“You may not feel outstandingly robust, but if you are an average-sized adult you will contain within your modest frame no less than 7 X 10^18 joules of potential energy—enough to explode with the force of thirty very large hydrogen bombs, assuming you knew how to liberate it and really wished to make a point.”
― Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything
As an entrepreneur, I regularly have business ideas percolating. Some come and go in a day, others fester. Today I’m thinking the next big thing is 72-Hr Energy. Yessir, only weenies drink that sissy 5-Hr stuff. The new sheriff in town is 72-Hr Energy, sort of a meth-light. Tagline “Live Your Best Inner-Tweaker.”
If only I could maintain a healthy energy level. In my quest for Deep Ellum and world domination, I’ve become a Jedi-espresso-shot-master. Daily I have a cup of coffee in the morning with an espresso shot, followed by a second cup of coffee. After lunch when I feel Mr. food coma tapping my shoulder, BAM, I shoot back a couple more espresso shots.
At the core of this is a desire to stay crisp, to be rigorous with work, and stay on top of things. Even the thought of a 10-minute power nap has me racing back to the espresso machine for more magic elixir to stay electrified. The pic above shows that as a culture we seem to be chasing a high, or fighting an epidemic of sleep depravity. The fact is, we feel the need to go-go. For sure, I could blather down a tangent about FOMO, but I’ve done that in the past. This is more about the fatigue of life.
These nefarious energy thoughts were triggered when I read a FB post from a writer friend, where she elegantly captured how I feel on many days. She is a Christ follower, so her goggles are tilted toward the idea of good and evil on the spiritual front. Not necessary to believe in that — although you would be smart to do so — you can read it from a posture of “life is hard” or “the universe isn’t delivering as hoped.”
I know you are exhausted from the battle.
I know you’re afraid things will never change.
I know you are ready to give up and walk away.
I know you’re deep in resentment for being put in this position.
I know you feel ill-equipped for the battle.
I know this isn’t how you wanted things to be.
I know it feels like God has abandoned you.
I know you feel alone.
When reading the lines, there’s a deep sigh from the weariness of her truth, but also relief in realizing I’m not a freak. There’s at least one other who has similar thoughts swirling around upstairs. Ah yes, there’s another series of questions of whether I/she should fix those circumstances. Maybe, maybe not. We live in a culture that doesn’t like the idea of stillness, of exploring thoughts of doubt. This is ‘Merca, we gotta live our best life; a loving God would never place me in a position of not being happy; staying static is unhealthy and I. Must. Change. This.
One of the toughest theological lessons to comprehend and own, is the idea that God sometimes allows or orchestrates a dog-shit year(s) for us, while keeping His long vision. The both-and is that often we’re the purveyors of the shit-storm, we’re the culprit who got ourselves in the pickle. Regardless of who engineered the circumstance, the desired outcome is to drive us to the verses below.
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Here’s the challenge. Can I live out those verses? On some days, yes, the power of prayer, scripture and the Lord’s grace at work in me, has the exact effect, and no need for 13 espresso shots. There is a peace that transcends all understanding, and not found in nature, on the beach, or hot yoga. It requires effort, and a calculated surrender and admission that I am not the God of my universe. The oxymoron of it all is that I have the best chance of feeling this peace when things are not going as hoped. Why? Because when the good stuff happens, it’s far too easy to congratulate Mike Lyon for his boldness. After all, Mike Lyon is so capable and influential, he refers to himself as The Mike Lyon.
The Lord wants us to realize He is the ultimate energy drink. He tells the woman at the well in John 4:13-14, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Yessir, I can tweak on that all life long.
See ya next time. ML