#10 The Bridge to Power

A lot of this series has been about reflection. We have looked inward at all the things holding us down. Things that keep us from soaring with the wind. But is that all this is? Surely, the series about going where legends fear to fly isn’t just about some sort of matrix-like delusion, right? 

Correct! 

It’s high time we took flight! But where are we going? How do we get there? That’s where I want to go as we start the wrap-up of this chapter. 

I think the best way to sum it up is in one single word: conviction. A lot of the time, we stick to what’s practical. We try to ignore the homeless man at the red light, we keep our money to ourselves instead of donating to those in need. Yet, if you were to ask anyone, they would say that these are good things to do. We just want someone else to do them. People shouldn’t be homeless, and those in need ought to receive help. There’s a disconnect between what we think and what we do. We need to bridge this gap, and I think doing so will create a powerful upstream that will send us high above the mountaintops. 

I’m reminded of Matthew 5:37, which says “let your yes be yes, and your no be no.” It’s high time we started taking our words seriously. But I don’t just say this because I believe the bible is a good source. I think real-life experience backs this idea up. I have even experienced it in my own life. 

In middle school, I had this teacher who used to talk a lot. I mean, that’s what teachers do, but she could get side tracked quite easily. One time, we managed to put off a test for an entire week because we had one kid that was really good at getting her to ramble on. I remember she also used to threaten to send us to the principal, but rarely ever did. On the rare occasion that it actually happened, we would just sit there for a split second, then continue on with class. We were never sure if she was serious or not, so we’d just wait. Turns out she was never serious, and within minutes she would continue on whatever rant she was doing. 

Have you ever had someone like this? Someone who is all talk? I think that’s what a lot of us have become. Maybe we aren’t all as bad as my middle school teacher, but I’m willing to guess that we all have some work to do in this area of our lives. We could all do a little more to let our yeses be yeses and our no’s be no’s. 

But I’m not just talking about watching our tongues. Although that’s a huge part of it, I think it’s about changing both our actions and our thoughts and letting each hold the other in check. Maybe you believe that everyone should wear formal clothes to work. Then you fall on hard times and you can’t afford the clothes you ought to wear. What then? Do you hold to that standard, or realize that maybe we need a little grace from time to time? 

The thing that’s important is that we learn to see our words as weighty. When we discuss things, we need to be thinking about life in terms of how we live it. I think part of the problem is that we want to follow our guts, and it feels like it’s hard to argue that someone needs to “just chill out.” But I think that problem has more to do with the fact that we are bad at putting our thoughts together, and not that we all need to live strict, frugal lives. 

But the concern with that is that we don’t all have the luxury of time and energy to really figure things out and get our act together. That’s fair! Life can feel overwhelming sometimes. What if we started by catching ourselves when we say things we don’t mean. When we tell others that life ought to be lived a certain way, let’s stop for a second. Imagine what you just said playing out in the world. Does it still make as much sense? Does it still seem practical? If not, it may be time to change your mind. 

And speaking of changing your mind, it may be time to practice a little more transparency. I get it: it’s tough to admit that you were wrong and that your mind may need to be changed. It may feel like you’re being a less dependent or reliable person if you do. But it’s better to improve your mental foundation than to keep on living with a bad one. Of that, I am certain. 

But even if you do decide that you were right, and that the ways you are proposing we all live are the right ones, it is always good to have a little more empathy. Your friend might still need to quit smoking, but you’ll be a better help to them if you can understand that it isn’t an easy thing to do. You’ll be a better support to your friend going through a divorce if you understand that healing takes time, and that they can’t just “get over it.” 

It’s kind of funny that it has taken me almost ten months to do a post on the power of words, but here we are I guess. I hope this has made an impact on you and I pray you join me in this journey as we learn to bridge the gap between our minds and our feet. Because the more we do, the more our power will grow. And the world will behold a force of reckoning like never before!

Until next time

May Peace be your Guide.