Are you pursuing a goal?
Whenever I pursue rigorous, daily goals, something inevitably disrupts my intentions.
Sickness. A series of stressful parenting days. A trip. A special event that consumes my time and energy.
I “fail” at attaining my goal, whether it be practicing Pilates consistently or writing 500 words per day, and I wonder why I don’t have enough discipline to follow through.
Can you relate?
I was highly disciplined during university. Where did that stamina and drive go? As I mature, I realize I can’t go, go, go and push, push, push day after day like I did in my twenties. For me, the consequences of hustling hard regardless of my physical, emotional, and spiritual needs were far-reaching: burnout, digestive issues, and an anxiety disorder.
I recently spent time on the east and west coasts of Vancouver Island. As I hiked the shorelines, the Lord revealed a more compassionate way to view my life, particularly my creative life.
Nature illustrates how our lives are meant to be lived: rhythmically and seasonally.
Just as ocean levels rise and fall along the coasts, high tides and low tides pulse through our lives. The timing and lengths of our personal low tides aren’t charitable or predictable, but we can count on low tide to follow high tide, high to follow low.
In the same way, recognizable seasons in our own lives mirror the cyclical rhythms of nature. There are seasons of stripping and death and of exponential growth. Seasons of planting seeds and of flourishing and bearing fruit.
Yet the messages I hear from social media shout the opposite: Push, push every single day, regardless of how you feel. You can achieve whatever you put your mind to. If you want to achieve your goals, you need to work at it. Every. Single. Day. You can do it!!!
But here’s the thing: God never intended for us to live at odds with our physical, spiritual, and emotional needs.
I’ve lived under low-grade guilt for the past month because I’ve added very little to my novel’s word count. Authors I admire write five to seven days a week.
“I’ll try harder this week,” I told myself this morning.
“That’s not what I asked you to do,” the Holy Spirit gently rebuked.
Guilt fell off my shoulders like grains of sand. I realized I’ve been doing exactly what I’ve needed to do in this season. While I thought I “should” be writing 500 or more words each day, my situation and health required something different of me.
This past month has been a season of low tide for me creatively, but low tides are beautiful in their own way. Low tide offers the opportunity to discover and collect treasures that aren’t accessible in high tide. Amidst days of chronic pain and depression, I’ve walked the metaphorical shoreline and picked up ideas and concepts along the way. As if they were sea glass or empty clamshells, I’ve slipped them into my pocket for a later time.
Are you in a season of high tide or low tide in your creativity?
If you are experiencing high tide, enjoy the exhilaration of creativity crashing onto the pages. Ride the waves of motivation. Relish the ease by which ideas flow.
If you are experiencing low tide, acknowledge this season of life and adjust the expectations you have for yourself accordingly. Instead of denying your life season or resisting your personal needs, embrace wherever you find yourself today. Continue walking, at whatever pace your body, spirit, and emotions ask of you. Keep your eyes peeled for hidden treasures in the craggy rocks and tide pools.
Rather than constructing a strict schedule and berating yourself when you inevitably “fail,” pause and reflect:
- What season are you in? High tide? Low tide? Or a season in between?
- What is the Lord asking of you in this season? (Caveat: It may not be what you think or want, but it is definitely what you need.)
- How can you work toward your creative goals and still honor your body, emotions, and spirit?
May we learn to accept low tides when they come, and may we take advantage of high tides when they rush in.
