god hunting, part 3: smoke signals
How do we develop emotional and spiritual RESILIENCE, particularly in chaotic times such as these? Psychologists say that, like building muscle, it takes intentionality and practice. They describe four core components: building connections, fostering wellness, finding purpose, and embracing healthy thoughts.
You can build connections by finding a person or group to pray with on a regular basis…. empathetic and understanding people who are trustworthy and validate your feelings. Right now, many of us are experiencing a sort of forced isolation. That’s not necessarily going to change soon; but since chaos and isolation don’t promote resilience, we have to work at it. Since being quarantined for COVID, I’ve been praying on the phone with the same woman once a week, and with another small group of friends every weekday at noon. These people have become indispensable connections for me.
Fostering wellness means paying attention to your body’s physical needs, and beefing up spiritual practices like prayer, meditation, Sabbath rest, and gratitude. It means not ignoring or dismissing pain and illness. It requires making physical and mental health a long-term priority.
Finding purpose means looking for people that you can serve and bless. I’ve been going through my Christmas list and calling people from my past and present. Some are people that make me feel good. Others are older folks or those who live alone. Hearing their stories encourages me to pray specifically for them. While it’s helpful to acknowledge and accept your own emotions during this time, if you spend time doing something for someone else, it is so empowering.
However, the one component I want to dwell on is the idea of embracing healthy thoughts. There is a book that has profoundly shaped my life, steadying my heart in times when things seem to be going awry: The God Hunt by Karen Mains. The prophet Jeremiah told the people of Israel in Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” In The God Hunt Karen gives four ways to train your eyes to see God as you go through each and every day. Are you ready? Here they are:
- Any obvious answer to prayer.
- Any unexpected evidence of his care.
- Any help to do God’s work in the world.
- Any unusual linkage or timing.
Let me give you an example: Any obvious answer to prayer. Karen writes: “We often request help from God. We get answers. And then we forget. This is the normal pattern.” But this doesn’t have to be our practice. We can pray specifically, and then see what our big God does in response. In early September, when the Bobcat Fire broke out, my cell phone reverberated with an Amber Alert type of alarm, followed by the warning that the fire was headed into the Foothill communities and that strong Santa Ana winds from the east were expected to push it directly toward us. We scurried around packing up bags which we placed by the front door. And I prayed. Please Lord, no wind. I wondered if I would sleep that night, or whether wind and worry would keep me awake. But guess what. No wind. I’m sure that I wasn’t the only one praying that the winds would not be as bad as predicted. But there was literally NO wind. And I slept well. A specific prayer answered. A God sighting.
God doesn’t answer every prayer the way I wish that he would. But when he gives an obvious answer, I should take note. More examples of God sightings next week.
Love, Liz
Photo of the Bobcat fire by Oliver Pemberton
