Between Part 1

 

Between stimulus and response there is space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

Viktor Frankl

 

In a world of immediate and instant communication, where we must respond right now, where our adrenaline surges and swirls constantly within us, it is good to breathe.  During September, I encouraged you to slow down.  To enter the sacred space of rest, renewal, and reconnecting with the One who calls Sabbath and slowing down holy.  To embody the practice of Jesus, who got away from crowds and demands, being needed and necessary.  We heard in August how Habakkuk went from lament (crying out to God) to listening for God in the tower.  Finding a space and place in our calendars for “tower time” is important.  To find moments we open our ears, hearts, and whole lives to God is vital emotionally, spiritually, and physically.  While I would love to stay in “tower time” always, the truth is there is laundry to be done, errands to be run, and doctor’s appointments.  I believe with all my heart that God shows up in our everyday, ordinary lives – when we are out and about ~ remember Jeremiah from yesterday going to a Potter’s shop/shed ~ a place of business.  Even as we go, we can take the practice of slowing down with us.  When we re-engage and re-enter the world, we have that holy pause between the stimulus and response. 

 

The holy pause to breathe.

 

The holy pause to listen first for God before we let words fall from our lips or let loose our fingers to dance across the keys of our computing device.

 

The holy pause to remember you are a beloved of God…and so is the person to whom you are responding.

 

This week, I want to introduce you to three mind/heart/soul practices to engage when you are interacting with other featherless bipeds.  The first is SNAP, which stands for

 

Stop ~ before you run and race into your response, breathe deeply.

Notice ~ what emotions are swirling inside you – see the Wheel of Emotions above.

Ask ~ why are those emotions there?  What are they trying to tell you?

Pivot ~ toward your values for a response.

 

You can practice this right now!  Take a breath.  What is your response to this acronym?  It could be that you are thinking, “This is amazing!!”  Or you might think, “This sounds impossible!!”  You could be saying to yourself, That will never work with so-and-so, who seems to have the nuclear code to my emotions.  Ask why that person has the editorial pen on your life?  Why does that person get to write over the belovedness and values you seek to live from?  Now, how might you pivot toward your values?  In the safety and security of where you are reading this, you can let loose your sacred imagination in how this might work and where the potential pitfalls and potholes might be.  Take time today to ponder situations where SNAP might help you stay grounded in your values and guided by God’s love in these days.