Higher and Deeper

“You have called me higher, You have called me deeper, and I’ll go where you will lead me Lord”   ~All Sons & Daughters,  Called Me Higher

I’ve been captured by these lyrics over the past month, praying to embrace what they mean for my life.  Sometimes I sit around waiting for something to happen, waiting for God to show me the next opportunity.  Rather than passive waiting, I’ve recently been asking God, What does it mean to be called higher and deeper?

I’ve been focusing on honoring God in my response to the situations and the people that are in my life, and praying that my actions and influence will point people toward Him. I am also praying that I will rise above what is easy or familiar, and move into areas of my life that can only be reached by God’s grace and provision. I’m praying and spending time with God to gain a deeper knowledge of who He is, and to embrace a more authentic vulnerability with Him and with those around me. 

Although I don’t have certainty on what it means to be called higher and deeper, I am secure in His leading.

Be like Gumby...

Yet another theme that keeps popping up in my life: Adaptability.

My team and I are meeting together this week, and we've been talking about our response to change. Do we fight against it, or do we embrace it? Sometimes it doesn't feel that simple, especially when the change comes with a lot of "unknown". Our ability to move forward into the unknown takes faith, trust, and the ability to get out of our own head and heart, to see the bigger picture. 

It takes emotional maturity.

I was recently asked to share my thoughts on "Adaptability" in an upcoming meeting, so rather than wing it, I thought I'd do some real thinking on it. Here's what I came to:

I believe our ability to Adapt is evidence that we are thinking beyond ourselves 

When I think of the times I've adapted quickly or with the least resistance, I have been connected to the bigger picture. Whether or not I fully agreed with the change in its entirety, I understood the value. I understood that the end result was worthwhile.  

Some of us naturally see the bigger picture. There are also those of us who see what is directly in front of us first, and need to process that moment before we can "think forward". As a leader, I believe that I need to learn to speak the language of both types of people to effectively lead them to and through change.

I see Adaptability as yielding our comfort or familiarity, to embrace a new reality  

It's usually not about us. It may feel like it is, but take yourself out of the situation, and look at the change by itself for a minute. What value will come from it? How will it shape the environment moving forward? How will it shape the people moving forward? Is it worth a little discomfort for the potential it will bring?

If you can't answer those questions, dig deeper. Ask someone else. Find a way to reframe how you see the change so you can come to embrace it, warts and all.

I believe Adaptability is our ability to be changed

One of the trainers on my team said the best advice he'd ever been given was, "One day at a time". That is so simple and so true, especially when moving through change. If we are humble and teachable, we have the potential to be shaped in new ways we have never imagined.  Be changed through the change. Don't waste an ounce of the experience.  

One day at a time.