Friday, August 6, 2010

Consistency – the Name of the Spiritual Game


Lulls in growth and opportunity can be awkward times. Whenever we’re caught short of spiritual energy can still be the moment of the very last cloud before we break open into the cool sky air.

There is a flow common to life that if we charted might resemble a saw tooth pattern. Here we find a difficult-to-predict ebb and flow manifesting itself. It happens so inherently in life we’re perhaps a little blind to it.

It is, therefore, quite easy to see how gob-smacked we can become at the presence of life just being... well... life.

If Not Anticipation, Then Consistency

We can either anticipate this flow of life—flowing, albeit, in many different ways and forms—and thus ‘expect it when we least expect it,’ or we can simply agree with our Maker that we will respond consistently, come what may.

And better both.

Lulls and Our Perception of Them

These periods are painful and we loath them; yet our loathing of them doesn’t change them one iota. They are still there and everyone will have them.

The spiritual lull is many things for many different people, attending, of course, to many different circumstantial times. And still we can always derive good of them.

Imagery of Leaving That Place Called “Languor”

Taking a jet flight through the stratosphere we meet with the clouds.

Fascinating things, clouds.

We know they’re full of the tiniest water droplets yet they’re so fluffy and nebulous. Clouds have an appearance we can’t trust; we can thank meteorological science for that truth.

So, as we are flying through those thick dirty grey clouds-of-the-soul, named “Languor,” not knowing where the tarmac is, we can easily lose sight of the objective—to contain ourselves spiritually in consistency of approach and intent.

And, still, so suddenly, we break clear and free of those dusty looking clouds and we see them behind us vanishing into the distance of the dim past as we continue travelling onward to our destination. In hindsight, then, we’re blessed in the knowledge that we: 1) didn’t know when the break-through would arrive; and, 2) it came almost too quickly and suddenly for us—we hardly expected it.

And still, we won’t knock this spiritual deliverance back, will we?

Making Every Day/Opportunity Count

Consistency is about knowing when to press home the advantage.

It’s about, at root, the self-control and self-discipline to allow the dog to run off-leash for a time before reining it back in, ensuring the consistent flow is generally always maintained.

Allowing the dog off-leash in the first place was the wisdom of grace. Love tells us the dog will enjoy the momentary freedom. Love also tells us the dog will return willingly to us.

Consistency, in this, then, is the balance of met objectives in the presence of faith. We know peace and joy will return if we attend to the process of living humbly.

We always have faith that the good times will return; and not just that—that they’ll be better and newer than ever!

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.

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