3 Points to Ponder
- Many of us wear busyness as a badge of honor, and it is killing our peace. When someone asks you how you are doing, do you answer “Busy”? Is that a good thing?
- Our inability to deal with the actual needs around us isn’t because of a lack of desire. It’s a capacity issue. A jar can only hold so much before it can’t retain anything else. What is in your jar? Do you like what is in your jar? What needs to go to be replaced with something more life-giving?
- The definition of scurry is fast and confused movement. In people, it manifests itself when you can’t concentrate for long periods and your mind races. It causes massive blindspots in our lives. Where in your life are you scurrying right now?
2 Quotes to Share
“We want solutions, but what we really need are attitudes. You don’t need abs, but rather an attitude of training. You don’t need the answer, but rather an attitude of curiosity. You don’t need an easier life, but rather an attitude of perseverance. Attitude precedes outcome.” – James Clear
“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” -Walter Elliot
1 Story of Impact
I was recently at our Abaco, Bahamas, location with some great friends. One of the beauties of this location is the ability to go snorkeling in the ocean during the downtime between serving and learning. One of my friends had never been snorkeling before, so I was excited to take her out. Being it was her first time, she initially struggled with trusting the small breathing tube and mask protecting her from the ocean water. As we neared the reef, hundreds of fish were around us, but she was having trouble seeing any of them. Because of hurry, worry, and scurry, she was fighting the equipment and hastily moving around the reef. Then she learned to slow down and relax and all of a sudden, she could see life. The beautiful details became evident: the dark sea urchin under the rock, the little crab moving along the sand, and the reef fish poking its head out from the reef. All that life was always there but unrecognizable because of self-inflicted circumstances. How many times do hurry, worry, and scurry dictate how we see life? How many times does it blind us to the beauty around us? When we are at our best, we replace hurry, worry, and scurry with something better: peace. Our pace, thoughts, and intentions bring about peace. And living in peace brings better relationships with ourselves, our Maker, our friends, and our world. Slowing down our pace, being intentional about our “yes” and “no”, and creating white space to mentally close the task before rushing to the next all help usher inner peace. And when that happens, life isn’t chaotic water with barren rocks, but rather a tapestry of colors with brilliant fish all around us.
