The Integrated Life as a Leap of Faith

I sent this out several times in 2006, after it first came to me on New Year's Day of that year, and it feels appropriate to repeat it here and now - exactly three and a half years ago today - as a powerful expression of a pure and total faith walk. And as you read it, SLOW DOWN your reading to absorb the elegance of the design it expresses, as a reflection of the absolute requirement to SLOW DOWN your life and your thinking in order to stay present to the difficult choices that will confront you daily, moment to moment. Of course, you will make frequent mistakes, and that is how you learn - trial and error and try again and again and again. Mistakes are a natural part of the process, not an aberration. Living this way routinely requires changing your priorities, paying careful, detailed attention to the elegant progression of things in life's natural flow as it moves "from" Him "through" you, as He enriches and expands us from the inside out (notice how the way we do it, in our "automatic pilot" mode depletes and diminishes us from the outside in - as we struggle trying to go "from" us "to" some safety or satisfaction that may or may not include even a conscious thought of Him, maybe on Sunday, which is not the design). After practicing this new way of living for a prohibitive, unreasonable amount of time, it has become natural, if not automatic, and I now wonder how I even survived doing it my way - oh yeah, I don't think I did.

The Integrated Life - worth repeating (from October, 2006)

I sent this out on January 1st of this year, at a time when many, including me, were on vacation, and it has come up time and time again in so many conversations, so I thought why not send it out again, so here goes:

"Life is not about squeezing more frenzied and unconscious activity, more self-centered and worldly pleasure, more empty and meaningless stuff into your very limited amount of time here; life is about squeezing more real and present essence, more deep and true enjoyment, and more purposeful and lasting impact out of your unlimited access to God's power."

-- Yours Truly

I have had numerous people ask me over the years how to be more productive in their lives, how to get more done, but in a balanced way. The answer has always been counterintuitive, because it never addresses the realm of "doing more," but instead dwells in the realm of "being more," from which the most effective and productive "doing" takes place, naturally and with relative ease. And it is not a balance issue at all; it is one of integration (there's that word, again, Bruce). The secret is to engage life fully and completely, to constantly generate and re-generate it proactively, with full-out commitment and rigorous discipline, from the inside out, based on access to God's truth, vs. fearing and reacting to life, while complying with societal norms and conventional wisdom as the safest defense and most reliable survival mechanism - they simply aren't - they are the kiss of death.

It goes something like this:

First, get to know and learn to appreciate your Maker intimately, realizing just how BIG and truly GREAT He is. Breathe Him in deep, take a sunrise walk with Him, explore the beauty of nature with Him, hold hands and play with one of His precious children, minister to someone who is dying, hanging out where life is at its most raw and vulnerable, where it's fully at risk and hanging in the balance, where it's most appreciated, for He is the full meaning and Source of Life, and your greatest Guide to fully enJOYing the journey, and when you hear His voice calling you, instructing you, inviting you to do something - stop, listen, and obey, no matter what.

Second, appreciate the beauty and great gifts that are a healthy body, a curious mind, and a vibrant spirit. Care for them, feed them healthy food, protect them, stretch them, and, most importantly, enjoy them, being sure to never abuse, ignore, or poison them, ever. They are the essence of your capacity for co-creation with God and human productivity. When any one of these cry out for attention - stop, listen, and tend to them, no matter what (unless God's called first). Also, remember that the best way to truly love and honor this human "self" in life is to fully and completely love your God.

Third, if you are fortunate enough to have a partner, appreciate the beauty and great gift that is this other person. Care for them, feed them healthy, loving interaction, protect them, stretch them, and, most importantly, enjoy them, being sure to never abuse, ignore, or poison them, ever. They are your best and most reliable human support for tending the garden that is your life. They are the essence of your capacity for love and partnership. When they cry out for attention - stop, listen, and give it, fully and immediately, no matter what (unless God or your own health and well-being has called first). Also, remember that the best way to love another person is to fully and completely love yourself.

Fourth, if you are blessed with children, appreciate the beauty and wonder that they are. Care for them, feed them healthy food, protect them, stretch them, and, most importantly, enjoy them, being sure never to abuse, ignore, or poison them, ever. They are the essence of your capacity for boundless joy and patient surrender. When they cry out for attention - stop, listen, and give it, fully and immediately, no matter what (unless God, your health, or your partner have called first). Also, remember that the best way to parent your children is to genuinely love your partner, their other parent.

Fifth, if you are blessed with living parents and siblings, appreciate the beauty and great gift that they are. Care for them, feed them your acknowledgement and thanks for their crucial role in your life, protect them, stretch them, and, most importantly, enjot them and give them access to enjoying you, being sure never to abuse, ignore, or poison them, ever. They are the essence of your capacity for compassionate forgiveness and blessed thankfulness. When they cry out for attention - stop, listen, and give it, fully and immediately, no matter what (unless God, your health, your partner, or your children have called first). Also, remember that the best way to honor your parents and your family of origin is to live a rich, healthy, and happy family life.

Sixth, in your chosen communities (including church, neighborhood, non-profit affiliations, etc.), appreciate the beauty and great gift that they are. Care for them, feed them your presence and your available resources, protect them, stretch them, and, most importantly, enjoy them and give them access to you, being sure never to abuse, ignore, or poison them, ever. They are the essence of your capacity for unrestricted generosity and selfless service. When they cry out for attention - stop, listen, and give it, fully and immediately, no matter what (unless, of course, God, your health, your partner, your children, or your family of origin have called first). Also, remember that the best way to serve others and be served is to live a connected, healthy, and loving relational life; it is not about your money or resources, but about YOU.

And, finally, if you are blessed with meaningful, useful work to do to earn an income, appreciate the beauty and great gift that this is. Care for your work, feed it your presence and your passion for your life, protect it, stretch it, and, most importantly, enjoy it and give it your very best (which will be available only when working from the above to here - from the inside out), being sure never to abuse, ignore, or poison it (by bringing your life's chaos to the office and other people), ever. It is the essence of your capacity for creativity, making a difference in the world, and the healthy and self-sustaining abundance that comes with these. When it cries out for attention - stop, listen, and give it, fully and completely, no matter what (but only from the foundation of a properly cared for and cultivated life - you cannot truly give what you do not genuinely have). Also, remember that the best and most reliable way to "perform" at work, in a way that makes a difference and creates and sustains life over the long haul, is to live a full and healthy personal and relational life that truly works according to God's plan (otherwise, you will be spending all of your professional time cleaning up messes that you yourself caused or colluded in causing, as a result of your attempted escape from your unworkable home life - remember, unworkability produces more unworkability, even while also "paying well" - which, over time, actually adds to the unworkability).

As human beings, we often tend to focus our energy from the bottom up in the above, straining to perform and have things look good on the outer edges before attending to the internals and, when doing so, we inevitably collapse under the weight of outside-in, scarcity thinking. Life is designed to be lived from the inside-out, under God's abundance principle, where He is the fountain (or the pitcher shown below) from which all of life flows abundantly, and the more we align with and allow that, the more enjoyment, impact, and power is available to make a difference with our lives.