James 1:4; Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything
Challenged by the tension of what you know and what you don’t know? What’s behind and what’s up ahead? What you’ve learned and what you have yet to learn? This past year we have become well acquainted with this precarious place of uncertainty. We seek, search, and wallow in the mire of collective data only to come up short.
This is a struggle because standing in the gap of uncertainty is destabilizing. It asks us to be courageous while simultaneously being vulnerable. A difficult ask to be sure.
Even so, when we put all our efforts into controlling outcomes, we lose. We spin tight webs of expectation and get caught in the frustration of disappointment and disillusion. We would be wise to respect that control is just a shadow value. Nothing more and nothing less.
As we approach a new year and say Au revoir to 2020 we are challenged by this dueling conflict of uncertainty and the discomfort it produces within us. And yet, holding the tension of uncertainty is vital to living a life of personal authenticity and impact. Here is why.
Even though holding the tension of opposites is a demanding discipline it is also very useful in learning how to navigate cravings and changing undesirable behavior in new and creative ways. In fact, new possibilities live within this kind of tension. Creativity. Innovation. And growth comes about as a result of tension.
We can stagnate in sameness and stay stunted in comfort or we can stand in the contradictions with compassion and curiosity. This is a transformative experience. By assigning value to both positions we honor mercy while making room for grace. In short, it is holding our expectations lightly.
For example: holding guilt and forgiveness at the same time. Fear and courage. Doubt and hope. In this space of tension, our soul will work hard to find a resolution. Such contradictions ebb and flow along the ridges of paradox, judgment, and rationale. They bump into one another and size them up all the while trying to unearth a clarity we can count on.
There is an important gift to be discovered in the middle of the sacred space of tension. The value of this gift is found in its potential. Potential for more. More compassion. More growth. More of God’s character in and through us. However, it will require grit, optimism, and a steely resolve to endure discomfort.
Holding the tension and trusting God to lead us in the way we should go level-sets our next steps. Adopting this mindset can change how we live out this next year. And if we can make this an intentional habit, it will change how we live out the rest of our years and the legacy we leave behind.
Be bold. Be brave. Be free.
Discover & Discuss
- What do you do when you don’t know what to do?
- Do you believe there is a gift for you in the middle of your greatest tension?
- Think about what it could be and how you can intentionally use it this year.