It feels like I’m in the middle of a recurring dream—and I don’t think it will be over anytime soon.
My dream begins the same way every time. I’m standing in line at an amusement park waiting patiently to get into the car of a rollercoaster. There’s a well-dressed usher standing at the front of the line. Coaster cars arrive with a whirl-wind whoosh and the animated riders disembark to the left. The usher unhooks the red velvet rope from the clasp, looks at me as he tips his hat and smiles as he says, “Please step forward.” I walk over, step into the coaster car and pull the seatbelt tightly across me as I wait to hear the familiar ’click.’ I am aware there are so many others along for the ride.
It’s been a rollercoaster ride since early March.
On March 13, I sat with great leaders who made the decision to suspend in-person worship because of a new lethal illness called the Coronavirus and on June 2, I listened as an anguished friend--someone dear to me--share their deep distress about talking to their elementary-aged children about racism. There were many twists and turns that jostled me in-between March 13 and June 2. I’ve been through the corkscrew turns so many times, you might think I would know by now how to plan and prepare for the repetitive upside down and right side up movement. But, the recovery time from consecutive corkscrew turns is often too short before I discover that I’m about to enter a 180 degree hair-pin turn or a 150 foot drop-off.
Is there a way to prepare for the next ride?
The short answer is yes. Here are some helpful ideas that have helped me embrace the facts. It starts with simplicity.
1. Shut off the screen—whether it is a computer screen or television screen, simplify and give yourself a break. The magnetic blue light of the screen can damage your eyes. It can also trick your body into thinking it’s constantly in daylight making your body crave foods that would normally be used as energy storage. You may notice you’ve got a lot of ‘storage’ around the middle. Shut off the screens. It can be empowering to take control of something in our rollercoaster world. Simply, discover the 'off button' and use it.
2. Know there is no ‘ahead.’ Buy a computer or new phone and it’s outdated. Miss a day of CNN, Fox or network news and you missed the great story. Take a break for an hour from social media and your stream is racing with updates. Oh, and by the way, you missed someone’s birthday. There really is no getting ahead. Recognize it. Know there really is no behind or no ahead – it is all just a constant chatter of information. So, instead, simplify the stream as you select when to enter and when to exit and know that you set your own rules with regards to digital information. But remember there can be ahead with regards to family and relationships. Choose them first.
3. Embrace Conversation. Make it a point to simply talk. Discover new people who can become friends. They may even be neighbors you’ve lived near for years and never actually talked with them. Talk in real life. Establish family dinner routines and keep them. These complex times tend to propel us into moving faster and having clipped conversations with those we love. We can be distracted and lose the intentional one on one simple conversation. Master the art of conversation. We have so few days when we truly think about it. Don’t allow time to be wasted. Instead have a good conversation. It may change a life for eternity. Simply make conversation a priority.
4. Say ‘no' to something, so you can say ‘yes.’ This is easier said than done. But, our selection process comes down to our values. What we value, we live. It’s like the seed and the tree. All we need to do is look at the fruit to know what type of tree is planted. If I have a forest of things I don’t like, want or need. I can change it. Some of us will want to clear-cut the whole forrest. But, keep in mind, a well-ordered world is beautiful and not barren. Simplify one part of your life and the simplification process can become a way to freedom.
5.Start the Day with Quiet. Resist the temptation to turn on the television, pick up your phone or go to email to check messages. All these practices create anxiety the first thing in the morning. Instead, make an appointment with the Lord every morning. Get up earlier and make it a priority to simply create space and time for quiet for your day. What you value—you live. Decide the first part of your day begins with quiet. It sets the tone for the entire day. Limit your time if you work on the computer in the morning. Actually set the timer and be diligent about respecting the timer. Simplify the morning clutter and reclaim stillness in the morning.
6.Walk. Determine that you will take walks. A sense of self-control can bring a sense of well-being and calm as you make better choices. Take walks where you can experience quiet. Walk and slow down. What do you hear? What do you smell? How does it feel to take in a deep breath, hold it and let it out slowly? Feel the ground beneath you, let the wind mess your hair and allow the humidity to have its way with you. Walk and speed up! The exercise will do you good—get the blood moving and allow those endorphins to work for you. Mature and balanced people learn how to use our magnificent body in positive and restorative ways.
7. Wait. Stop expecting everything and everyone to respond quickly to your whim or command. Slow down your own processes. Over-thinking and making judgments while adding intense emotion equals chaos. The storm will intensify with the rapid pace of deadlines and personal cognitive patterns limit our ability to think with clarity or in a God-honoring way. The temptation to minimize circumstances or to ‘just get through it’ creeps into the front door of your heart lessening your self-control and can negatively effect the people around you. Listen is the perfect partner to wait. The most successful people excel at both wait and listen. Success is determined by your own maturity— spirit, mind, body and soul.
Our disposition sets the tone for how we respond to the ride. How I decide to ride makes all the difference in the world.
Pastor Jen
Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace. 2 Corinthians 1:12 NIV