Put The Leash Down
A recent viral video posted on Youtube sets forth a beautiful picture of stopping to enjoy the simple things in life. A tiny toddler is walking his dog when he comes across a puddle. Torn between the responsibility to continue walking the dog or stopping to enjoy the moment, he decides to set the leash down, taking several trips back and forth through the puddle. Once he's satisfied, he walks back over to his dog, picks up the leash and continues on. It's a must see!*
*Click the link to source to watch video. If you show the video illustratively, we found it more effective to show it without the music, which can prove to be a distraction from the poiniency of the moment.
Notice that when the boy was done enjoying the puddle, the dog and the leash were still there waiting for him. Sometimes it's necessary to break away from the burdens and cares of life to simply enjoy a time of rest. Never fear, the leash of life's responsibilities will always be there waiting. But sometimes, you just need to set it down and enjoy a refreshing puddle.
"And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat" (Mark 6:31, ESV).
From Junk to Joy
There is an artist in Uganda named Ruganzu Bruno Tusingwire. As a student in Kyambogo University in the capital city of Kampala, he saw kids growing up in the slums who had no safe places to play. He saw that the streets were littered with garbage, and realized he had before him an inexpensive source of exactly the resources he needed. And he used garbage, plastic bottles lying in the streets, and transformed it into playgrounds for kids to play on.
God wants to take the brokenness of our lives and use it for his eternal purposes. Nothing we have done can take us out of his reach or make it impossible for us to be used by Him.
"No power in the sky above or in the earth below--indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39).
Thriving under Difficulty
In 1981 Illinois Bell Telephone (IBT) downsized from 26,000 employees to just over half that many in one year. The remaining employees faced changing job descriptions, company goals and supervisors. One manager reported having 10 different supervisors in one year. Dr. Maddi and his research team were already studying more than 400 supervisors, managers and executives at IBT before the downsizing occurred and they were able to continue following the original study group on a yearly basis until 1987.
Results shows that about two-thirds of the employees in the study suffered significant performance, leadership and health declines as the result of the extreme stress from the deregulation and divestiture, including heart attacks, strokes, obesity, depression, substance abuse and poor performance reviews. However, the other one-third actually thrived during the upheaval despite experiencing the same amount of disruption and stressful events as their co-workers.
These employees maintained their health, happiness and performance and felt renewed enthusiasm.
In hard times, when all hell breaks loose and life is turned upside down will you thrive or be one of those who fall apart. The Exodus is a story about thriving under adversity. it is a story about staying grounded in who we are and the covenant promises God has made. Only when we remember that can we be like the 1/3 who thrive in the midst of hardship and actually find that God has a plan, a plan for our redemption, growth and formation as a unique people of God.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).