When things seems bad, keep swimming
Are you still talking to me? I know that the last time we talked, I had a whole lot of questions and a lot to say. Even if you didn’t like the tone, you have to admit that what I said was based in truth. Yes, I shared from an emotional place, weaving in the pains of my heart with the facts surrounding the state of our world. And no, I didn’t say everything I was thinking. I only have so much space. That’s actually a good thing — only so much space or time. We don’t always need to say or write everything we think or feel. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. Maybe we should all do a lot more listening and less talking (or writing). What do you think? We will come back to this question soon.
At the end of our last conversation, I encouraged us to remember that “We can have peace in this time of chaos.” I also said that the search for that peace “begins by looking in the mirror.” And as the Lord often does, he put me in a place to live out the words I shared with you. This week has been quite an eventful one — a week with many opportunities to crawl into a hole, retreat to my bed, cower in the dark so I could escape the chaos. For the life of me, even when I felt like I was giving everything in me, I couldn’t escape the overwhelming feeling of chaos.
In my role at Vineyard Columbus, I care for 62 staff members (a third of our total staff). In our weekly team meetings with a few of my leaders, we share the wins of the week, the challenges of the week, and the opportunities of the week. We then award a BATman to the person on the team who was the Best At Teamwork for the week. The idea for the award came from my extreme love for Batman, my favorite superhero. Although my husband would argue that he is not a superhero because he doesn’t have any super powers. My response coupled with an amazing eye roll, “whatever.” The award was also inspired by Batman: The Lego Movie. If you haven’t seen it – rent it, buy it. Seriously. It is one of our favorites. In the movie, Batman, voiced by Will Arnet says the line “Best At Teamwork.” Anyway, I am rambling. Back to the meetings.
A few weeks ago when we were sharing our wins, challenges, and opportunities, one of my team members shared that they felt like Dori. I asked what the win was, and their response was, “That I just keep swimming.” We laughed and I reminded the team that no matter how hard our days are, we must always remember that we “get to” do the work we’ve been assigned. In agreement, we started to joke about how much faster our strokes need to be to just keep swimming as we keep up with the pace of our days. I then said, “You know, maybe instead of Dori, we are more like synchronized swimmers. On top of the water, the part that the audience can see, the swimmers are smiling, coordinating their movements, and moving in-sync with each other. Underwater it looks like straight chaos.
Their legs and feet are moving and pushing the water as fast as they can so as to present a beautiful picture above.” Everyone paused and then agreed that often times when we think about Dori, we think about an individual race to get home; but when we think about synchronized swimming, we know that there are several people (and motions) working together to create the best result.
As I think about the chaos of the last few weeks and I consider the insight gained from our staff meeting, I had to remind myself that I “get to” navigate the chaos around me, that I “get to” serve people and meet them where they are so I can help them to get to where they want to go, that I “get to” lead teams of people who have a heart to serve and a desire to grow. And that even in the messiness of the “get to,” I must remind myself that I “can be the peace in the time of chaos. I can be the joy in the midst of deep sorrow. I can be the hope for the tomorrow.”
Have you experienced chaos over the last few weeks? What has been your response? Do you use your keyboard strength to let loose? Do you seek solace in prayer and thanksgiving? Do you take out your frustration on those closest to you? What has been your response?
There were several failures for me this week. At times I walked around like a zombie and just moved from task to task so I could get the work done. Other times I raised my voice in frustration, alarming those who were seeking leadership and guidance from me.
And still other times I ignored an email or a text message, annoyed by the fact that someone wanted an immediate response — like did they not know the whole world was crashing down around me. (Ridiculous, I know). The good news is that I apologized, used a new strategy, and remembered that even though I can’t control all that is going on around me, I can control how I respond to it.
The “get to” pep talk doesn’t always work; but it is a good practice to change your language from “have to” to “get to.” Believe me, even though life may seem bad, I am confident, that somewhere in this world, there is someone wishing they could be you. Remember, Batman doesn’t have any superpowers. He is an angry, wealthy, intelligent, orphan who chooses to fight off the bad by using what he has for good. We have the power within us to manage the chaos and be the peace and joy we need. Will you join me and use your superpowers to release peace, joy, hope and love? Read John 16:33.
Gina Watts is a former resident of Fayette County, now living in Columbus, Ohio. She serves multiple communities as an advocate, educator, and leader. Follow Gina on Twitter @professorgmarie.