alignment

Growing Together, Separately

January 29, 2021 — Leave a comment

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 2:19-22

Together we are a building and individually we are a dwelling. We are growing together to create one unified holy temple, and we are growing together, separately in our own specific circumstances, environments and callings. When we feel alone, how can we find comfort knowing that everyone around us is also on a journey? When we feel lost in the collective, how can we find power in knowing our growth and calling is unique?

There is a beauty and a frustration with God’s design — it feels inclusive and encompassing while being too big for our minds to grasp. Here and not yet. Together and separate. Fellow citizens and family. We don’t need to fully understand every aspect and have control over every detail. Can we trust that the sides we don’t see, are also being looked after by God and are being built? Can we trust that we are being looked after and provided for as well? In every moment, a focus leaning more inwards or one leaning more outwards can pull us back to center. In this moment, what will help you stand taller? Coming back to your growth or remembering we are growing together, or both? You have access to all of it.

Alignment & Integrity

January 22, 2021 — Leave a comment

And God placed all things under [Christ’s] feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Ephesians 1:22-23

You ever turn your heard one way and leave your body facing another? There is strain not only in the neck; if you listen and quiet down enough, you’ll feel the tension and battle ripple through from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet. There is a sense of integrity that holds us up from the top of our spine which is at the center of our head to the bottom of our sits bones to the bottom of our feet. When we stand in that, our whole body relaxes into peace and purpose.

There is a vulnerability and attention required to face our bodies in the direction of our head & eyes. There is a surrender of areas our eyes and head are not facing and a trust that what we see in front and in our periphery are what we are supposed to be aware of right now. However if you stay attuned, your back isn’t just exposed and vulnerable — it too can sense and focus on a different level.

Jesus was human and the limitation of that is he could only be at one place a time, however he could have a constant ambient care for the world at large. But in each moment, he needed to honor what was in front of him and act accordingly. That was what was most useful for his audience in each given moment. That was what was most useful for the writers to string together his journey in the gospel: a step at a time, in the direction that was led by his head, God. The task for us is to have that same focus and faith to the things right in front of us, while holding ever so softly all the things that are happening around us. We do not exist in a vacuum. We are interdependent and constantly affecting each other. Can you find the integrity and alignment in your body so that it aligns with God’s kingdom and purpose that includes all of humanity?