“Stay in the work,” encouraged the fitness coach on my TV screen. And when she said it, I felt more determined than ever to survive this 20-minute session of strength training. I did…yay me.

But life is longer than 20 minutes, and staying in life and in the work of life is hard. Staying with the process of spiritual transformation is hard. Staying in the process of grief is hard. Staying in the ________ is hard. You fill in the blank.

We can’t cage life. We cannot freeze the present happy day under glass. We can’t impale it like a butterfly in a frame. No, life moves inexorably on, whether we go with it or not. It rocks and lurches and limps along. It reels from high to low at a pace often too wild to follow, sometimes slow to bear. - Joan Chittister

So I began to mull over the word stay and wondered what 4 actions/activities (using stay as an acronym) could help us be present to this moment in our life, whether it’s a happy day or a slow-to-bear day.

S.T.A.Y.

S is for SEE. It’s important to get perspective on what’s happening. There are times when it’s evident what’s going on, but other times a dense fog seems to linger. Spend some time seeking to see what’s happening. What is going on? What do I see?

T is for TALK. Talk to God and talk to other trusted advisors. You may even have to seek out a professional counselor. And as you’re talking with God, don’t forget to be in the Word of God - that’s a perspective about God, God’s character, and life, that you don’t want to miss.

A is for ACKNOWLEDGE. Acknowledge your thoughts and feeling around what’s happening. If you’re unsure how to name your feelings, then please download this feeling wheel.

Y is for YIELD. Yield is my 2021 word, but it’s also familiar territory to me. To yield means to give way to something or to relinquish possession of something. It’s to pause. It’s to produce. It’s to give way to other traffic. I would propose that it’s also to yield to the Spirit and the Spirit’s help.

If you want to stay in the work, then see this season clearly, talk with God and others, acknowledge your thoughts and feelings, and yield to the Spirit.

Staying in the work,

Carmen

p.s. Please share this blog post, I think it’s really got some thoughts that could help a few of us! Thanks. :)