a VUCA world

I recently attended a church workshop where I was introduced to the acronym VUCA – have you ever heard of it?  I certainly hadn’t.  It was coined by the U.S. Army War College in Pennsylvania to describe the emotional state of our country after the events of 9-11. 

We are living in a VUCA World:

Volatility

Uncertainty

Complexity

Ambiguity

Everything we believed true and safe and sacred was turned upside down.  What we as Americans thought could never happen – did happen.  Our lives were no longer untouched by unfair, unjustified, horrific events.

That is on the grand scale; now let me bring it down to me personally.  My own “9-11” event occurred a little over two years ago.  I in no way mean to imply the impact or intensity were equal to what happened in 2001; they were not.   But in my small corner of the world, life was turned upside down!  Everything I had been taught was right and fair and honorable crumbled, as did the Twin Towers.  My safe, predictable life had gone down a road I never would have pictured.  I am beginning to understand it was a turning point, a crossroads, if you will, on how I look at life.   But I get to choose if I stay stuck in my VUCA World or if I look at it through a new set of lenses!

We probably all have a personal “9-11” life event, whether it is connected to health, family, job, money etc.  We didn’t deserve it, it is unfair, but bam! - there it is smack dab in the middle of our neatly ordered little world!

And yet – and yet – I am convinced God is right there in the thick of things with us.  I look back over these two years and remember phone calls coming when I was most discouraged, recall the cards and e-mails from friends telling me I was not alone, feel the hugs when words were not enough to express the deep caring, and sense the calm as my dear dogs sat quietly by my side with a reassuring “It will be ok, mom!”

God has never been absent, even though I question it time and time again.  Not only is He not absent, His love covers me in times of greatest need. A friend sent this photo, which encapsulates what my ramblings have been trying to convey. This is a vision I will hold on to when my head starts veering off into the VUCA World!

 Psalm 91:4

He will cover you with his feathers,

                and under his wings you will find refuge;

                         his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

God Before Us

When I first entertained the idea of writing a blog, I figured I'd better have a list of weekly topics ready to go. I needed to be organized, prepared, maybe even have several postings saved on the computer (those of you who know me are smiling and nodding your heads and OK maybe I do have a list started!). But here's what's been amazing to me, I've only looked at that list twice! My postings are more spontaneous in nature, which is in and of itself something for me to ponder!

This leads me to my thoughts this morning. There is an anonymous comment on my "Fear or Faith" article of February 7th (you can find it on the blog website), which has lead to a connection for me. This person speaks of taking a risk to move out of their comfort zone and questioning whether they would have "fear or faith"? In this particular case, the risk lead to a positive outcome, they felt the Holy Spirit right there in the moment.

I was reminded of a quote from Dean Nelson, in his book God Hides in Plain Sight "But I also believe grace goes before us as a way for God to say 'Welcome! I got here before you. I've been expecting you. See? You're with me, and you're going to be fine'"

What a comforting image, God going ahead of us, to either catch us when our wings don't take flight, or cheer us on when they do! Either way, it helps to make 'flying' less fearful!

PS Speaking of spontaneous- it's 7AM in Flagstaff, Arizona- on our trip to the Grand Canyon!

BETWEEN SATURDAYS

“Who do you say I am?”    Mark 8:29

At our Morning Apart on Saturday, we came face to face with Jesus.  During the guided Lectio, we visualized our own sacred space; whether it be the ocean, the mountains, or our backyard and we settled in for an encounter.

 Jesus quietly sat by our side and whispered:

“Who do you say I am?”

But He didn’t stop there, Jesus walked right in front of us and held out his hands to ours.  He looked directly into our eyes and said:

“Who do you say I am?”

Then the most amazing thing happened, Jesus kissed our cheek and started walking away.  With words unspoken, He bid us to follow him.

Our responses were as unique as each individual sitting in the circle, yet as similar as a community seeking the presence of Christ in their lives.

                                                               

Can you fathom it?  Jesus asking:                                    

“Who do YOU say I am?”

How would you answer?

FEAR or FAITH?

You know the story – the disciples are in the boat with Jesus, who is sound asleep as a great storm rages around them.  They woke Jesus and asked “Hey, don’t you even care we are about to capsize here?”  At which time Jesus told the sea to be still and asked the disciples why they were afraid and still had no faith?

WOW!  At least I’m in good company, because I would have reacted exactly as the disciples.  Except that when the wind ceased and there was a dead calm, I most likely would have started to worry about our boat  getting stuck in the middle of the lake because there was now no wind to move it along!

More and more I’m noticing what a major player fear is in my life.  Not just the bigger issues, like every time I develop a symptom with an unknown origin, I’m sure I’ve developed a life-threatening illness; but those less momentous events, like adopting a big old boy like Spud or entertaining the idea of starting a Blog!

I must admit I go to fear much more quickly than I do trust.    The reality is life is unpredictable much of the time and I’m not too keen on that, because I have no control; which of course takes me to a place of fear.

Interestingly enough, the first synonym for ‘faith’ in the Thesaurus is ‘trust’!

Which brings me back to where I started:  Fear or Faith?  I guess I’m a work in progress!

Little "Aha Moments"

You know those  “Aha Moments”, when something just clicks, the pieces to the puzzle fit, and you feel the divine at work with every fiber of your being?  I love those flashes of God intervening in my life . . . a great, big, burning bush “Aha!”

I’ve been praying for one of those lately, as a situation in my life keeps resurfacing.  I have occasional respites, but never long enough.  This last week I asked God to just make this all go away, or at the very least give me a sign the end is in sight!  I was fixed for a superlative, celestial, burning bush intercession!

Instead, I learned God not only communicates through burning bushes, but in ordinary daily occurrences and without a hint of a flame!  I will from now on call these my “Little Aha Moments”!

The other day, when I was at a low point about this particular nemesis, I encountered three people who each gave me a “Little Aha Moment”.  I’m fairly certain none of these women knew what their actions and words offered me  – allowing  a glimpse God in the midst of a difficult situation.  But that is exactly what happened.  Through their words, I heard God whispering, that He would stay by my side until the big burning bush “Aha” did arrive!

I have come to realize, if I stay transfixed on receiving a “Big Aha”, I will never be open to the little ones!

I’d love to hear from you about big or little “Aha Moments” in your life.  You can post a comment from the blog web page and remember you can do it anonymously!

This whole thing is quite the mystery, isn’t it (I mean God, not posting a comment on the blog – well, OK, maybe both!!!)?  But one thing I’m pretty sure of, He uses us to reach one another.  This journey is not meant to be traveled solo, we are all His conduits.