Resurrection Living: Flourishing

As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Abide in my love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

~John 15: 9 & 11

Trough

There is a trough in waves,

a low spot

where horizons disappear

and only sky

and water

are our company.

And there we lose our way

unless

we rest, knowing the wave will bring us

to its crest again.

There we may drown

if we let fear

hold us within its grip and shake us

side to side,

and leave us flailing, torn, disoriented.

But if we rest there

in the trough,

in silence,

being with

the low part of the wave,

keeping our energy and

noticing the shape of things,

the flow,

then time alone

will bring us to another place

where we can see land again,

regain our sense

of where

we are,

and where we need to swim.

~Judy Brown

Lying in the trough of the waves is the low spot when the waters rise on either side and the horizon disappears and the shore is out of sight. We may sink with fear, experience loneliness, emptiness, feel disoriented, or struggle with all our might to get to the unseen shore.

But if we rest there in the trough, keeping our energy and noticing the shape of things, the flow, then time alone will bring us to another place where we can see land again.

The pandemic has been disorienting, lonely, isolating, and the struggle to get back to normal seems unlikely or far away. We still can't see the shoreline and it most likely will look different than it was before the pandemic. In a recent article in New York Times, Adam Grant described our pandemic experience as a time of languishing or a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It is the "void between depression and flourishing". He wrote, "It feels as if you're muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield. And it might be the dominant emotion of 2021."

With millions getting vaccinated every day, hope is the air. The end of the pandemic seems a little closer, but it is still unclear when we will feel safe again. Perhaps one could say we are moving toward the crest of the wave and hopefully will soon see land again, regain our sense of where we are, and where we need to swim. In the midst of the pandemic, God's desire for us is to move us from just plodding along to flourishing.

Sue Monk Kidd shares that, "at times I've interrupted my spiritual journey by lingering in a corner of the dance floor watching others dance or by studying the movements of the dance in a book. The point of the spiritual life is that you dance the music God pipes in you. She tells the story of Dorothy's adventures in Oz. When she lands there, she meets the witch of the north who is depicted as a white-haired, wrinkle-faced old crone of a woman. She presents Dorothy with a pair of shiny silver slippers. Dorothy takes off her old leather shoes and puts them on. Soon she learns to click her heels and dance the journey instead of plodding it. She changes shoes" (p. 186).

In the trough, it is often difficult to know how to move from just plodding along to "dancing the music God pipes in us" ? Sometimes it feels void of any music. The poet, Brown, reminds us to be still, rest, listen, and trust the movement. Trust that God will carry us to a new place. We are also encouraged to be attentive to what is happening in and around us. Be attentive to the little things, savor them, and give thanks. Research consistently demonstrates that a life of gratitude leads to joy and a sense of well-being. Meister Eckhart states, “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.” Dorothy, in the adventures in Oz, put on new shoes and learned to dance the journey rather than just plodding along. Putting on new shoes may mean trying something new, like art, journaling, birdwatching, gardening, mindful photography, learning to play an instrument or walking in local parks. Each of us must search for that which feeds our soul, brings us joy and helps us flourish. Let us put on new shoes and "dance the music God pipes in us".

Song: Be Still and Know that I am God by the Rivers Voice

References:

Grant, A. (April 19, 2021). New York Times. "There is a Name for the Blah You are Feeling: It's Called Languishing".

Blum, D. (May 4, 2021). New York Times. "The Other side of Languishing is Flourishing. Here is how to get there".

Kidd, S. M. (1990) When the Heart Waits. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publisher