There are some Bible stories that have become so famous in our Western world that they are tales in their own right - Noah and his ark, Moses and the plagues, Daniel and the lion’s den. They’ve transcended the confines of our Sunday School rooms to become staples in our story times and references for us to pull on when we need some inspiration. Along with the well-known characters come well-known phrases which get quoted in memes and motivational posts, are referenced in speeches and slip into encouraging dialogue. We have them memorized, but how often do we really pay attention to what they’re saying?
This week I was in a coaching conversation when my therapist referenced the verse which says:
“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
She talked about the importance of knowing what we are meant to be doing in each season and posed the question, ‘what are you doing for such a time as this?’ As the conversation continued my mind stayed on this thought, processing it in the background like a computer program downloading new software. A realisation began to form and take shape…
I have allowed the vision and desires of other people to shape what I give my time to and where I pour my energy. I do not know what I am meant to be doing ‘for such a time as this’, because I have been too busy focusing on what everyone else is doing ‘for such a time as this.’
One of the many casualties of 2020 has been vision. The majority of the world has been in survival mode as we have all navigated through the impact of a global pandemic, pivoted our schedules and expectations more times than we care to count, and sought for equality and justice with renewed vigor. Rather than making grand plans for the future and getting excited for what tomorrow might hold, we have found ourselves reeling in grief, processing trauma and just trying to get through yet another news cycle. It’s almost harder to keep going once the heat of the blaze has died down, the shock of the fire has worn off, and all you are left with is a massive clean-up job.
This is where I have found myself as of late: plodding along in survival mode just hoping that soon everything will ‘resume programming as normal’.
When we’re exerting all of our energy on just trying to breathe and keep our heads above water, everything else can feel like excess - not essential and therefore not important. But what if we’ve got it the wrong way around? What if the visions and dreams, the hopes and desires we have are not luxury items but actually the stimulus by which we’re meant to live by? What if we stopped believing that dreaming was only for the privileged instead of a non-negotiable for all?
What would we do differently?
If you find yourself in a similar place to me, staring at a vision board full of words and images you don’t recognize, can I suggest that maybe it’s time for you to pause and revisit what you’ve given your ‘yes' to? Did 2020 steal more from you than the freedom to leave the house without a mask? Have you stopped imagining things for your future because you’re so focused on getting through today?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then please take the time to read on and answer the next few too. As Dr. Barbara Shabazz says, “It’s intentional.”
When was the last time you felt fully alive?
How are you making space to cultivate that feeling on a regular basis?
What makes you angry?
How are you turning that passionate anger into something which will bring about change and healing in that space?
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase ‘for such a time as this’?
How would you respond today to the question, ‘What was it that you were born for, for such a time as this?”
If you were to create a vision board, what would be on it, and is it reflective of the life you are living?
