3 Ways To Get Through When The Fog of Life Sets In
The "fog," as Jim Collins explains it in his latest book, What to Make of a Life, is the period of genuine disorientation and uncertainty that often follows a "cliff" (any event, chosen or imposed, that changes life as you knew it).
A cliff can be a wonderful experience - like a graduation, completing a big project, or the end of a big event, a promotion, retirement, or more. Or, a cliff can be an unforeseen situation that has been imposed on you - a trauma, a loss, a disappointment, a misunderstanding, or anything of that nature. Or perhaps it can even be a mixture of wonderful and difficult, like moving to another area, empty-nesting, getting married, or having a child.
Imagine moving forward in a fog. You can't see very far, so you are unsure whether you are moving toward your intended destination. Maybe you aren't even sure what your intended destination is.
You take tentative steps forward in an attempt to see how things go. Some of the steps feel sure; others feel hesitant. Th...
The "D" Word: step One on the Bridges Coaching ROAD
In Bridges Coaching, we use a process called the ROAD. It is an acronym for moving forward. It begins with R for Recognition.
It all starts here. We can not move forward if we have not identified the goal. No one uses a GPS on a Sunday drive. Life is not simply a Sunday drive. God asks us to partner with Him toward the individual goals and personal destiny in mind for each of us.Â
There are two types of foci God wants us to move toward.
- Character development. This is the transformational process every believer should be intentionally partnering in, some would call it sanctification or discipleship. Character development includes focus on the fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control and how we live them out in real life. It welcomes healthy interactions with others- believers and pre-believers, family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. It includes a regular practice of personal soul care and is built on a st ...
Who Offers Them A Plan... GOOD NEWS! (and hard news...)
Wouldn't you just love it if you could see someone who would just tell you what to do when you were in a jam? If they were sage and savvy and could come through every time it would be well worth the investment.
GOOD NEWS! (and hard news...)
Here's the skinny. We DO have Someone we can go to for the plan! Our plan! Our personal best next steps!
The Holy Spirit IS our Guide! The coaching conversation helps us discern the plan God has for us. Proverbs 4:11 says, "I am guiding you in the way of wisdom, and I am leading you on the right path."
Experience tells us it is not that easy though. So the good news is we DO have a Divine Guide, the hard news is we have to grow in learning how to discern. I don't know about you, but I swing that pendulum back and forth. Sometimes I am so sure that what I am sensing is the plan turns out not to work out. Does that mean I missed it? Or was it just a test? Other times I am paralyzed with concern or fear, or the cost seems too high and the decision ...