Welcome to Three-Peat Tuesday!
Building from my recent book UNBEATABLE! Seven Pillars of Personal Excellence, each blog will contain three P’s: Pillar, Principle and Practical, all geared towards nourishing you on your personal and spiritual growth journey.
Pillar
“We were made for community. We may try to fight this reality and convince ourselves somehow that we’re a self-made man or woman. Yet, more often than not, in our quiet moments, we confess to ourselves, “I need others”-Unbeatable! Seven Pillars of Personal Excellence
Principle
Challenged. Stressed. Frustrated. Impatient. Irritable. Fatigued. I’ve felt all of these things during the coronavirus lockdown. This is me trying to keep it real, guys, in as much as I am tempted to put on a brave face and sound like a spiritual giant with amazing inner strength.
There are times in recent weeks that I just wanted to scream as I navigated through home schooling, gaining weight, and trying to take care of my professional responsibilities working from home. One day last week, I literally had to get up, leave where I was sitting, take a walk and then pray, from deep, deep within. It took some time before I began to feel the joy of the inner stillness that has been elusive during the pandemic. Perseverance payed off.
You know what also helped? Phone calls to friends. God was the first friend to whom I could make my free “overseas” call. That brought peace…eventually. But I also had those flesh and blood persons I could be open with and they gave me counsel, reassurance and encouragement. These are the people that the Proverbs describe as the “friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
We were made for community. It’s just how we’re wired. As social and spiritual beings, we find true value in being connected with others.
One Practical
Reflect on three of your closest relationships and recommit to those persons both in heart and in action. Let each of them know how much you appreciate them.
To learn more about these pillars of personal excellence, read UNBEATABLE! which is now available on Amazon in print and as an e-book.
This Post Has 4 Comments
I appreciate this very much Tyrone. I can certainly relate to some if not all of the emotions described above. In my current situation which is pretty challenging, I am learning to go to God first. The temptation is always there to speak to a sister or brother before I go to God, but the truth is, the complete peace that I experience when I go to God first encourages me to keep going back. Having said that, I believe that it is healthy to share with others what I am battling with so that they can pray together with me or for me. I will take up the challenge to recommit to my three close friend and to express appreciation more often for their friendship and counsel.
Thank you Ronke for your very helpful feedback. COVID-19 has definitely exposed growth areas for me at the heart level. What is gratifying, though, is that we do not have to go through this alone.
For me personally, as I come close to the end of my own journey with this course I am pursuing, its hard for me to not feel naturally anxious as i strive to navigate the daily challenges. Challenges between work full time, school full time, and my life balance of a wife, mother and christian. Thanks for this. Constant need to pray more is very evident.
Thanks Michelle. There is great comfort in knowing that we have listening ears available to us, God’s own, as well as those of our friends.