Rhythm

/ linneasallynorton / Leave a comment

I have confession to make…I am a geek. I geek out at Quantum Physics like string theory and I actually enjoy reading scientific papers about the brain. Now that I have confessed that, I want to talk about something that I have been researching lately, Rhythm.

What is Rhythm and why is it important?

Our human brains are wired for seasons and rhythms of life. We need routine so that information goes from our working memory into the automated part of our brain that doesn’t have think about every little thing. We live in a world that is governed by time, seasons, moon and sun; events help guide us through the passage of time. They are like sign posts showing us through the path of life. What happens when you disrupt Rhythm, when you can’t mark time like you normally would? Anyone feel like we have been living through a social experiment over the last 18 + months? All the season of life have been disrupted, we haven’t been able to have birthday parties, weddings, swimming lessons, go to church, go to Christmas concerts or have graduations. Everything that we look forward to with anticipation, the things that are milestones in life, have shifted, morphed and been taken away. When you lose these anchor points it is disrupting to say the least.

Disruption, what is it good for?

How do we respond to this shaking and shifting that has happened? I hope for you it has given you time to reflect on things that are important. Have you been able to carve out a new Rhythm in the chaos of the last couple of years? I know for myself, I have actually enjoyed having time to think, time with the family and time to be creative and be intentional about rest. These are what I want to take with me into the next season as we emerge out of lockdown. There has been a shift for sure, in America they are calling it The Great Resignation, as people are resigning from their jobs in the millions. A record number of people are starting their own business, using their creativity to do something they love and have a better balance in life.

Finding your groove

I love Jazz music, listening to a Jazz band that are in the groove is so thrilling. The musicians are able to anticipate where the music is going and it flows so naturally, to hear that level of musicianship is amazing. When we find our groove in life things flow and it is easy. It doesn’t mean we don’t have to work hard, but if you are loving life, does it feel life work? Have you found your sweet spot, your groove? If not, maybe you need to hit DELETE on a few things that are working for you. When everything is in right balance it is like all the strings in our cells (string theory) resonate at a sympathetic resonance (yeah, I just made that up) and things start to work.

Be intentional

Take a couple of minutes, find a good thinking spot, and make a list of things you want to leave behind and the things that you want to take with you into the new season. Be intentional about carving out the life you want to live. We get one shot at life and you are the only one who gets to experience your life. What changes do you need to make to live your best life and bring more joy into it?

Macro Vision

/ linneasallynorton / 1 Comment

We can fall into the trap of looking at the micro vision of what is happening today, our feelings of hopelessness in the moment, however we need to use Macro vision to expand our view.  To see the whole picture, to gain perspective and to prepare for the future.

I was listening to Lauren Daigle Look Up Child the words “look up” jumped out at me.  Then the bridge really spoke to me:

You’re not threatened by the war

You’re not shaken by the storm

I know You’re in control

Even in our suffering

Even when it can’t be seen

I know You’re in control

This made me think of a Psalm in the Bible. In Psalm 121 TPT it says

1–2 

I look up to the mountains and hills, longing for God’s help.

But then I realize that our true help and protection

come only from the Lord,

our Creator who made the heavens and the earth.

3 

He will guard and guide me, never letting me stumble or fall.

God is my keeper; he will never forget nor ignore me.

4 

He will never slumber nor sleep;

he is the Guardian-God for his people, Israel.

5 

Jehovah himself will watch over you;

he’s always at your side to shelter you safely in his presence.

6 

He’s protecting you from all danger both day and night.

7 

He will keep you from every form of evil or calamity

as he continually watches over you.

8 

You will be guarded by God himself.

You will be safe when you leave your home

and safely you will return.

He will protect you now,

and he’ll protect you forevermore!

This is a Psalm that was sung on the way to Jerusalem; on the hills around Jerusalem, in ancient times, there used to be altars to pagan deities on top of those hills, as they looked to the hills they were reminded that worshipping idols is not where their real help came from.  It came from the one true God, the creator of all things.

Where has your help come from lately?

As we walk along life’s road God puts hidden messages for us everywhere, if we would only ‘look up” and notice them.  It may feel hard to hear him when the storm is raging all around but if we have eyes to see, he has hidden treasure all around we just need to seek them out. 

Jeremiah 33:3 AMP ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.’

One of my husband’s favourite songs has a line that I love, “It might be a mouse living in your kitchen, or it might be God trying to get your attention.” Has God been trying to get your attention? Have you had micro vision?

Let’s adjust our vision to macro vision, look up and see the beauty all around you. God is a loving Father who watches over you. He has a plan to give you a hope and future. Call to him and he will answer you.

















			

	


			
				
				


	

							
5 Lessons on Endurance I learnt from Hummingbirds
						

			 / linneasallynorton						 / 4 Comments
								

			


		

		






Have you seen the meme, I am not an early bird or a night owl, I am some form of permanently exhausted pigeon?  I love this meme, as a mother of four school age children, this resonates with me.  The days of being woken by babies are still fresh in my memory.  Even though my children are sleeping through the night, I have found this season of lockdown and COVID has impacted on my sleep.  I feel like a permanently exhausted pigeon.  Thank goodness for coffee!





Life is a little crazy at the moment and that is probably putting it mildly.  We are in a constant state of flux with changing rules and restrictions and at them same time we are sick of starring at the same four walls.  (For clarification, I am in Victoria, Australia.  Now known as the most lockdown city in the world, yay!)  This does crazy things to our brains and nervous system; we are in constant fight/flight/fright mode and it is exhausting.





How do we endure life when it is hard?





Hummingbirds are a symbol for endurance. They can fly 1300 miles (over 2000 kilometres) when they migrate even though they are the smallest of the bird species.  Now that’s endurance!  Hummingbirds live on the edge of death all the time with a fast metabolism they need to consume half their weight in sugar daily.  They can fly a long way just to get enough food and nectar to sustain themselves, but they never give up. 





These birds are designed for the job:





  • they are the only vertebrates capable of sustained hovering and can fly backwards and upside down. 
  • They have the fewest amount of feathers of any bird species in the world to make them lightweight for easier flight. 
  • They also have smaller feet to make them lighter. 
  • Thirty percent of their muscle mass is in their chest; they can beat their wings 52 times per second.  Their heart beats 1,200 beats per minute. 
  • Their wings move in a figure of eight motion or like the infinity symbol.  This helps them hover like a Dragonfly.





What can we learn from these amazing creatures?





  1. Throw off anything that is holding you back.  Shed the dead weight.  This might be bad habits, bad relationships, bad debt or just too much stuff.  Making big changes to your life might be overwhelming, don’t look at the whole picture, just start with one small step.  Then you take the next small step and so on.  Before you know it, you have travelled as far as a migrating Hummingbird.
  2. You were designed for the job.  You were born for such a time as this.  The world needs you, you are unique, there is no one else like you.  Even identical twins are not completely identical.  You have so much potential.  You might be the next Thomas Edison, Martin Luther King Jr. or Florence Nightingale. Or maybe your purpose is to smile at the next person you see.  Find something that you are passionate about, that brings you joy and do that thing.
  3. Put your energy into what is going sustain you.  What makes you come alive?  Is it working on a creative project?  Is it taking a walk with a friend?  Listening to music or reading a good book?  Do the things that give you life, not suck it out of you.
  4. Savour the nectar.  Look back on your day and be grateful, even if it is a small thing such as “I’m still alive”.  Practicing gratitude actually changes the way your brain works.
  5. Don’t lose hope (the next flower is just around the corner).  I read the other day this quote “People don’t die from depression; they die from hopelessness”.  That hit me like a 2×4.  Think about that for a minute, let it really sink in.  Hope can be a fragile thing.  When we put our hope in people, things, plans or money; our hope can be taken away.  There is a hope that cannot be taken away, a living hope.










3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
1 Peter 1:3-6 NIV










This hope is a living thing, it grows and matures and gives birth to joy and peace.





13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 
Romans 15:13 NIV





This hope is a gift, given freely.  It is not earnt by hard work or earnestness.  Anyone can have this hope that can not be shaken by putting their trust in Jesus.





How can we endure life when it is hard?  We need to care for our whole self; body, mind and spirit.  Learn from those who have overcome.  Make small changes and don’t stop.  If you regress, start again with another small step.  Don’t listen to the voice that says “I can’t”, keep holding on and ask for help if you are struggling.  Find joy in the simple things.  Be thankful. Find out what you are passionate about, and then do something with it.  Hold onto to hope and don’t let go.