Q: How do I enjoy the cyclical dance of life?

A: (from Brandon) I get it! I want to “relax and enjoy the dance” of life with Jesus too. But how!? The simple answer is, you just do.

The better answer is that “relaxing and enjoying” is not something you have to do. Rather it’s a “not doing.” It’s creating some space in your heart, mind, and life so that the unexpected, the beautiful, the presence of God, can be noticed.

Ironically, relaxing and enjoying God’s presence in all the messy cycles is not easy! It does take practice to not grab hold of our whirring self-judgments and disappointments or to run to distraction in order to escape them. But with just a little bit of practice you can see lots of improvement.

Start with this. “Take a step back” from your thoughts and emotions right now. Simply notice what thoughts you are having and what feelings you are having as if you were watching them on a movie screen. They are up there on the screen while you are sitting here in the audience. Watch them for 30 seconds to a minute. Notice how quickly they appear on the screen, and how quickly they disappear. You don’t need to control or direct them. Simply let them be.

Now take a few deep breaths and imagine Jesus sitting next to you in the theatre. He loves being here with you. He’s happy just to sit with you. He’s fascinated by the movie of your thoughts and emotions, but not worried or agitated by them.

Take another deep breath and carry on with your day. Letting your thoughts and emotions continue to come and go as they please.

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