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| “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” – Jesus How’s life? Feeling abundant? Cramped? Free? Worn? New? Exciting? Bored? Or maybe it changes by the day? Or hour? I’ve wondered many times during this Pause, how would we have done this without technology, Zoom, FaceTime, and so on? They’ve made continuing on with life, work and relationships possible as we’ve searched out a new normal. But have these new patterns been a blessing or a curse? Abundant life or life sucking? More and more of us are working from home with laptops – on our actual laps – and phones propped up from our living rooms/bedrooms/lots of rooms/all the rooms. And our safe spaces, our places of rest and peace, have turned into cubicles, offices, churches or teaching arenas. It’s helping us continue moving on, but does it come at a price? How are your boundaries holding up? How is your self-care? Are you still leaving some time, space and energy to allow abundant life to be experienced and recognized? On my run this morning, (my place to recognize abundant life) my coach said “Let go of any guilt you feel about taking this time for yourself. Acknowledge the thought/feeling, but let it go. This time, this place for joy, peace and self will actually change and strengthen you for whatever lies ahead.” He invited me to do three things: 1. Name the space. Speak it into existence as a safe place to let go of the rest of the day’s “stuff.” Allow it to be sacred. A road to run or walk on. A chair to sit in a read. A sofa to lie down on and breathe or sleep. A candle to light to remember the hope. A phone call to check in. 2. Accept it for whatever it is, not what you/someone else thinks it should be. In other words, let your run be whatever it turns into (pace, speed, distance, style). Let your walk be the direction and distance that happen. Let the phone call to reconnect be simply relationship time and not any agenda. 3. When you finish that run/time, you don’t have to let go of it. One run starts at the starting line and ends at the finish line, but when it ends, it doesn’t have to be over. You don’t have to drop the solitude and peace just because you’ve finished the miles/call/prayer/silence/etc. Allow what happened during the run to become your day, your mindset, your abundance. I invite you to do the same thing. Take it. Name it. Accept it. Hang onto it. This life, this day, these experiences, these moments are designed by the Designer to bring abundant life for you. Enjoy it today. Lord, thanks for pouring out abundant life. Amen Still in One Peace, PS (photo credits to Chief Billy Major, Buffalo Airport Fire) |
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