Today’s scripture: Philippians 4:6-8 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Tommy Chittenden):
It’s unfortunate that life isn’t about constant progress and unending success. Have you noticed that life seems to be composed of cycles of light and dark, success and failure, order and chaos? Our human nature tends to seldom appreciate the necessity for these opposites. We’d much rather just have it be successful and wonderful — all the time. I’ve yet to meet even one person who has never passed through life’s cycles, gracefully or not. Have you?
Would you take a moment to reflect on how you respond when you are confronted by the downside of these life cycles, such as when we feel stuck. Do you get frustrated? Do you get angry or aggressive? Do you immediately find something else to distract and motivate you? Do you search for a scapegoat or target? Do you withdraw or disappear?
Or do you just sit there, content to acknowledge, “Hey, I’m feeling stuck — and I have no idea what to do now?”
I’m going to be 60 years old in December and I feel pretty confident in declaring that everything moves between periods of chaos and order. I’ve just seen the cycles long enough to know they are there. And I also can safely confess that too long in either state is destructive. Too much chaos and nothing gets accomplished; too much order and nothing new gets created. Being “stuck” is a sign that there’s just too much order — too much rigidity in our thinking. It’s time to loosen up.
When we get “stuck,” when nothing seems to be moving and there’s nothing we can do, start smiling (even laugh if you want) because something good is at hand. But this “goodness,” this fruitfulness, comes at a cost — we have to be willing to let go of what we’ve been holding onto: our opinions and beliefs, our current ways of perceiving things, our old methods and techniques.
It’s as if we are inside a large knot and the tighter we hold onto any of its strands, the more stuck we get. Loosening our grip (giving space for God to work), letting some fresh air into our opinions (“God, what do you want me to understand about this time in my life?”), bringing in new voices and more diversity (connecting with new or different loving, supportive people) — any of these approaches will ease the knotty tension and feelings of being stuck that we’ve created.
It’s another opportunity to recognize where we are and relax into the experience. When we resist the prompting that is inviting us to spiritual evolution, the chaos will persist and we will only prolong the current cycle of “stuckness” that we are experiencing.
Thought for the day: A 13th century Sufi poet named Rumi implores, “Sit down and be quiet. You are drunk. And this is the edge of the roof.” “Be still (let go) and see what God is bringing you to and through — and be thankful!”
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.