Life is full of events like these.
Exciting things we anticipate and can’t wait to experience, other things that
produce fear and disgust, and still other things we are anxious to put behind
us. I see a lot of looking forward to things and looking forward to getting
past things, and then when we’re in the midst of something I see plenty of
anxiety about how that thing is going. I just want to say: Stop. Stop letting
future worries dictate your present.
We’re wasting away our lives trying
to get to and/or past the next thing, trying to escape the dreaded thing that’s
coming, and then we are captive to nerves during the things that we have been
anticipating. We worry, “What if it doesn’t turn out well in the end?”
We need a break. And not just from
the things that cause us stress. We need an outlook that allows us to move
through stressful times without being overwhelmed, without letting the
temperature of those around us affect us so much. We need some perspective.
This is what spirituality has to
offer. In order to be spiritual you have to be present in the here and now. You
have to attentively listen for God in this moment right now. We spend so very
much time not being present. We look forward, we try to escape; we don’t sit attentively
much. We don’t navigate the stress; we let it dictate the course and then we
respond. Stop responding. Start stopping and looking for God in the midst of
all the stuff.
I look at the way our kids play
sports as a metaphor for how the rest of us live our lives. Actually, scratch
that, it isn’t a metaphor, it IS how we live our lives, because our kids ARE
living their lives and they are stressed out as can be. So, when they’re in a
big game—define that however you will—you see in their nerves what that means
to them. Those who cope better with stress are in the moment—they navigate—but others
just react. In every aspect of your life you can be in the moment or you can be
anxious and looking for resolution. It will define every interaction you have.
The spiritual life is also about being
self-aware. This has tremendous implications for how we see ourselves, because
we hear competing messages in our faith life and our business/personal/family
life. Are we trying to justify our lives based on our accomplishments, or are
we trusting in God to justify what I cannot?
So, here’s the thing about Election
Day (because I’m guessing a lot of you are worried, anxious, fill-in-the-blank
about the election right about now). It matters, but it doesn’t mean nearly as
much as we build it up. The foundation of our lives is not our government but
our God. The election matters… just not as much as you think. What matters more
are the thousands of little things within your control. What matters is smiling,
laughing, dancing, singing… what matters is playing, having fun, sharing
stories… what matters is falling in love, making friends… what matters is all the minutia of life that
we miss when we wish things away.
I hope you don’t wish anything away.
We only have so much time and we just don’t know what tomorrow will bring. But,
even more than that, I hope you don’t wish anything away because God so often
meets us exactly in the place we are most dreading. This is the kind of God
we’re dealing with and this God ain’t scared of anything, so trust in this
God—not your feelings of anxiety or fear of what may come.
Then, the question won’t be “Is it
over yet?” but “It’s over already?”
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