Piloting Faith: The stories we tell ourselves matter...

A Word for the Day...

Recently I was working with an organization where I interviewed key leaders about their roles. I soon noticed a common theme that went something like this:

This person/decision/experience hurt me.
This person/decision/experience rescued me.
I am only here until I am hurt again. Then I am gone!

These people were reflecting real pain. But their pain became predictable. They were the victims of persecutors. They waited to be rescued. Someone or thing came along and made them feel better. But they are waiting for an injury to happen again.

It's the "drama triangle." If you want to play the role of the victim, you have to have a persecutor and a rescuer. Otherwise, it doesn't work.

So many of us live in this space of feeling victimized by people or events in our lives. We give up our power, waiting to be rescued, while we sit in our pain.

The most resilient people I know experience pain too. But then they do something unusual: they turn it into something creative. Prosecutors become challengers. Rescuers become coaches. In this way, you hold your power. You grow instead of shrink. You move forward instead of getting stuck in the past. You focus on outcomes instead of problems. You live in peace instead of strife.

Let's work on this together this week. I challenge you. ;)

- Rev. Cameron Trimble, author of Piloting Church: Helping Your Congregation Take Flight

Blessing for the Week

May the God who holds us close
and the God who hopes for our wholeness
who weaves us together as beloved community
and challenges us to become more
bless you now
and always.