Car Problems, Part 2
Read Time: 8 Mins
He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Matthew 26:38-39 NLT
In our last message, we talked about the warning lights that emotions serve as. Like a check engine light on a car's dashboard, they alert us to potential issues that need to be tended to under the hoods of our lives. It's tempting to ignore or avoid the warning lights but when we do, greater problems aren't too far behind. This is why if we desire a greater intimacy and encounter with God and each other we have to learn how to acknowledge, accept, and act based on the things we feel. We aren’t to be controlled by emotions but allow emotions to serve as signs pointing us to what we can control.
We don’t just need to pay attention to the warning lights in our lives, like a responsible car owner, we must engage in regular maintenance. Car manufacturers will give you a list of consistent practices you should engage in to limit the likelihood of a more serious problem down the line. You may be expected to get an oil change somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 miles to keep your car in good running order. You may be asked to regularly check tire pressure and tread or to get your tires rotated every 6,000 to 8,000 miles. There’s expected maintenance for everything from windshield wipers to in-cabin air filters. There are expected timelines for everything from batteries to breaks. Car maintenance is about consistent practice that allows prolonged performance. Irv Gordon is actually known for keeping a 1966 Volvo in working order for over 3.4 million miles because of his consistent maintenance practices. Maintenance, being consistent patterns of revitalization and rejuvenation, is prescribed by the manufacturer as a way of keeping the car in the best shape it can be in throughout all the stresses and challenges of its day-to-day use.
Maintenance is important because you know that your car like you will deal with stress and pressure throughout its lifetime. There will be bumps and bruises. Uncontrolled environmental factors like road conditions and weather can add stress to your car. Maintenance prepares your car for the inevitable stress and strain of everyday life.
You may infer that I'm not really talking about cars here. While emotions are like warning lights, consistent practices like solitude, stillness, silence, sabbath, social health, and study are the regular activities God intended to keep us in our best mental, social, and spiritual shape. While warning lights let you know when danger may be imminent, regular maintenance allows you to go longer and carry more without being overwhelmed or overcome with the toll of an emotional warning signal. While I want you to be able to respond to your triggers and emotions when they are alerted, building your muscles of spiritual and emotional fortitude will allow you to be solid enough that your warning lights of triggers and anxiety won’t even go off as much.
I can tell who has prioritized spiritual, emotional, and social health by how they react to minor or major inconveniences. There’s a sense of quiet confidence that comes when you find refuge in Jesus in the midst of a storm, and there’s a sense of frantic and helpless worry that is shown in the responses of those who feel victimized. Those who have the maturity to acknowledge what they feel and why they feel it and then compartmentalize enough to determine what belongs to them and what belongs to God go through life with superhuman peace and security.
The Bible says that we are called to be like trees planted by the water. When storms come, we stand strong and allow others to find safety, security, and provision in our presence because of the inner work we’ve done to build roots before the storm. If you want to have the type of solid foundation that allows you to have peace in the midst of storms, you, like an athlete training for the seasons, have to prioritize spiritual maintenance.
So what does spiritual and emotional maintenance look like? For me, prioritizing a time to sit with God in the morning before I do anything has been a lifesaver. It may also be building the muscle of prayer being my first reaction to problems. For me, it looks like reminding myself of my call before walking into something that will make me question it. It's finding my identity in God and remembering that my claim to royal lineage cannot be taken. It’s making sure I’m filled before I seek to pour.
Chefs have to be fed in order to have the energy to cook. Make sure you are centered before you become a rock for others. It's important that I am centered and focused before I pick up my phone and deal with the stressors of the day. If not, the day feels like an emotional catch-up. For me, its consistent practices of sabbath, prayer, or giving that build my faith. Something else that has helped is the practice of journaling, having a prayer, and debriefing with God as a part of my night routine.
It’s funny to see people so stressed and overwhelmed with the storms of life because their first response is often to throw God out of the ship when they run into a storm when holding on to Him is the only thing that will give them peace through it. You can tell you haven’t done the work of finding identity and security in Christ when you are tossed to and fro by the expected storms of life. If you prioritized Jesus, you could tread through the storm instead of being terrified by it.
You may want to incorporate physical rituals that help in this centering practice. Breathing exercises, workouts, and showers are great activities where you can practice the routine of casting your emotional cares and stressors at the feet of Jesus. Build the muscle of consistently turning your attention to Him. Meditation does not clear your mind as much as it focuses your mind. Focusing on Jesus clears the cluttered and overwhelmed mind and leads to a centered and peaceful one.
I’ve had to slip away from my job to take walks or do breathing exercises in the bathroom when I felt myself getting overwhelmed. I’ve closed my eyes and centered myself in Christ during tense board meetings and hard discussions. The better you do at building neurological pathways of peace and training the neurons of your brain to build the muscles of letting go, the better you will deal with the inevitable stressors of life. Anticipating the stress of the day looks like preparing an emotional and spiritual umbrella before you see the storm clouds. Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready and God will be able to trust you to effortlessly sustain more. It's like getting your car serviced before a long trip. You know there will be stress and weight so why not prepare? Don’t just react to storms with God. Prioritize God so that you are prepared for and not surprised by whatever comes your way.
I can literally feel when I haven’t spent enough time with God in a day because I get more emotional warning lights and I’m emotionally overwhelmed by little things that I can typically handle with no problem. I guarantee it's the same for you. Your stress, insecurity, fear, ego, and anxiety show up more when you don’t go through the spiritual and emotional maintenance that God designed you to need.
Prioritize a weekly emotional Sabbath, which may not be church. Prioritize a time when you can breathe, relax, and be recharged. Prioritize a time when you can sit with God and dump your feelings. I love to stand on my balcony and simply take deep breaths as I meditate on God. Don’t just pay attention to the warning lights. Allow yourself to practice the discipline of maintenance that God has ordained to keep you in your best shape.
Job was able to handle and stand strong in adversity that many of us would quake under a fraction of because the Bible says he had built a muscle of consistency. Daniel was able to sustain through pressure we could only imagine by leaning into his consistent routine of prayer. After hearing that his life was threatened, his first action was to lean back into his discipline of prayer. It wasn't just something he did before the battle, it was something he did in response to it. Jesus does the same thing. Yes, we see Him consistently going by Himself to pray and be with His Father in the good times but He sticks to the same plan in the bad. He prioritized prayer in preparation for storms and during storms of situations and emotions.
When Jesus is so distressed that He is sweating blood, His reaction is to seek solitude with His Father and support from Godly community. The game plan doesn't change. He stays consistent and makes it through the storm. Consistent, reactive, disciplined pursuit of stillness, solitude, community, and other spiritual practices will revitalize your life in the good times and the bad.
Just like with cars, we have been given a prescription for maintenance. Prioritize sabbath like you prioritize food and you won’t run out of spiritual and emotional energy as fast. Prioritize reflection and systematic reminders of your identity in Christ and storms won't spook you as much. Priotizied the discipline of giving and putting God first. Prioritize service. If you follow routines of spiritual maintenance, you will be able to sustain yourself throughout the storms of life. If you neglect it, life can feel like running a marathon with no food or training. Storms will come. Prepare by prioritizing maintenance before and during the storms. I promise your life will change if you prioritize your spiritual health the same way you prioritize water. Recognize that you can’t function long without it and plan accordingly.
Jesus and so many others prioritized maintenance with the Father. You can do the same thing starting today. So follow me. Set a timer for 2 mins. Get alone and quiet. Get still. Take a deep breath. Forget the stressors of the day and focus on the God who says all your needs will be provided. Be reminded of your identity in Christ. You are royal. You are loved. You are chosen. You are safe. Feel the tension in your body and release it. Unclench your jaw, loosen your shoulders, and drop your tongue from the roof of your mouth. Exhale. Focus your attention on the God who chose you before you. Focus on the God who loves you and cares for you. Ask Him to take over. Ask Him to bring peace. Reflect on who He is and what that means about you. Reflect on who He has been and what that means for your future. And just feel as the weights of this world are lifted from your shoulders.
Prioritize maintenance and you will be able to last throughout the diverse storms of life.
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