by Annette Bridges. © 2007. All rights reserved.
None of us want to waste the precious times of our life. But I suspect we’ve probably all been guilty of doing just that. Oh, how much time I’ve wasted being mad, unhappy, depressed, frustrated, indecisive, complaining, feeling discouraged, overwhelmed!
So, how do we combat these enemies to our joy, peace, progress and success?
I’ve never forgotten an idea a friend shared with me several years ago. The phrase came from a book about Jesus and management — I never knew the title. But the phrase was, “Jesus didn’t allow any energy leaks.”
Nothing could deter him, distract him or stop him from doing his work. He had a clear sense of his mission and his purpose. He was steadfast and centered. But he wasn’t willful or headstrong. Since his work involved obediently following God’s direction, he had to remain ever prayerful and listening for His next instructions.
He maintained his spiritual energy, never allowing any “leaks” that would pull his thought and attention away from his focus. This kept him in a state of readiness, flexibility, openness and willingness.
My friend offered this idea about Jesus, trying to help me get through what seemed like a day of impossible roadblocks at work. It was a day of time constraints, confusion, unclear communication, and backtracking. Ever experience a day like that?
I was just about ready to write the day off as hopeless. At the peak of my frustration, this idea of Jesus not allowing any energy leaks was compelling. I felt like I was running on low fuel, so the thought of being able to stop energy leaks was very desirable.
I considered how the master of the Master Way remained calm and focused on his work when confronted by multitudes with many different needs. Or how he was able to express dominion and confident resolve while doing his work even in the midst of angry and jealous peers.
Deciding perhaps it was possible for me to take the example of Christ Jesus as my problem-solving model, I began a new approach with each calamity that presented itself. This required a response-change on my part — to remain calm regardless of the circumstance. And it worked! With the calming of any would-be anxieties, stress or pressure, came peace, freshness, and new views — spiritual energy. I felt refueled to tackle anything.
With additional challenges — and there were more — solutions came quickly. I resolved to maintain my spiritual poise and not allow any “energy leaks.” What a day! Instead of a day of everything going wrong, much was accomplished and deadlines were reached.
I’ve often thought about the lessons learned that day.
There are many enemies to our joy and peace — sickness, pain, worries, and a myriad of fears. But my spiritual energy lesson has taught me that a calm and spiritually poised response leads to healing and progress. As I’ve been successful at not allowing any energy leaks, I’ve found myself prepared and equipped to handle whatever comes my way.