Today I write short and to the point. My brain is not able to go deep. I am still noodling through.
What a whirlwind these past two weeks have been. Wow. I returned from vacation to learn of sudden, unexpected mass layoffs and restructuring at my job while I was away. And apparently they were instant. I envision that day was like the movie Left Behind. My manager instantly let go, several of my teammates gone. Nearly a third of the employees zoom screens going black at the same time. Vanished. And these were good employees…good people.
I came back to a job that is not only being redefined but feels uncertain, uneasy. People are not being treated well. To add salt to a wound, I am in a health field of sorts, caring for and helping people. We promote wellness. We acknowledge good emotional health and healthy boundaries. We encourage self care and self advocacy. All of which have become oddly ironic. But that’s for another day. Is this the worst week of my life? Of course not. But stressful still.
Over the years we’ve flown from one place to another through some bad weather. One of the fascinating things about living in the south, weather is never dull. It’s a little unnerving to watch the radar and see thunder storms nearby as you're approaching the boarding gate. Can this beast of a plane really outrun a lightning bolt?? I can feel a little panicky at a bumpy ride. Eventually there comes a moment when your plane soars above the storm - the way opens up, the horizon rolls out, glorious clear sky emerges and a feeling of calm washes over. Oh the beauty of that vast open space. If you're in a window seat, you can look down and see the storm in its entirety below. From above it, it appears less threatening, and almost beautiful. Rolling puffy clouds bubbling underneath, as if a massive ball of wound up tension is crashing along the earths landscape. Here you are, coasting along safely in His atmosphere. An atmosphere not visible a few minutes ago from down below, from the middle of the storm.
Life is like this isn’t it? Storm after storm. And when in it, it’s hard to see the expanse of glory that is actually spread out above us.
I am in a storm today, as many of you may be. So my hope is to encourage you to pursue the expanse. Seek out the 30,000 foot view where you can identify the darkness below you but you are not consumed by it. That’s a tough one…but with God’s infinite mercy, this perspective is ours to have and to hold. It is not my intent to simplify some real struggles any of us might be going through. Struggles that are hard, scary, uncertain. We can hurt, get angry, be afraid. The simple idea for today is to seek a bigger, eternal perspective. And whether you think that's possible or not, if you name the name of Jesus as your Savior, an eternal perspective already resides in you.
This brings us to our brains and how they handle stress. There is a lot that can be unpacked but let’s keep it simple: when we undergo some form of trauma or major stress, our brain goes into survival mode. When this happens, it actually dims the “thinking” lobe and all resources are focused on immediate survival. Hormones, brain receptors and chemicals all go into action mode. You know this as fight or flight. The reason this is important is because when in survival mode, it is actually more difficult to think or act rationally, calmly, or peacefully. Those are the opposite of what our brains our wired to do when faced with some threat. So when in fight or flight mode, it might not be the best time to make hasty decisions or speak out about things.
Let’s say it again: it is more difficult to process emotions when in survival mode. Things don’t make sense and it is harder to digest the whole situation. Once we become overwhelmed with the whole, it is much harder to see all the smaller pieces. Imagine being faced with an armed robber and trying to ‘process’ how you feel about it. Yeah, that just doesn’t work. Because our brains are trained to show us the way to survive that moment, not explain it.
What God seems to be telling me today is that when in a storm of any kind, and I have survived the initial rush, I then need to quickly climb my way to the 30,000 foot view and gaze up on the Heavenly expanse. There is where I can take a seat and start to calmly unwrap what is happening. And there is where this scripture means everything: Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. - Col 3:2
He is reminding me to focus on Him.
It brings me great comfort to remember that not only is God with me in the storm, but the storm belongs to Him. He allowed it, stirred it, and is still God in the midst of it. He uses rains to wash away filth and winds to blow away chaff. He uses thunder to remind the birds to take cover and whips lightning to announce His massive power. He is the storm.
And when I accept that, I can accept the storm.
So what do we do as it passes?
Trust Him…He saw it coming long before we did…he was aware of the storm cloud over Arkansas long before I experienced it in Tennessee.
Pray…for his great mercy, share with him our hurt and anger over the situation.
Wait…allow the disruption to settle even just a little so your brain can return to normal.
Soar…see it from the Heavenly heights, understand your finite power over it, and lay the heaviness at the feet of Jesus.
We can only do so much in stressful situations and once we realize our limits, we can humbly submit them to who has sovereign control.
Once my brain started returning to normal over the last few days, my perspective began to shift. As I crept up to that 30,000 foot view, I could recalibrate, even slightly. Anger, frustration, helplessness and sorrow still persist but it is a manageable load now. When a company “restructures” it can leave wreckage for miles, but it’s how I navigate that shrapnel that will reflect God’s glory in it all. I can see change being potential for better, and accept a challenge to being open minded through it all. And I can rest knowing that if this job doesn't work, I can choose to make a change that does. I can trust that no matter how it all shakes out, God still holds my soul.
Remember when Jesus went with the disciples out over the lake to do some fishing, and a great storm came? While the disciples freaked out and started to go into survival mode, they woke Jesus, who was asleep, and told him they were in perilous danger. He asked them where is their faith…and then proceeded to calm the storm. The wind and waves obeyed. The lesson for the disciples in that moment? They feared the storm more than they had faith in Jesus. The wind and waves obeyed more than they had.
They needed to fix their eyes on the expanse.
As we go through stressful situations and navigate tough times, we can control one thing for sure: our perspective. We may not have authority over the circumstances, but we are fully equipped to gain altitude and get above the clouds. When we reconcile that a temporary situation has no final, eternal power over us, we can lay all our fretting down.
I have no idea what is in store for my job, your marriage, diagnosis, or financial strains. I am sorry you are going through whatever you are going through. Things may be so incredibly difficult that it feels impossible to get out from the middle of them. It feels at times like my rational brain will never get a turn and survival mode is never going to stop. My body stays tense, my gut tight. My feelings change minute to minute like a roller coaster on rusty wheels. But regardless of how I feel in each moment, I do know truth.
And truth is what can shake our panic free.
This moment won't last, and neither will this difficulty. Lean in to the promises of hope you have received.
The God who created you LOVES you. He is WITH you. He is in control of the storm and has given you a way out: You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. - Isaiah 26:3.
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