#12 Your Wins: a conclusion

If you noticed a natural progression when you read this series, it’s because there was a lot going on behind the scenes. I’m excited to be able to share these posts with you because, in many ways, it’s the live unfolding of my own story. But as I reflect on this idea of catching your wins as a means of surviving the night, I think there’s one word that comes to mind: pivot. 

To pivot is to take the momentum we don’t want and turn it into a direction we do. In the past, I have often felt like my boldness has bordered on insensitivity. This is not me trying to force you to be hopeful. This is anything but a pep-talk. Night time is dark-period, point blank, end of story. We can’t change what darkness is, but if we learn to flow with the way it is, we can start to navigate through it. The blinding frustration can be studied to help you light your way. The feeling of being lost can be the first step to identifying that you need to be found. In your darkest hour, the subtle glow of the moon is the most dazzling. The magic that comes from this contrast is most certainly worth the trip, if we can only learn to take hold of the process. 

So if I came out bold in any of these posts, it’s because I want you to know that hope is still alive. It’s waiting to add a special touch to the darkness you’re facing, making your life glow like a star in the pitch-black sky. I wanted to provide you with the means to hope, the means to ride the night with elegance and grace. You may not feel like you’re at your best. After all, night is still dark. But you will find the means to accept what you can’t control, and to change what you can. Ultimately, you will find the means to make the very most of your darkest hours, redeeming them for a brighter tomorrow. 

But to pivot requires a point to pivot around, and I believe that point is Jesus. Man, isn’t that the corniest line you’ve ever heard? I should be scribbling these for postcards, not blog posts! What does that even mean, anyway? Well, I wasn’t the star athlete growing up, but I’m reminded of one of the few things I learned from playing basketball. You see, when we used to do drills to practice our fake-out, we would do a sort of pivoting move. I don’t remember who taught it to me, but I remember I was always told “Ok now, move your left foot and never take your right one off the ground.” 

That is what I’m talking about: never take your foot off of the solid ground. Time in the bible and praying are never to be neglected. You should never take that time to do other things. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in our lives that we forget what’s truly important. We freak out that we don’t have the power, the resources, the means to get it all done. We get so fixated on the problem that we can’t see that the solution is already right in front of us. He has already made a way for us. He has already taken the best shot that darkness could offer and issued an immediate “return to sender.” He wants to enter into your own darkness and make something of it. And all you have to do is let Him. 

I know that sounds trivial. You might say something like “it’s just a ritual, why couldn’t I be that committed to brushing my teeth, or shaving every day?” Yeah, it may feel like that at first, but it’s more than just a routine ritual, it’s a call to change your perspective. I do believe that the God of the universe is real, and that He’s eager to play a part in your life. Praying and reading the bible is one of those tangible ways to let Him in. It won’t give you a high every time you do it. Heck, you may not feel any different at all! But over time, you will see the course of your life change, and things will start to happen. It sounds a bit odd and whimsical, I know. But won’t you go out on a limb and give it a try? If not for me, then for yourself? What’ve you got to lose, really? Just a chapter, a few minutes a day is all it takes. Why not give it a try and see what gives? What’s the worst that could happen?

And I say this as one sitting deep in the trenches. I understand what it’s like to be tapped out, to go to bed with nothing but “please, no more,” as your prayer. Please don’t take me for a stranger, an outsider, or a cold-hearted brute. I walked through some dark places trying to write this, so I pray you know it’s sincere. But in those moments, I knew one thing: we can’t let the darkness win! Everything has a redemptive purpose, and I refuse to let it all go without purpose. I won’t accept it! Everything has a purpose. Your life has a purpose, and that means your suffering does too. Just take a moment to take a deep breath and catch hold of the light, letting it guide you into a redemptive tomorrow. Find the glow that runs deeper and stronger than all that life is throwing at you. I believe in you. You’ve got this!

I pray that the light finds you. If you have never known it before, God is right there waiting for you. You just have to reach out and let Him in. There’s nothing fancy about it, just tell Him you’re down to let Him play a part in your life. He’ll show you a new way to do things that you never thought was possible. And trust me, it’ll change your life for the better. I guarantee you won’t regret it. I pray for you always. I pray your ways may be set straight, and that His word lights your path. 

Until next time

May Peace be your guide.