What do we do when hardship seems to come at us from all sides? Why doesn’t God fix it? How do we find peace when we feel stuck? Read about my personal experiences with these questions here…
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It’s been one of those stretches where things have just been… heavy.
You know, when you feel like you’re rolling a big boulder uphill in every aspect of your life. Over the past few weeks, I’ve just had one of those stretches where it seems like everything takes considerable effort, and despite that effort, everything still goes backwards. Pair that with the physical exhaustion that invariably accompanies seasons of stress, and you’ve got a compound effect that can feel more than a bit overwhelming.
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In my last post, I proposed a challenge that essentially suggested we pay less attention to the news (man-made stories) and instead spent a bit more time focusing on the rhythms of nature (God-made stories).
How’d that go for you? Did you manage to make it the entire week? (It’s not too late to take the challenge, by the way; there’s no “late penalty” for this one…)
I know for me personally, I was able to greatly reduce my news intake on a daily basis, and instead spent a little more time connecting with God through prayer, Bible time, and just being outside.
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I hopped on my road bike yesterday for the first time in about a year.
The last time I rode it was shortly before I ruptured my Achilles – an injury that is nearly a year in the recovery process, and still not where I would like it to be.
Now, full disclosure, the picture shown above was taken during my glory days on that bike. She and I (the bike, that is) would travel all over the local roads together, climbing mountains, enjoying views, speeding down descents. That bike and I have enjoyed thousands and thousands of miles of blissful togetherness.
And then, with one loud snap of the Achilles, it all came to a screeching halt.
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It is in places like these where I feel God’s strong presence – perhaps because it is in that tension between peace and violence that God seems to exist most tangibly to me. There is something about that tension – like we’ve left the feel-good, storybook narrative and entered into something more risky, more wild, more… real.
Read MoreTwo years ago, almost to the day, my wife and I had the privilege of visiting the isle of Iona in Scotland. What stood out to us, other than the incredible beauty of this small island, was a small abbey perched along the southeastern shore.
This abbey was built by St. Columba sometime after he landed on the island in 563 AD after fleeing persecution in his home country of Ireland.
In front of the abbey stands St. Martin’s cross, built around 800 AD.
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It’s been one of those mornings. Disrupted is really the only apt descriptor.
It started with waking early, as is my custom, to go to the gym for a light workout.
(I’m in the process of rehabbing from a ruptured Achilles tendon, so my “workout” consists of walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes while being flanked by silver-haired old ladies who like to sprint. I’m not making this up. I think they derive great pleasure from watching a “young” mid-forties man struggle to sustain 3mph on the treadmill. I’m pretty sure it’s the feature story in their afternoon knitting groups.)
But the workouts help set my mindset for the day. I’m doing something to grow, to improve, and to clear the cobwebs that the morning cup of coffee was unable to do.
This morning, however, I walked into the gym to find that the blustering morning winds had knocked out the power and they were sending everyone home.
Wonderful. Disruption #1.
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Dealing with an injury is more complicated than it might seem from the outside looking in. Little things that I took for granted just a week ago require a tremendous amount of effort. I often find myself tired and sweaty just from something as basic as getting dressed.
I’m suddenly very appreciative when people hold the door open for me.
When they do, I feel slightly ashamed because I know I’m capable of opening it for myself, and I don’t really need their help.
I’ve found I have two gods: Comfort and Productivity.
Comfort often takes the form of fun and pleasure, while Productivity is often masked as efficiency.
A few days ago, those gods were exposed in a single, painful act: while playing basketball with some friends, I felt something hit the back of my leg, just below the calf. Simultaneously, a loud sound, similar to that of a softball hitting a wooden wall, emitted from the same spot on my leg.
In mid-crumpling action, I glanced behind me to see what hit me, and when I realized nobody and nothing, was there, I immediately knew: the Achilles tendon had just ruptured.
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Do you feel stuck in an impossible situation? Does it seem like God has left you high and dry? Hang in there - things may feel out of control, but hope is available, even if it seems hard to see from where you are…
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