Obstacles.
All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.
~ Walt Disney
pentecost, week 3.
Last week I wrote on the joys of pressure, resiliency, and gladness of heart. These are essential skills in the Long Journey Home. And there’s another way to talk about pressure: obstacles.
Yesterday we packed the truck with everything we had not either taken to our condo or given away… and it was more than I expected. I had ordered a 20’ truck… but we had 30’ worth of stuff! Obstacle #1.
We called around Boone looking for a last-minute storage facility. (We had to book the last one in Greensboro because Boone was so under-supplied.) But we did find one. Six hours later, we had transferred that last 10’ worth of stuff by car into local storage, making an 8-hour day into a 14-hour day. Obstacle #2.
Then I realized that a 20’ truck of stuff probably wasn’t going to fit into the 15’ storage I had set up in Greensboro. A call there showed that even an extra 5’ of storage would more than double our monthly charge. Obstacle #3. I was starting to show signs of internal stress-fractures.
So here’s the good news: We had an awesome team of truck-loading friends to help us in Boone, and we have another equally-awesome group of friends to help us unload the truck tomorrow. And… Kellie and I vowed that our days of self-moving are over. From here on out, we will pay the exorbitant fees of professional moving! We may still act young, but we are not young by any reasonable measure.
Moving is classically stressful, and we’ve all done it. There are countless details to attend to, there is the pain of loss in even the best move, and of course, there are the unexpected challenges. Obstacles. Obstructions. Frustrations. Last-minute scrambles. And lots of sweat and Advil. But journeys are like that. Whether it’s a physical journey or an emotional healing journey or a soul-enlivening journey. Obstacles are, apparently, a necessary part of the process to find our way home to ourselves.
So… how are you with these pesky obstacles? What obstacles have your name on them right now? Are you feeling grace under fire… or firing at grace? I’ll tell you the truth (or part of it at least)—after a month of packing, finishing our school semester, planning two months of travel, and getting cover for our vacation rental business, I hit the wall. I had held it together with remarkable, even unprecedented poise. Until last night.
You know, it was the first time I can remember sort of watching myself being spiritually formed, right before my eyes. Changing a lifetime of anxious tendencies (described exquisitely by the Enneagram) is no small feat, right? It really does take, as they say, “doing your work.” So watching myself walk through that kind of pressure without fear and anger was a surreal experience. I truly don’t think it has ever happened for me like this before. But then, the all-too-familiar crash. I was devastated. Three steps forward, two steps back. But hey, that’s a net gain of one step! I’ll take it.
What does it take to navigate obstacles successfully? Here’s what I think…
Optimism. I am learning the art of believing that “All is well, all things shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” (Thank you, St. Julian) In a very real sense, I think we largely get what we expect to get. It’s a mindset.
Humility. It’s hard to fall on our faces. Again. It takes courage and humility to pick ourselves up and move forward.
Adaptability. I don’t love military aphorisms, but this one holds a lot of truth: No plan survives contact with the enemy (a loose translation of Helmuth von Moltke). Expect obstacles and learn to pivot without anxiety.
Forgiveness. When we do fail, the worst thing we can do is wallow in shame, no matter how appealing that prospect strangely is. We must forgive ourselves for being human, and we must seek forgiveness from those we have injured with our meltdown.
As we press on through the season of Pentecost, waiting for the fresh filling of the Spirit, let’s lean into these four qualities together. They are here for us! They are available.
growing your soul
Which one of these four do you need right now? Receive it. The Spirit offers exactly that.
serving our world
Be generous with both repentance and forgiveness. Our world needs them so much!
takeaway
Get up and move on.