Disorientation
A new school year has begun and orientations are all the rage. Parent orientation. Student orientation. New staff orientation. Returning staff orientation.
I have to confess...in this season of orientations, I'm feeling a bit disoriented.
It could be the post-natal hormones, the sleep deprivation, or the transition to 4 kids while simultaneously losing 2 of those kids to school. Perhaps it's the jet-lag or the return to life on a rock in the middle of the Pacific after spending the past 3 months landlocked on the Western Canadian prairies. Maybe it's due to the fact that once again I have left behind one set of friends and family and must re-assimilate into the community of friends-turned-family that exist in this "other life" I live on said rock.
Or could it be...ahem...a combination of it all?
My head is spinning. Lately it seems that about the time I get comfortable, familiarity is pulled out from beneath me and I find myself trying to figure out who I am in what context and where I'm supposed to be headed without forgetting where I just came from. Confused? Try walking a day in my noticeably fake UGGs. Or slippers (read "flip-flops") depending on which side of the Pacific I am currently hanging my hat...er toque. See what I mean?
I may have melted down over it all a few days ago. It was an ugly, red-faced cry that fully indulged thoughts of self-pity, frustration and the desire to abandon ship. Not my finest moment. That's about the time I opened my Bible to find a pink post-it note stuck to one of the pages. I had written it sometime last year...a quote from my pastor that had either piqued my curiosity or ushered in the winds of the Holy Spirit's conviction. I forget which. Either way, I felt the need to scribble it down mid-sermon and affix it neatly somewhere amidst the Psalms. Now, as I considered the dog-eared post-it note, the truth of its hastily scrawled message hit me square in the heart:
Not a profoundly deep or new thought, but something I needed to be reminded of in that moment...a truth I should be reminding myself of more often perhaps. A comment on the state of my dependency. Or lack thereof.
The Bible is full of examples of disoriented people. I checked. Abraham in Genesis 22. Job in all 42 agonizing chapters. The children of Israel throughout much of the Pentateuch (although simple "disorientation" seems a bit of an understatement at times.) Peter. Saul. And then even as Paul. David. Boy, was he ever disoriented. You can read his meltdown in Psalm 51.
That's just a start. Time and time again, God uses disorientation to re-orient His people to a new dependency on Himself. And the result of a fresh dependency? Remarkable. Covenants are made. Blessings poured out in abundance. The Promised Land reached. Forgiveness and restoration and relationship offered freely. To name a few.
And the only catch? A refusal to remain disoriented. A commitment and willingness to be re-oriented. A deliberate change in attitude, belief, behaviour...and direction. I'll let the prophet Isaiah take it from here:
I'm feeling a bit disoriented lately. But not to worry...I think I just found my GPS.
I have to confess...in this season of orientations, I'm feeling a bit disoriented.
It could be the post-natal hormones, the sleep deprivation, or the transition to 4 kids while simultaneously losing 2 of those kids to school. Perhaps it's the jet-lag or the return to life on a rock in the middle of the Pacific after spending the past 3 months landlocked on the Western Canadian prairies. Maybe it's due to the fact that once again I have left behind one set of friends and family and must re-assimilate into the community of friends-turned-family that exist in this "other life" I live on said rock.
Or could it be...ahem...a combination of it all?
My head is spinning. Lately it seems that about the time I get comfortable, familiarity is pulled out from beneath me and I find myself trying to figure out who I am in what context and where I'm supposed to be headed without forgetting where I just came from. Confused? Try walking a day in my noticeably fake UGGs. Or slippers (read "flip-flops") depending on which side of the Pacific I am currently hanging my hat...er toque. See what I mean?
I may have melted down over it all a few days ago. It was an ugly, red-faced cry that fully indulged thoughts of self-pity, frustration and the desire to abandon ship. Not my finest moment. That's about the time I opened my Bible to find a pink post-it note stuck to one of the pages. I had written it sometime last year...a quote from my pastor that had either piqued my curiosity or ushered in the winds of the Holy Spirit's conviction. I forget which. Either way, I felt the need to scribble it down mid-sermon and affix it neatly somewhere amidst the Psalms. Now, as I considered the dog-eared post-it note, the truth of its hastily scrawled message hit me square in the heart:
"God uses disorientation to reorient us to a new dependency on Him."
Not a profoundly deep or new thought, but something I needed to be reminded of in that moment...a truth I should be reminding myself of more often perhaps. A comment on the state of my dependency. Or lack thereof.
The Bible is full of examples of disoriented people. I checked. Abraham in Genesis 22. Job in all 42 agonizing chapters. The children of Israel throughout much of the Pentateuch (although simple "disorientation" seems a bit of an understatement at times.) Peter. Saul. And then even as Paul. David. Boy, was he ever disoriented. You can read his meltdown in Psalm 51.
That's just a start. Time and time again, God uses disorientation to re-orient His people to a new dependency on Himself. And the result of a fresh dependency? Remarkable. Covenants are made. Blessings poured out in abundance. The Promised Land reached. Forgiveness and restoration and relationship offered freely. To name a few.
And the only catch? A refusal to remain disoriented. A commitment and willingness to be re-oriented. A deliberate change in attitude, belief, behaviour...and direction. I'll let the prophet Isaiah take it from here:
"But the LORD still waits for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for Him to help them. O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will respond instantly to the sound of your cries. Though the LORD gave you adversity for food and affliction for drink, He will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes, and you will hear a voice say, "This is the way...turn around and walk here." (30:18-21nlt)
I'm feeling a bit disoriented lately. But not to worry...I think I just found my GPS.
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