somehow our height, the 5 o’clock shadow is now a baby beard, and we are suffering from literary dehydration.  It is a small space it seems, but that one step can make all the difference.

In all of the Holy books, we find stories of how a chance meeting changes the direction of one’s desires and motivations.  Before that brief rendezvous, that moment of recognition, they are perfectly content with life as they knew it.  Someone is knocked off a donkey on a familiar road; someone met the love of their life and it jump starts a different movement, someone has an encounter with the Creator and can never walk the same again. These moments are in the gaps, when they are not paying attention, thinking it was still an ordinary summer, when in fact, fall was actually on the way.

There are no insignificant moments in life – there are some that have more priority than others and some that make more of an impact, but all play apart in constructing our days and ultimately our lives. The hints are to be embraced, not ignored, for they reveal the truth.  Ultimately, it is our choice to acknowledge the importance, the preciousness, of the very seconds that shape our days. 

Consider, this week, acknowledging those hints that show change is in the air. Greater is coming.