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Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Getting out of my own head
We currently have a group of airmen and officers training for Special Forces at the pool. They swim, and work, and swim, and work for 1-2 hours at a time. It is pretty impressive. I'm actually a little proud that they are working at our pool and asking for our help in technique. All of us have our fingers crossed for them. There is one in particular who is pouring his everything into reaching his goal. Seriously, I've never seen anyone work so hard to accomplish something. It is almost overwhelming to watch some-days.
He does have one major roadblock. He is working so hard, putting so much in that he starts to over think and stress the things he is more than capable of doing. That stress starts to affect his performance, when if he could just relax, he'd out perform everyone. He can't get out of his own head. He starts to worry so much about the small parts that he messes up what he gets right instinctively.
It made me think about those of us who are very...academic...about our faith. I love studying theology. I love dealing with the really hard and intellectual side of Christianity. And I don't think that is a bad thing. I do think it can become a stumbling block though. Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to figure the hardest mystery or solve the biggest problem that we get trapped in our own intellectualism. It keeps us from doing the basic tenants of our faith, of maintaining the relationships with God and each other. We sometimes have to step back and get out of own heads. Not because we stop wanting to learn or grow, but because sometimes that is the only way to learn and grow. We have let everything we know turn into instinct, and that happens by doing what we learned, not by learning more.
So get out of your head today, and go love someone. Or swim a few laps. Whichever will help.
He does have one major roadblock. He is working so hard, putting so much in that he starts to over think and stress the things he is more than capable of doing. That stress starts to affect his performance, when if he could just relax, he'd out perform everyone. He can't get out of his own head. He starts to worry so much about the small parts that he messes up what he gets right instinctively.
It made me think about those of us who are very...academic...about our faith. I love studying theology. I love dealing with the really hard and intellectual side of Christianity. And I don't think that is a bad thing. I do think it can become a stumbling block though. Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to figure the hardest mystery or solve the biggest problem that we get trapped in our own intellectualism. It keeps us from doing the basic tenants of our faith, of maintaining the relationships with God and each other. We sometimes have to step back and get out of own heads. Not because we stop wanting to learn or grow, but because sometimes that is the only way to learn and grow. We have let everything we know turn into instinct, and that happens by doing what we learned, not by learning more.
So get out of your head today, and go love someone. Or swim a few laps. Whichever will help.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Safe and Sound
I had a hard time focusing during my time of the Prayer Vigil at BHCC. My mind kind of meandered through a rather random path that I'm going to try to recreate here.
Did anyone else grow up with the Care Bears? I loved them! I still own both movies on VHS. My favorite was always Cheer Bear:
Followed closely by Share Bear:
Until they changed her symbol to be more "health conscious," aka, lame.
But, all that rambling aside, the Bear first in my mind this morning was Grumpy Bear.
Every Bear's personality and symbol was supposed to be some kind of lesson or virtue worth learning. As a kid, I had a hard time with Grumpy Bear, what was I supposed to learn from him? With the advent of Google, it became widely known that Grumpy Bear teaches us that it is ok to be grumpy sometimes. When life is hard, or things hurt, or disappointment reigns, or promises are broken, or rejection is too common, or any of the million of things that hurt in this life happen, Grump Bear shows us it is ok to cross our arms and acknowledge the pain.
I think that is part of what Good Friday can be about as well. Jesus suffered horribly, but not just physically. In the span of just a few days, his closest friends betrayed and abandoned him. His own people turned him over to the conquering government, demanding his blood in a way forbidden by their own heritage. Jesus hurt. There is comfort in that. We need to know we are not alone. Knowing that Jesus suffered the psychological and emotional devastation this life can level at us gives us hope in a God that has experienced this mess we call life.
I guess because I'm doing a monologue from Mary, mother of Jesus' perspective, I was kind of in her head space this morning. I kept thinking of her at the cross, letting Jesus go. I wonder if she gave him permission to be weak, to be broken, and to let go. I wonder if she was the mother who loved her child through his pain, looking on his brokenness, promising him that it would someday be better. Did she see enough to remember there is something past death, and have the strength to tell he son that he would be safe and sound soon? I think if any woman had the strength to do so, it was her, a highly favored woman of valor.
I don't know how the hurt ends. I don't know when the pain stops. I don't know when things getter better. But I do know, that joy comes after mourning. Victory will follow at some point. So, here's my current favorite song, and know that you will be safe and sound soon.
Did anyone else grow up with the Care Bears? I loved them! I still own both movies on VHS. My favorite was always Cheer Bear:
Followed closely by Share Bear:
Until they changed her symbol to be more "health conscious," aka, lame.
But, all that rambling aside, the Bear first in my mind this morning was Grumpy Bear.
Every Bear's personality and symbol was supposed to be some kind of lesson or virtue worth learning. As a kid, I had a hard time with Grumpy Bear, what was I supposed to learn from him? With the advent of Google, it became widely known that Grumpy Bear teaches us that it is ok to be grumpy sometimes. When life is hard, or things hurt, or disappointment reigns, or promises are broken, or rejection is too common, or any of the million of things that hurt in this life happen, Grump Bear shows us it is ok to cross our arms and acknowledge the pain.
I think that is part of what Good Friday can be about as well. Jesus suffered horribly, but not just physically. In the span of just a few days, his closest friends betrayed and abandoned him. His own people turned him over to the conquering government, demanding his blood in a way forbidden by their own heritage. Jesus hurt. There is comfort in that. We need to know we are not alone. Knowing that Jesus suffered the psychological and emotional devastation this life can level at us gives us hope in a God that has experienced this mess we call life.
I guess because I'm doing a monologue from Mary, mother of Jesus' perspective, I was kind of in her head space this morning. I kept thinking of her at the cross, letting Jesus go. I wonder if she gave him permission to be weak, to be broken, and to let go. I wonder if she was the mother who loved her child through his pain, looking on his brokenness, promising him that it would someday be better. Did she see enough to remember there is something past death, and have the strength to tell he son that he would be safe and sound soon? I think if any woman had the strength to do so, it was her, a highly favored woman of valor.
I don't know how the hurt ends. I don't know when the pain stops. I don't know when things getter better. But I do know, that joy comes after mourning. Victory will follow at some point. So, here's my current favorite song, and know that you will be safe and sound soon.
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