As I walked past a colleague’s office something caught my eye. With my concentration focused on the crisis du jour, I realized I had no idea what I had seen. I felt something telling me that there was a need to stop and catch up. Responding to that sense, I popped my head in and asked if he had time for a catch up. It was then that I noticed he was in a state of meditating. His fingers gently feeling and moving across prayer beads, his stance soft and centered. The feeling I received as I fully entered the space was one of resolute calmness, coiled energy, and intentional hope. As I started to talk, I realized my heart was being treated to the same gifts.
The challenges in this situation keep expanding. If one finds the heart, I suspect that one will discover a core problem or two that if addressed will begin to unravel the wicked messy situation. I was tempted to document an exhaustive list of the symptoms and behaviors that work against moving forward in positive ways. The weakness in this approach is that it only informs of how bad things are. I already know that. While it is good to have some details, I do not believe knowing the nth detail helps.
There are no obvious one-shot answers. There are lots of things that one could do. Experience jumps each time it sees a useful action. I know each push would be good within itself, but would it help with the bigger picture?
Stopping to think and reflect is the starting point. There are many reasons. One is overwhelmed. One thinks of it all and says, “Desperate, I throw myself on you: you are my God!” (Psalm 31.14) At the other in of the spectrum, one wants to be brutally effective. “Let’s act once, reaching for the best, gather what we can.”
We have come to an interim end. It is a season of beginnings. I will reflect and pray today. Staying connected and walking with Divinity is always good.
