Walk on

Somebody is breathing a sigh of relief this morning, the long hard, week is over. Maybe you feel like you did not fare so well in the battle. It could be temper got out of hand, or something was said a little too sharply,  was misconstrued, or someone kept silent when he or she should have spoken.Whatever the reason, there is a sense of relief today because the perceived failure is behind you.

There are so many scriptures about God being our strength which by the way, would not be necessary if we did not have weaknesses. There would absolutely be no need to rejoice in the fact there is no condemnation in Christ for the forgiven, if we never missed the mark. The reason we are admonished to pray for each other and to bear each other's burdens is because burdens are a fact of life.

Lift up your head this morning and behold the face of our Glorious Lord who says come unto me all who are pressed down by burdens. I will give you rest...l am your rest. Let's not allow the devil to take away the victory of getting up after we have fallen. Maybe, there was no fall. Just a bump in the road; God is greater than the condemnation we heap on ourselves. Keeping walking. That's what we do and therein lies the victory.

Seasons

Weekly Word from the Wisdom Walk
It is well into October and still the temperatures refuse to relent, staying in the 90s or high 80s. For some scorching temperatures gave way to violent storms that left death and devastation in their wake. Others are looking at grim reminders of a flood- silt and mud and nameless debris spread like a blanket over what used to be treasured belongings. Ash piles, twisted metal, lone mailboxes standing like exhausted sentinels, waiting for mail that no longer comes. Not since the fires leveled whole communities. Weary knees, drooping hands, wordless cries, all give testimony to long praying short on answers.

And we sigh and wonder when and sometimes if it will ever end...

Notice though, no matter the destruction that occur, the seasons change. Leaves turn to rusty gold and leave the security of their branches to carpet the ground. The snow has already made it's appearance, a sure herald of the long winter ahead.

Yes, there is a time and a season that God has set, unalterable. Many of us are in the midst of what feels like epic disasters. Death of loved ones, ailing relationships, agonizing uncertainty of how to let go or what that even means. But hang on. Seasons however violent, however hard or long they last,  God's immutable Law declares they can only last their allotted time. Spring, summer, autumn, winter. Mark your season,  await the change.

The SPIKES is Right

Weekly Word from the Wisdom Walk

As we walk this road there are so many instances where we can only appeal to divine wisdom. But there are tools to help us especially in the aftermath of a disaster or truly life altering news.

I'm paraphrasing today from Dr. Renato Lenzi's SPIKES Protocol given to me by one of our hospice providers. Starting with "S."

S-etting, can make all the difference. Choose a quiet area with few distractions and calm your own spirit before you begin to intervene.

P- erception, find out what the person thinks about the situation. Pay attention to both body and spoken language; what is not said is equally important.

I-nvitation, "may I suggest or have you considered", is a whole lot better than "you should". Don't force your point of view or try to solve. Sometimes listening and allowing the person to talk it though is the best remedy.

K-nowledge, use your experiences sparingly. Jargon and big words may be just a waste of time. Speak at the person's level and make sure they are following what you are saying.

E-mpathy, please dont say "I know how you feel" unless you actually have had the experience. And even then, your response may have been different. Say "this may be hard for you, or "I can't imagine how this must hurt." Cry with them, pat their shoulder, hold their hands IF their body language says this is okay.

S-trategy, explain what you can do to help or repeat their action plan to them. Clarify any questions and last, see if they are open to meet again or to be referred to another professional.
Remember, sharing each other's pain is one way of showing the love of Christ in us.
Walk in His steps .

Pick your pace

Today for the first hour of walking, I encountered no one. The first jogger past me well into the turnaround. Later there were dog walkers, strollers talking away on their cell phones, cyclists, a runner "wide open" and more walkers.

The thing is each came from a different home, possibly started at a different time, and all went at his or her own pace.

Looking at the people on the cell phone my first thought is,  that's not walking. But by the same token,  if I jogged I'd have pain until next Tuesday 😲 and I don't even remember what year it was that I ran as fast as I could.

What a beautiful thing this race is not for the swift or the battle for the strong. Endurance is what counts. Making it to the finish line is what matters.

God calls us to get on the field and run or walk or jog the best race we can without worrying about the speed of others.

Come on, let's go. You got this ...