Spiritual Roundabouts: 5 Ways To Find Grace In The Grind of a COVID-culture
Have you ever been in a roundabout before? A busy traffic circle? A traffic island?
In most cases, roundabouts are high areas of use and are designed to slow down traffic. Yet, in our current culture, traffic roundabouts also reveal the busyness around us; the high impact of “activity”; and the fast pace in which we live.
These areas, at times, are marked with hardness due to overuse, displays of decay because of the bustle, and hotspots for accidents to occur.
This can also happen to our hearts.
Because of the bustle of needs bumbling to the surface during COVID, the demand for strong ministerial leadership, and the high impact of activity, our hearts can become hard; decaying because of overuse, and can become damaged. Even more so, some of us might cause an accident to the relationships closets to us, our ministries/organizations/businesses, and/or to our own well-being.
Are you currently in a spiritual roundabout?
With that said, King David wrote about avoiding spiritual roundabouts in Psalm 31. This is what he wrote in the first verse:
In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me!
Simply put (yet profound), you and I can avoid spiritual roundabouts in 5 ways:
Take “Refuge”
Meaning, find a hiding place in the LORD. Bring your requests, fears, failures, regrets, frustrations to the LORD. He is a safe “refuge” in an “unsafe” world.
Are you taking refuge in the LORD today? OR in the things of this unsafe, busy, bustling world?
“Never say Never”
Yet, David put his FULL confidence in the LORD. In a world which says, “never say never” David comes to the LORD knowing God does not disappoint; even though life does. To David, God never changes, always loves, is near, and available anytime. In a world that disappoints, God doesn’t.
AND as leaders, you may have experienced disappointment over the last few months. Disappointment with ministry? Disappointment with people? Disappointment of not gathering with your congregations? OR the disappointment of “fill in the blank”?
YET, for the Psalmist, God does not disappointment.
During COVID, what has been your top 3 disappointments? How are you bringing your disappointments to the LORD?
“Shame Not”
Leaders do make mistakes. Some of those mistakes can be corrected quickly and some take finesse and grace. Yet, in the midst of those mistakes, we tend to be most critical on ourselves (or others). We feel guilty or shameful. Yet, in the LORD, we can experience healing and forgiveness. Healing in the LORD brings confidence and renewal to keep going in a broken world. AND, in the midst of COVID - which we are ALL navigating - we can find grace in the midst of the leadership grinds of COVID. His healing keeps our hearts soft towards God and others; even in the midst of the roundabouts of life/ministry/leadership.
How is God healing your heart and mind during COVID?
“Right Relationship”
Psalm 31 is a reflection of divine trust in the midst of troubled times. The words of the Psalm is a reflection of “choosing” to trust God in the midst of difficulty. And, I think we ALL have faced difficult days during COVID.
What difficulties have you faced as a leader?
With that said, the Psalmist is encouraging a right relationship with God; trusting, calling out, hearing, listening, and obeying the LORD.
How have you experienced right relationship with God during COVID?
“Deliver Me”
Last, the LORD gives supernatural resources to you and I; He fights for us and works within us when we are tired, exhausted, frustrated, angry, or feel hopeless.
How has God resourced you today?
Friend, don’t stay in the busy, bustle, and hardness of spiritual roundabouts of life/ministry/leadership. Find grace today as you lead. Avoid the spiritual accidents of COVID. Allow God’s grace to heal, fill, and give you strength for today.
Be encouraged to keep going.