Peaks and Valleys, Part 1
Posted on February 2, 2007 - Filed Under Strategy Groups, general |
I hope and pray that your year has started off great!!
As for me…mixed reviews! Peaks and valleys, highs and lows. Right now, I’m a little on the low side. Honestly it seems that most of my weeks bring a “top of the mountain” victory of some kind, yet most also include some challenging, “trial by fire” experience that rattles me at my core. Almost every week, sometimes daily, something happens that unexpectedly startles me, surprises me, or blows me away. Sometimes the surprises are crazy awesome in a good way, other times they’re terrible bad…the kind of things that I just can’t do anything to prepare for. I do a lot of preparing. I’m a believer in trying to prepare for unexpected possibilities…trying to be ready for “whatever may come”. But no amount of preparation can keep me from some unexpected, mind boggling experience that takes my breath away with amazement or causes me to shake my head with frustration or disappointment. You know…the kind of thing that makes you want to stand on the roof top and shout to the whole world about how awesome something is or the kind of thing that can absolutely bring you to your knees…or put you on your face. Those types of experiences cause me to sit back and say to myself, “Whoa!”, “Wow!”, “Oh no!!”, or “What just happened?!” Sometimes I say or yell all these things in succession at the very same time…not necessarily in that order.
I know the same types of things regularly happen to you. They happen to all of us. You may try to slough (sluff) it off like it’s not so…like nothing significant really happened and try to go about your merry way. Sometimes when these volatile, crazy things happen in my life, I just can’t shake it very quickly. There are times when I can’t stop thinking about why I’m the one that got to see that…or why something happened to me. Why not you? Or anybody else for that matter? Why me? Oh, I’ll gladly take all the good stuff…thank you very much, but I’d just as soon not have to deal with the bad stuff if you don’t mind.
I often find myself telling people about these “happenings”, sometimes to the point of boring them to death because the experience was such a big deal to me. Many times my stories are not that important or compelling, but most of the time they listen to be polite. If they’re not really getting into it or if I’m a little too long winded they’ll eventually start yawning and their eyes glaze over so at some point I know they’re not really listening anymore. You know the routine…they’ll start glancing around pretending like they’re still paying attention even though you eventually realize they’re not.
But then there are those times when they can’t stop listening…like they’re hanging on every word. I don’t entirely understand what makes the difference, but they do things like sit up straight and lean forward if they are sitting down or step closer if they are already standing. Their eyes and expression take on a whole different look. They ask a lot of questions. It’s almost like they start to feel what I’m feeling…hanging on every word. Maybe they’ll laugh a little more emphatically at something I say or begin to cry if something is particularly moving. Of course, the shedding of tears sometimes begins when I’m struggling not to cry while telling my story…a skill which I have seemingly mastered according to some.
I’ve learned over the years that it’s in those moments that some of the most unexplainable, no way to prepare for it, craziness in my life can actually have life-changing implications and purpose…in someone else’s life. It’s in those moments that I understand more about why I continue to be so fortunate to live through those times when I want to stand high upon the mountain, screaming the victory shout to all who can hear. And I understand more and more about why I so consistently find myself battling the toughest times…on my knees, sometimes pounding the ground, begging for answers…crying out for God’s help and direction in those moments of uncertainty and occasional despair.
Why me?? Why you?? The answer is this…to be continued.
(Part 2 above)
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