PIVOTING: A Pathway to Peace (even in a Pandemic)

by | Aug 11, 2020 | Uncategorized

Pivoting is acceptance of our present reality, not resignation.  

To accept our reality, including obstacles, frees us to pivot and continue to pursue the prize. This is to accept the goodness of God, even in troubling circumstances, and trust that he is moving us toward a greater good – though the journey may be very hard.

Consider your actions, attitudes and heart toward COVID-19, quarantining and masks, politics, social injustices, your problems and pains, and the many antagonists in your life, including the messages and imaginations that live within you.  Consider how you resist, the consequence, and the opportunity to accept and pivot.  

Signs we are RESISTING our reality and stuck:  

  • Feeling irritated (demanding your goal, your way)
  • Complaining and judging
  • Living in fantasy – preoccupation with an ideal (possibly to avoid the pain of our reality)
  • Addictions and compulsions 
  • Feelings of anger, shame and “shoulding” on self and/or others
  • Not taking responsibility, but blaming others 
  • Lacking courage to face “what is”
  • Feeling powerless and resigned 
  • Become aware of how you experience resistance in and around you? 

The consequence of resisting:

  • Frustration with a cycle of disappointment or defeat
  • Stuck in anxiety and fear
  • Hopelessness or Despair
  • Lack of contentment
  • Disillusionment and defeat
  • Lack of peace and joy
  • Blaming/Victim mentality  (Blaming God, Circumstances, others… )
  • Suppressed/stifled power with which to pierce your world with light and love

Resisting our present reality takes energy, sometimes a lot of energy. It is unproductive, exhausting and ultimately keeps us from moving forward. The cost is a stifling of life and stunting the full expression of our God given giftedness.  

The OPPORTUNITIES of Pivoting to Acceptance:  

To pivot is to accept reality and press on toward the goal. It is to trust, at least in part, and courageously press through the liminal space to the presence, love and provision of God that is part of the deeper journey into love. 

What if there is a gift behind the Resistance? 

  • In rejecting a part of ourselves or a part of our reality we are missing how God wants to meet us – the gift is to meet him and know him more deeply. 
  • What is your desire beneath the resistance?  What does God say to you about this?
  • Beneath it is a deep holy desire – what is it?  The fear/shame/sadness/anger behind the resistance has meaning and a story – face it and learn from it.

ACCEPTANCE

  • Acceptance opens you up to hope – because you are inviting God into your reality.
  • Acceptance acknowledges the mystery and welcomes the unknown
  • Acceptance welcomes the present uncertainty, releasing control and stepping into freedom
  • Acceptance of self leads to acceptance of others.  
  • Acceptance brings wisdom… a mature wisdom of accepting truth/reality
  • “Acceptance is a way of expressing forgiveness of everything that is not as it should or could be.” R.Rohr 
  • Acceptance provides space for compassion … and space for grieving and sitting in the tension of grief. 

Pivoting to Acceptance invites greater faith, hope and love. It welcomes the possibility of God’s transforming power to be revealed in you and for your loving presence to touch those around you. In this “season” we invite you to pivot with us – to welcome God’s love, experience His peace, and trust that we are being transformed from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18).