Friday, December 4, 2009

Questions to Ponder

“When people are aligned to their purpose, when the gap between values and behaviours closes, what people experience is a stream of ease ...”

-Roger Lewin, 2001


Last week, as I was preparing for Thanksgiving, this verse from John 6 hit me hard:

“Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.” -John 6:27

So while I try to feed my wholesome snacks and meals several times a day, I don’t offer my kids “food that endures” with the same regularity and intentionality.

To prepare a feast for 14 last Thursday, I knew I needed to live the “need Thee every hour” prayer. I was not as faithful as I should have been. Thankfully I had gracious family members who stepped in and helped pull the meal off satisfactorily. We ate well and enjoyed one another’s company. I am thankful.

Now that everyone is gone, though, I’m left with a big helping of cognitive dissonance. What I supposedly value and what I do are too far apart. For instance, I get carried away with crafting and let the housekeeping slide. Or I am on the computer instead of reading and playing with my children.

In "Ready to Be Surprised: Improvisation and Working with What Comes," Adrian Underhill asks a series of questions. I found them particularly relevant to my condition. Underhill writes:

“Do you have the experience that when you do is consistent with what is deeply important to you, you find you can work with a greater and almost inexhaustible energy? A state of flow maybe?"

“Whereas when what you do conflicts with what you hold important, there seems to be a different quality of energy available, and less of it?

What’s clear in the midst of my time, energy, people, and task dilemmas is that I simply can’t do it all. The Son of Man promises to give me enduring food, that I can in turn share with my children and others. But will I let him?




Sources:

Lewin, Roger. Weaving Complexity in Business: Engaging the Soul at Work. 2001.
Underhill, Adrian. "Ready to Be Surprised: Improvisation and Working with What Comes." IATEFL Teacher Development Special Interest Group Newsletter, Issue 61, Summer 2009. pp. 6-9.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I found you through Home Sanctuary and am glad I did. I enjoyed your post today...thought provoking. Thanks for sharing. Definitely some things to think about.

One More Equals Four said...

You are definitely right. The things I claim to believe and cherish are often the things that I so easily neglect or take for granted! Thanks for sharing!

Stephenie said...

Wonderful post! I'm am loving Company Girls through Home Sanctuary. I will be thinking on this one for quite a while.

Shawna Atteberry said...

Aah yes, the gap between values and actions, and the busier you are the bigger it gets. It's something I'm constantly reminding myself to work on too.

mholgate said...

Great post! If I am to truly focus on what matters most, then I must first admit in humility that what I value and what I spend my time doing are too far apart.

Thanks for the inspiring words.
-Melissa