LET'S TALK ABOUT . . .
"THE HIDDEN TREASURES OF LIFE"
Have you ever had something in your life that was so special to you it was almost beyond description or comprehension? Most of us would probably either want to tell everybody, nobody, or just a select few trustworthy companions on this journey we call life. Of course, there are multiple factors that determine which of those responses we would embrace. In some cases we might move through the process of telling no one, then a select few, followed by whoever wanted to know!
Those kind of discoveries or experiences demand utmost respect for the owner of the same. To try to buy, manipulate or extort such only drives them deeper into hiding or underground. All of this has had me thinking about the difference between privacy and secrecy. For me, privacy is something deeply personal that is rightfully the property of its owner. It is up to the owner of whatever to share if, when and where desired; it respects appropriate boundaries of ownership.
Secrecy is different. It has a conscious intentionality to hide in order to protect its owner(s) from some undesirable outcome that is often more feared or perceived than a reality. Years ago when I first started reading in the field of psychology, I read about what is called "family secrets." My immediate response was, "well, of course, they exist; every family must have them!" Having thought that, I was unaware of how guarded and powerful such entities really are.
Shame is often attached to the exposure of both that which is private and that which is secretive. The fear and anxieties around exposure are perceived to lead to the dreaded twins, shame and blame. We all know these realities, perceived realities and dreaded realities. The power of all of this cannot only shape our individual lives, it can shape entire systems or communities. Sometimes those within the
systems are aware that is what is shaping their lives and choices and sometimes they are not.
The power, then, can be either known or unknown, experienced or unexperienced. The power can be experienced as invisible forces at work in our lives that we are unable to articulate. Discovery is often what is indicated in order to break whatever power(s) is associated with them. It often means being able to connect the dots. That is what happens, for example, when we uncover generational patterns at work within our lives and families.
Sometimes when we are in a conscious, intentional process of identifying and breaking the power of generational patterns, we can feel a raging conflict within ourselves. I have often thought of my life, in the face of such conflict, as the battleground between generations. If we do not want to pass these patterns on to the next generation, then they need to stop with our generation; hence, the internalized conflict.
If we are committed to not pass on the legacies of what we have received from the last generation then there probably will be conflict within. If our lives become the battlegrounds for those trends to stop or be checked; we cannot simply "go with the flow" of those forces at work in our lives. We need to realize that we have agency in those conflicts, even as the perceived "battlegrounds."
I have known the reality of all of this on more levels than I have time or space to articulate at this time. I have known this to comprise some of my life's greatest pain and joy! The irony is that these latter two are integrally linked in my experience. How about you? Do you know all of this to be true of your life as well? How do you identify these patterns and break their power in your life and family?
Until next time . . . this is, Just Janice!
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Thursday, May 22, 2014
LET'S TALK ABOUT . . .
"WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?"
If, as I have suggested in previous blogs, our world is truly moving toward increasingly powerful forms of narcissistic and anarchical behaviors, it is worthy of a discussion about some of the dynamics surrounding those entities. It may need to include a discussion on self-centered versus other-centered behaviors. Let me illustrate with several recent examples.
First, I do not believe we as humans will eradicate such tendencies or behaviors. Any parent knows you do not have to teach a child to be selfish; you have to teach them to share. I heard a great illustration of this recently: if you put two children in the same room with only one toy, what do you think is going to happen if you give it enough time? This is not limited to children; just listen to the news. Historically, wars have been fought over ownership and usage of the available resources on earth. It is a global phenomena that many governments, agencies and mission organizations are attempting to address in one way or another.
If you talk to most trauma survivors they will tell you that we should never think ourselves above extreme or desperate behaviors. We often observe them under circumstances of like nature. Again, as mentioned in a previous blog, we are teleological beings; our lives moving in the direction of getting our needs met. Unfortunately, we do not always do so legitimately. Many in our world are legitimately needy and behave in extreme, even illegitimate, ways in pursuit of getting some need(s) met. They are desperate!
Second, some one asked me if I thought that manipulation was an acceptable course of behavior under certain circumstances. I prefer negotiation to manipulation. The latter is always at the expense of another; negotiation is an attempt to preserve as much dignity as possible for all parties involved. One might argue, circumstantially, "what about a surprise party?" We all decide where and how to draw our lines between acceptable and unacceptable behaviors; are there ethical exceptions?
Third, a recent discussion about entitlement lead to the differentiation between those things that are rightfully ours and the ones we merely feel entitled to for some reason. When I think about the need to accurately and carefully differentiate between entities I am not trying to split hairs; I am trying to responsibly choose trajectory out of love for that which I value the highest in my life. Isn't that what we are all doing? It begs the question; what does the trajectory of our choices say about what we really love the most. There is a Scriptural principle that says, "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Fourth, I have been thinking a lot about when differentiations become discrimination. I think it is good to recognize and respect differences. When a differentiation exposes or shames an individual or group for some explicit or implicit reason, it has crossed the line into the territory of discrimination. We need to be conscious and intentional, without becoming paranoid or paralyzed. We need to live in the tension between tiptoeing and wanton behaviors of disregard ad disrespect. We must not use our freedom to justify behaviors on either extreme of the continuum.
What difference does it make? I believe it is often the difference between living well and living poorly. We need to be discerning in our ability to differentiate well as we seek to live according to that which gives our lives meaning and significance. It is not easy to navigate our way through the maze of circumstances we face every week. They are often so complex and complicated. That, however, does not legitimize abdicating responsibility for ourselves and our choices. We need to continue to work at it!
Until next time . . . this is, Just Janice!
"WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?"
If, as I have suggested in previous blogs, our world is truly moving toward increasingly powerful forms of narcissistic and anarchical behaviors, it is worthy of a discussion about some of the dynamics surrounding those entities. It may need to include a discussion on self-centered versus other-centered behaviors. Let me illustrate with several recent examples.
First, I do not believe we as humans will eradicate such tendencies or behaviors. Any parent knows you do not have to teach a child to be selfish; you have to teach them to share. I heard a great illustration of this recently: if you put two children in the same room with only one toy, what do you think is going to happen if you give it enough time? This is not limited to children; just listen to the news. Historically, wars have been fought over ownership and usage of the available resources on earth. It is a global phenomena that many governments, agencies and mission organizations are attempting to address in one way or another.
If you talk to most trauma survivors they will tell you that we should never think ourselves above extreme or desperate behaviors. We often observe them under circumstances of like nature. Again, as mentioned in a previous blog, we are teleological beings; our lives moving in the direction of getting our needs met. Unfortunately, we do not always do so legitimately. Many in our world are legitimately needy and behave in extreme, even illegitimate, ways in pursuit of getting some need(s) met. They are desperate!
Second, some one asked me if I thought that manipulation was an acceptable course of behavior under certain circumstances. I prefer negotiation to manipulation. The latter is always at the expense of another; negotiation is an attempt to preserve as much dignity as possible for all parties involved. One might argue, circumstantially, "what about a surprise party?" We all decide where and how to draw our lines between acceptable and unacceptable behaviors; are there ethical exceptions?
Third, a recent discussion about entitlement lead to the differentiation between those things that are rightfully ours and the ones we merely feel entitled to for some reason. When I think about the need to accurately and carefully differentiate between entities I am not trying to split hairs; I am trying to responsibly choose trajectory out of love for that which I value the highest in my life. Isn't that what we are all doing? It begs the question; what does the trajectory of our choices say about what we really love the most. There is a Scriptural principle that says, "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Fourth, I have been thinking a lot about when differentiations become discrimination. I think it is good to recognize and respect differences. When a differentiation exposes or shames an individual or group for some explicit or implicit reason, it has crossed the line into the territory of discrimination. We need to be conscious and intentional, without becoming paranoid or paralyzed. We need to live in the tension between tiptoeing and wanton behaviors of disregard ad disrespect. We must not use our freedom to justify behaviors on either extreme of the continuum.
What difference does it make? I believe it is often the difference between living well and living poorly. We need to be discerning in our ability to differentiate well as we seek to live according to that which gives our lives meaning and significance. It is not easy to navigate our way through the maze of circumstances we face every week. They are often so complex and complicated. That, however, does not legitimize abdicating responsibility for ourselves and our choices. We need to continue to work at it!
Until next time . . . this is, Just Janice!
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
LET'S TALK ABOUT . . .
"GENERATIONAL PATTERNS"
We all live out our lives within multiple systems from individual to international levels. It can be more or less obvious how these systems function at any given moment. Sometimes the governing principles are explicit, known to the majority of those living within them. At other times it is less clear exactly how a particular system operates. Sometimes it is because the system operates more on implicit principles, intentional or unintentional.
These implicit principles, while they can be, are not always intentionally taught. The unintentional patterns are more often "caught," being transmitted by repetitively being lived out within the system. These can be transmitted for generations before being identified, articulated, challenged or changed. Changing long-standing patterns is usually more of a process than an event.
Many times the reason these generational patterns are not identified is because they become operative norms within the system. It is often an outside perspective that becomes instrumental in the process of identifying, articulating, challenging and providing the necessary intervention to change these patterns. This is one of the reasons it is not always healthy for systems to be exclusive, closed to any outside influence or accountability.
It is important to note here that there have been times historically that certain populations of survivors have needed to move toward exclusive tendencies in order to survive persecution and the threat of annihilation. This has usually occurred in extreme circumstances and situations. It is interesting that in modern times we are increasingly seeing persecuted populations rise up and attempt to draw global attention to their situation in an attempt to appeal for help.
As limited finite human beings none of us are able to be aware of all the forces coming to bear on us at any given moment. That is why, as individuals, it is important to have those outside perspectives coming to bear on our lives, both individually and systemically. The troubling reality in our world is that it is becoming less and less acceptable to entertain outside perspectives. Why?
As we become more of a narcissistic society do we more readily conclude that those perspectives simply do not "work" for us and, therefore, are not considered valuable? Could part of it be the breakdown in community dynamics? Is it the decline of authoritative voices and influences in our world? Is it a cacophony of forces at work among us, too enmeshed to attempt to sort out? We may be too close to the occurrence to ferret it all out at this time.
I have experienced the power of such generational patterns in my own life and in the lives of others, individually and systemically. At times, it has been daunting, if not traumatic, to stop and resist dismissing or defending against some truth long enough to struggle, come to terms with and integrate it into the reality of all you are. This is part of what it means to change and grow, to deal with oneself in an intentional process. It is not always easy, but it is a worthwhile process!
One of the growing concerns in our society is mental health. Engaging in a life-changing process of dealing with oneself and one's life is not going to be a short-term process. It means looking at oneself and, at times, at the systems within which we became who we are; it means looking at those generational patterns that shaped our lives.
Until next time . . . this is, Just Janice!
"GENERATIONAL PATTERNS"
We all live out our lives within multiple systems from individual to international levels. It can be more or less obvious how these systems function at any given moment. Sometimes the governing principles are explicit, known to the majority of those living within them. At other times it is less clear exactly how a particular system operates. Sometimes it is because the system operates more on implicit principles, intentional or unintentional.
These implicit principles, while they can be, are not always intentionally taught. The unintentional patterns are more often "caught," being transmitted by repetitively being lived out within the system. These can be transmitted for generations before being identified, articulated, challenged or changed. Changing long-standing patterns is usually more of a process than an event.
Many times the reason these generational patterns are not identified is because they become operative norms within the system. It is often an outside perspective that becomes instrumental in the process of identifying, articulating, challenging and providing the necessary intervention to change these patterns. This is one of the reasons it is not always healthy for systems to be exclusive, closed to any outside influence or accountability.
It is important to note here that there have been times historically that certain populations of survivors have needed to move toward exclusive tendencies in order to survive persecution and the threat of annihilation. This has usually occurred in extreme circumstances and situations. It is interesting that in modern times we are increasingly seeing persecuted populations rise up and attempt to draw global attention to their situation in an attempt to appeal for help.
As limited finite human beings none of us are able to be aware of all the forces coming to bear on us at any given moment. That is why, as individuals, it is important to have those outside perspectives coming to bear on our lives, both individually and systemically. The troubling reality in our world is that it is becoming less and less acceptable to entertain outside perspectives. Why?
As we become more of a narcissistic society do we more readily conclude that those perspectives simply do not "work" for us and, therefore, are not considered valuable? Could part of it be the breakdown in community dynamics? Is it the decline of authoritative voices and influences in our world? Is it a cacophony of forces at work among us, too enmeshed to attempt to sort out? We may be too close to the occurrence to ferret it all out at this time.
I have experienced the power of such generational patterns in my own life and in the lives of others, individually and systemically. At times, it has been daunting, if not traumatic, to stop and resist dismissing or defending against some truth long enough to struggle, come to terms with and integrate it into the reality of all you are. This is part of what it means to change and grow, to deal with oneself in an intentional process. It is not always easy, but it is a worthwhile process!
One of the growing concerns in our society is mental health. Engaging in a life-changing process of dealing with oneself and one's life is not going to be a short-term process. It means looking at oneself and, at times, at the systems within which we became who we are; it means looking at those generational patterns that shaped our lives.
Until next time . . . this is, Just Janice!
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
LET'S TALK ABOUT . . .
"UNINTENTIONAL OUTCOMES"
CNN hosted a documentary by Morgan Spurlock on Sunday night about a new movement out of England. It is in response to the trend away from attending what might be termed "traditional local churches." It is an attempt to offer an alternative. This movement calls their gatherings Sunday Assemblies. Its boast is that it is "religion without God." While it does not call itself a "church" it meets on Sunday, holds small group meetings at other times throughout the week and even follows an order of service. It is a church with an avowed atheistic stance that worships the creature rather than the Creator. It worships humanism.
This is nothing new, but it is certainly "right out there and growing." In modern church history did we ever intend that the exodus from our local churches or such movements would be the outcome? Of course not! As I watched the show I had to wonder if, in fact, what is happening is the result of misguided trajectory in some of the trends in modern church history. Perhaps my musings were merely the product of having written about trajectory in my last blog.
Let me illustrate. Decades ago, during what was called the Church Growth Movement, the trend was to shift church paradigms "corporately" from Body Life, meaning functioning as the Body of Christ, to a corporate business model for doing church. A shift in trajectory! As those at large in society are feeling increasingly needy they will look for places that offer them something toward meeting those needs, resources for helping them deal with all the pressures and stresses in the face of their needs or, at least, a worthy distraction for a few hours per week.
As such, the church became more of a consumer of resources than a committed giving entity within society. Historically, the church functioned as one of the social agencies in society before those agencies existed apart from the local church. A shift in trajectory! So many react to what the church projects it needs in order to sustain its existence, to survive (attendance, offerings, volunteers, etc.). In light of the fact that many of them are just trying to survive themselves, they are not drawn to a local church that is just trying to survive. They want to go to church and receive something that helps them face another week of whatever life brings. They long to thrive in a thriving church.!
It is interesting to me how many people have an instinctive sense of who and what the local church is supposed to be. They know it is supposed to be a reflection somehow of the God it preaches and worships. If they embrace the projected paradigm it becomes about what God and the church want "from" them, more than what both want "for" them. The "for" them part should be the focus and the "from" them should be the effect of a correct focus on the church's true identity and trajectory.
Can we trust once again that if we correct and refine our focus, the effects will follow and the identity of the church will be as it was intended to be? I believe the organic identity of the church is primarily about "being" before "doing." We should never assume that either God or ourselves have completed the "being part" so we can merely focus on "doing church." Are we merely to accept that "being" is related to what is called the Universal Body of Christ and "doing" is reflected in the local church paradigms? I certainly hope not!
I had a friend who was completing an education degree years ago at a local university. She told me her history professor announced to the class that he was sitting on the edge of his seat waiting to see if the church could reinvent itself one more time in history. He was an avowed atheist. I wonder if he would embrace the Sunday Assemblies idea of being an atheistic church?
I wonder if what those gathering at these assemblies are really looking for is invitation and inclusion without condemnation. A church without God would be a church without Divine guilt and shame; it would eliminate any need to deal with the reality of a God or His Christ. In a society that is becoming increasingly narcissistic and entitled, perhaps one of the trends we are seeing more of is to think of ourselves apart from many forms of guilt or shame. There IS a difference between a healthy sense and a toxic sense of both of these entities.
What is interesting to me is that the church, both universal and local was never intended to be the dispenser of guilt and shame from the pulpit or any other ministry. It has always been its mandate to acknowledge or reflect the reality of both the healthy and toxic versions of guilt and shame and offer the resolution of both in Christ.
We live in such complex times on so many levels. We need to consciously and intentionally work at refining our language, our foci, our trajectories and our projected outcomes. This is not easy at the best of times; it is increasingly challenging in difficult times. Work at it we must!
Until next time . . . this is, Just Janice!
"UNINTENTIONAL OUTCOMES"
CNN hosted a documentary by Morgan Spurlock on Sunday night about a new movement out of England. It is in response to the trend away from attending what might be termed "traditional local churches." It is an attempt to offer an alternative. This movement calls their gatherings Sunday Assemblies. Its boast is that it is "religion without God." While it does not call itself a "church" it meets on Sunday, holds small group meetings at other times throughout the week and even follows an order of service. It is a church with an avowed atheistic stance that worships the creature rather than the Creator. It worships humanism.
This is nothing new, but it is certainly "right out there and growing." In modern church history did we ever intend that the exodus from our local churches or such movements would be the outcome? Of course not! As I watched the show I had to wonder if, in fact, what is happening is the result of misguided trajectory in some of the trends in modern church history. Perhaps my musings were merely the product of having written about trajectory in my last blog.
Let me illustrate. Decades ago, during what was called the Church Growth Movement, the trend was to shift church paradigms "corporately" from Body Life, meaning functioning as the Body of Christ, to a corporate business model for doing church. A shift in trajectory! As those at large in society are feeling increasingly needy they will look for places that offer them something toward meeting those needs, resources for helping them deal with all the pressures and stresses in the face of their needs or, at least, a worthy distraction for a few hours per week.
As such, the church became more of a consumer of resources than a committed giving entity within society. Historically, the church functioned as one of the social agencies in society before those agencies existed apart from the local church. A shift in trajectory! So many react to what the church projects it needs in order to sustain its existence, to survive (attendance, offerings, volunteers, etc.). In light of the fact that many of them are just trying to survive themselves, they are not drawn to a local church that is just trying to survive. They want to go to church and receive something that helps them face another week of whatever life brings. They long to thrive in a thriving church.!
It is interesting to me how many people have an instinctive sense of who and what the local church is supposed to be. They know it is supposed to be a reflection somehow of the God it preaches and worships. If they embrace the projected paradigm it becomes about what God and the church want "from" them, more than what both want "for" them. The "for" them part should be the focus and the "from" them should be the effect of a correct focus on the church's true identity and trajectory.
Can we trust once again that if we correct and refine our focus, the effects will follow and the identity of the church will be as it was intended to be? I believe the organic identity of the church is primarily about "being" before "doing." We should never assume that either God or ourselves have completed the "being part" so we can merely focus on "doing church." Are we merely to accept that "being" is related to what is called the Universal Body of Christ and "doing" is reflected in the local church paradigms? I certainly hope not!
I had a friend who was completing an education degree years ago at a local university. She told me her history professor announced to the class that he was sitting on the edge of his seat waiting to see if the church could reinvent itself one more time in history. He was an avowed atheist. I wonder if he would embrace the Sunday Assemblies idea of being an atheistic church?
I wonder if what those gathering at these assemblies are really looking for is invitation and inclusion without condemnation. A church without God would be a church without Divine guilt and shame; it would eliminate any need to deal with the reality of a God or His Christ. In a society that is becoming increasingly narcissistic and entitled, perhaps one of the trends we are seeing more of is to think of ourselves apart from many forms of guilt or shame. There IS a difference between a healthy sense and a toxic sense of both of these entities.
What is interesting to me is that the church, both universal and local was never intended to be the dispenser of guilt and shame from the pulpit or any other ministry. It has always been its mandate to acknowledge or reflect the reality of both the healthy and toxic versions of guilt and shame and offer the resolution of both in Christ.
We live in such complex times on so many levels. We need to consciously and intentionally work at refining our language, our foci, our trajectories and our projected outcomes. This is not easy at the best of times; it is increasingly challenging in difficult times. Work at it we must!
Until next time . . . this is, Just Janice!
Thursday, May 8, 2014
LET'S
TALK ABOUT . . .
"DUELING IN A DUALISTIC SOCIETY"
Recent events in our world have left many wondering where we are headed in the future. This past week the U.S. stated emphatically that the world is experiencing global climate change. Centuries- old power dynamics are shifting globally. Financial markets have slowed down in terms of last year's record climb. Political arenas are desperately searching for solution-oriented leadership. There is a noticeable increase in existential, be it philosophical or spiritual, emphases in the media.
Politically, economically and existentially the world is reeling between opposing forces vying for control. Interestingly enough, all those "isms" of the last century have left many hopeless that a solution will ever be found that will re-stabilize our world. The fear is that the powers that be will not be able to agree on an approach or a solution; and yet, there is an increasing move toward global dialogs and attempts toward solutions agreeable to collective majorities of any given persuasion.
Desperate people do desperate things to meet what they perceive are their most attention-demanding needs. Desperate needs often make for desperate alliances on either side of any given issue. In short, we live in an interesting time in history where ideologically-opposing forces are dueling on multiple levels. We feel all around us the uncertainty and instability of the "dueling in a dualistic society." This, in turn, generates a felt sense of anxiety around powerlessness and helplessness.
Most of us will never have the opportunity to work toward solutions at higher or the highest levels of power and influence. Those who do not only have incredible opportunities they bear incredible responsibilities regarding the influence they exert. These may appear to be glamorous positions but in reality they are very difficult and stressful positions that are accompanied by high costs for themselves and their families.
"DUELING IN A DUALISTIC SOCIETY"
Recent events in our world have left many wondering where we are headed in the future. This past week the U.S. stated emphatically that the world is experiencing global climate change. Centuries- old power dynamics are shifting globally. Financial markets have slowed down in terms of last year's record climb. Political arenas are desperately searching for solution-oriented leadership. There is a noticeable increase in existential, be it philosophical or spiritual, emphases in the media.
Politically, economically and existentially the world is reeling between opposing forces vying for control. Interestingly enough, all those "isms" of the last century have left many hopeless that a solution will ever be found that will re-stabilize our world. The fear is that the powers that be will not be able to agree on an approach or a solution; and yet, there is an increasing move toward global dialogs and attempts toward solutions agreeable to collective majorities of any given persuasion.
Desperate people do desperate things to meet what they perceive are their most attention-demanding needs. Desperate needs often make for desperate alliances on either side of any given issue. In short, we live in an interesting time in history where ideologically-opposing forces are dueling on multiple levels. We feel all around us the uncertainty and instability of the "dueling in a dualistic society." This, in turn, generates a felt sense of anxiety around powerlessness and helplessness.
Most of us will never have the opportunity to work toward solutions at higher or the highest levels of power and influence. Those who do not only have incredible opportunities they bear incredible responsibilities regarding the influence they exert. These may appear to be glamorous positions but in reality they are very difficult and stressful positions that are accompanied by high costs for themselves and their families.
Perhaps the issue facing most of us who are just trying to live out our lives within the spheres of influence where we spend most of our time is to figure out who we are going to choose to be in the midst of it all. We need to figure out how to live well among all the forces shaping the spheres of our lives. There was a book written by Francis Schaffer years ago whose title has echoed in mind, repeatedly challenging me to answer for myself the question, How Then Shall We Live?
Where do we seek guidance for how to navigate our way through these complex and uncertain times? What are the principles by which we live out our lives? What is our ethical basis for doing so? How do we know if we have, in fact, lived well?
Until next time . . . this is, Just Janice!
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
LET'S TALK ABOUT . . .
"HIGH DEFINITION LIVING"
Have you ever been mesmerized by all the screens on the wall of the television department in your local electronics store? I have. At first I wondered if it was the sheer number of screens or the fact they were tuned to the same station. Although that may have been true at first, I progressively found myself searching for the visually preferred screen. As one would suspect, I was searching for the one with the greatest clarity.
High definition clarity draws us like a magnet. In my last blog I expressed the growing longing in our society for that which is appropriately authentic, transparent and integral. There is something incredibly appealing about a life of focus that comes from core beliefs and convictions being lived out with passion. Some do this quite assertively and are zealous in their expression while others live out their core convictions with a kind of quiet resolve.
I have been somewhat taken back by all the heartfelt inquiries, "but Janice what would THAT look like?" We long to have some kind of image of that to which we aspire. The images we possess of various realities are integrally linked to our norms. Most of the time we are not consciously aware of or thinking about these norms and images. We are just living out our lives trying to do the best we can. It is often during some kind of learning curve, growth process or existential pursuit that we become aware of how the way we live out our lives is informed by and linked to these images.
Sometimes changes in our lives originate from external sources or circumstances. At other times they are more driven by internal realities. These are not simple linear, cause and effect dynamics. If that were so there would not be so many different theories, therapies, approaches, etc. We are very complex beings, "fearfully and wonderfully made."
There is much that is beyond or out of our control in this life. We will never be able to even grasp all of those factors at any given moment, let alone in all situations and at all times. In the final analysis we all consent to the big picture direction of our lives, whether subconsciously or unconsciously. We choose by not choosing only to realize we have chosen because we have been influenced to do so. These are deeply existential issues that for the most part we do not want to think about because we fear we will never figure it out anyway! It confuses us even more and generates unwanted anxiety.
Walking in the tension alluded to in my last blog mandates focusing on the focus rather than the effects. So often we miss the mark because we fail to understand this difference. The reason we do not understand this kind of journey is because we are so caught up in focusing on the effects. We often find ourselves adrift, lost, off track, derailed, etc. Sometimes this happens quickly, at other times it can take years, even generations. We often try to fix our derailments rather than refine our focus. This happens individually and systemically.
I am humored, in my own life, at how often I want to believe I am focusing on the focus, only to realize I was really focusing on the effects. That always indicates it is time for an adjustment, a refined clarity of my own personal focus. I have learned to laugh at myself!
Trajectory is another important dynamic. Have you ever thought about the acceptable margin of error NASA allows in their trajectory if they are actually and eventually going to hit their target, be it another planet or the international space station? Trajectory and focus, conscious or unconscious, are integrally linked. This, too, deserves a more specified discussion.
Living a high definition life of focused trajectory, then, is the effect of living by faith in the tension described in my last blog. It is good for us to think about these matters. It is good for us to become comfortable with the need to refine our focus rather than cover or fix our deviations as we journey through life. This can be the difference between pride and humility. It mandates we deal with ourselves.
Until next time . . . this is, Just Janice!
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