Faith and Doubt

in a Culture of Disbelief

  • Home
  • About
  • Milestones
  • Contact

When crisis lights your tent on fire

March 17, 2020 Leave a Comment

Share this post:

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Email

It was Winston Churchill (not Rahm Emanuel) who first said, “Never let a crisis go to waste.”

Close calls.

Conflict.

Coronavirus.

We try to avoid such things, but I have noticed they often have power to bring needed change in places where we had given up on it.

Sometimes needed change fizzles once the urgent moment fades.  Muscle memory kicks in and the lesson is lost. But other times that wrecking ball we feared crushes things that needed to come down—things that had us trapped where we thought life would be found.

The Mandarin character for crisis combines two words: opportunity and danger. Consider these two sides of crisis so that you don’t let a crisis go to waste.

What can be gained?

Picture a circus elephant tethered to a simple stake in the sand.  A young elephant is not strong enough to pull it up. Over time it becomes conditioned to stay put even after gaining the physical strength to break loose. One small act can free him from this mental prison: light his tent on fire. 

Crisis can light your tent on fire. You can see what really matters amidst the clutter. Or think of it this way—the urgency launches us to a new perspective like one of those tower of terror rides at Disney.  For a moment, we rise above the heap.  What seemed too mammoth on one day can become our chief priority the next day—like an apology or forgiveness.

The elephant breaks free. The impossible can become possible.  In other words, sometimes crisis has the power to get you unstuck. 

In our American affluence, too much unnecessary clutter has a hold on us. The clutter of the unnecessary can make it hard to discern what is truly, deeply necessary. In a crisis, necessary things emerge.

What can be lost?

This COVID-19 pandemic has top medical pros spooked, and for good reason.  Some people are panicked and others just annoyed by all the reaction.  We need to settle down for a while and heed advice that will slow the spread so we don’t overwhelm our medical system. 

But this too shall pass.  We will be looking back on this season sooner rather than later.

In the middle of it, don’t miss what might become possible right now, even if (at the moment) it seems to be coming at you like wrecking ball or lit a match. 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3: 5-6

Related

Filed Under: Tough stuff

Subscribe to Faith and Doubt

Subscribe to Faith and Doubt today and receive a free copy of Milestones.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Who is Behind Faith and Doubt?

Tim FilstonTriplets+1 Dad. Smokies trout stalker. Spandex warrior. Comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.
More about Tim.

FacebookLinkedInTwitter

Get updates from Faith and Doubt by email!


Subscribe to Faith and Doubt today and receive a free copy of Milestones.

Main Topics

  • Personal Growth
  • Relationships
  • Leadership
  • News & Culture
  • Tough Questions
  • Great Reads

Latest Tweets

  • How to Die a Little to Live More www.faithanddoubt.com/personal…

    February 23, 2023 12:39 PM

  • Time doesn't automatically heal all wounds. It only dulls them until we start doing this.... www.faithanddoubt.com/personal…

    November 18, 2022 11:27 AM

  • Turning your past into compost www.faithanddoubt.com/personal…

    November 17, 2022 5:15 PM

Facebook

Facebook

RSS Featured Links

  • Why Church Leaders Need to Practice Theological Triage
  • Easter Music Resources and Holy Week Playlist
  • Black Christians, White Christians, and George Washington Carver
  • How to Test Ministry Ideas
  • Chinese Christians Adapt Under New Restrictions

Latest Tweets

  • How to Die a Little to Live More www.faithanddoubt.com/personal…

    February 23, 2023 12:39 PM

  • Time doesn't automatically heal all wounds. It only dulls them until we start doing this.... www.faithanddoubt.com/personal…

    November 18, 2022 11:27 AM

RSS Leadership tips from Tony Morgan

Recent Posts

  • How to Die a Little to Live More
  • Turning your past into compost
  • How to make peace, not just keep it

all content © 2023 by Tim Filston | Design by Robin Cornett