What have you sold your soul to today?
Mark Batterson’s quote struck a nerve with me:
We sell our souls daily. What are you selling it to? Make sure it is a wise investment.
This quote by Gustave Flaubert has resonated with me. Writing for discovery has been a great way for me to consider what I believe and what I should act on. But it wasn’t always that way.
I know it doesn’t come easy for everyone. There was a time I didn’t think it came easy for me. I fell into writing some time ago. If you would have asked me when I was a teenager, I would have stated I was an artist and writing was a necessary evil.
It may be because of some less-than-enthusiastic English teachers in high school. Perhaps it was because I thought that writing was for scholars and I just wanted to communicate. I wanted to get a message out. I thought the best way for me was to do it visually. Then some time in college, the words got in the way. Or maybe, they became the way.
I majored in Graphic Design. Between my sophomore and junior years, I considered switching my major to Journalism or English. My advisor warned me it would take another year of school. Of course, he was an artist and may have had ulterior motives. Even so, I stuck with Graphic Design and made a good career of it. Today, I am a Graphics Manager and still enjoy my work.
Yet, I keep going back to writing. It is the way I process things. My life and mornings changed when I read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I began to write morning pages. They became my way to keep focused while I prayed. It is a habit I’m so glad I took up a few years ago.
At first, I thought it would be impossible to write three longhand pages for very long. But habits, practice, and persistence have a way of making the seemingly impossible a part of everyday life. I wrote a post in 2012 that explains why this practice is beneficial for me.
Today, writing continues to be the way I discover what I believe and how I think about a topic. Tim Ferris called writing thought crystallized. That has been so true for me. How many thoughts go through our minds on a daily basis? How many great thoughts have disappeared throughout time because the thinker didn’t write them down? I don’t know if any of my thoughts can be called “great,” but if they are useful to me, shouldn’t I write them down so that I can review them and act on them? Shouldn’t you?
Vacations usually take some amount of planning. But this year has caused plans to be taken to a whole new level. Before this year, health considerations were not at the front of everyone’s checklist. Now, everyone must consider the following:
When I first posted this cartoon, the biggest problems with vacations centered around teen angst and whether there was enough wifi for everyone. Now we are more concerned about the supply of hand sanitizer and masks.
The Book of Job reminds me that things could always be worse. Yes, we are in the middle of a global pandemic. If it hasn’t directly affected you yet, give thanks for that. If your teens are merely annoying you and are healthy and sassy, give thanks for that.
Just this week, I received word that a friend was in an auto accident and his teen daughter was killed. I can’t comprehend the pain and loss that this dear man is feeling. Suddenly, the decision about whether to wear a mask in public or determine how much distance is enough social distancing feels trivial.
There are people suffering much worse. If all we have today are a few annoyances, give thanks for it.
The other day, I read an Inc.com article entitled, 3 Phrases That Stop Anxious Thoughts. Let’s face it. If you keep up with the news at all, you’ll have some anxious thoughts! The first phrase stood out to me.
“This is temporary: This doesn’t just apply to the current pandemic and resulting economic turmoil — it’s true in nearly every anxiety-provoking situation.”
— Hilary Jacobs Hendel
We tend to forget this because the present dominates our thoughts and actions. But the longer we live, the more we realize how true this is.
I remember a school bus trip I had when I was seven-years-old. It was a dreary winter morning in Indiana. In January, it feels like clouds will never go away. I remember thinking, “Will I ever get out of second grade? Will I ever go anywhere outside my hometown?”
I smile when I think of that little second grader. The thought of growing up, going to college, meeting a lovely Ohio lady, marrying her, and having two great kids seemed impossible to him. It was just as likely to him that he would grow wings and fly. Homework was my biggest problem.
Yet to that little boy, his present reality seemed so overwhelming. He couldn’t see beyond his present situation. He had no concept that all of what he was experiencing was temporary.
There are plenty of reasons to have anxiety today. There is the COVID-19 pandemic, racial tensions, and political polarization. Ironically, you may be reading this in the future and those issues aren’t at the forefront of the news cycle. Who knows what we’ll be discussing in the future! But whatever it is, whatever personal situation you are facing, it’s only temporary.
There will always be a part of us that longs for the good old days of the past. For someone, today will be the good old days in twenty years. So if you are struggling today. Hold on and be patient. This is all temporary!
One interesting phenomenon of the pandemic is that more churches than ever are using social media and video to continue connecting with their congregations. In effect, it can make any pastor a new celebrity.
It wasn’t that long ago when anyone we saw on a screen would have been a big deal. If you saw that person out and about, you would naturally want their autograph. Now, anybody with a phone or computer can post a video. That is quite powerful!
Yet, it is still tempting to want an autograph of someone you have seen on a screen, whether it is Facebook Live, YouTube, or that coworker you had a Zoom meeting with. I better dust off my autograph book, grab my face mask, and get to it!
