There is a TikToker that makes me laugh. Her humor is dry and all her posts simply answer questions that other people pose on the platform. In the last video I saw of her, she was answering the question, “Why do fat people always tug at their shirts when they sit down?”. I will not opine about the skinny punk who asked the question in the first place, beyond saying I figure he needs help on many levels. Her answer, though, was perfection. The whole scenario made me think.
Maybe you have a secret that prevents you from constantly hunting for evidence that you aren’t perfect. I have no secret, and evidence practically throws itself at me on a pretty constant basis. I, in fact, am skilled at taking the most random of things and spinning them into all manner of negativity concerning myself. Perfection simply is not in me. The truth is, it is not in anyone. So, why do we spend so much time raking ourselves over the coals? Why do we let negativity drag us to unhealthy places? If I’m being honest, negativity doesn’t have to drag me. I go willingly. Can you relate?
We are all walking through craziness right now. Our world doesn’t look like it used to. COVID, coupled with political unrest, really messed with my sense of stability. I struggled for a long while. I have also encountered many others with the same story. It feels like, in this particular time in history, everyone is struggling in some way. It feels like everyone’s mental ship has capsized at sea and we are all looking for a buoy to cling to. That has been complicated by our propensity to believe the worst. Unfortunately, so many people have been claimed by the sea. That is just so sad.
The topic of conversation I have had with several friends lately is, “How are we going to make it through?”. It seems like “drink plenty of water and get good sleep” has become the answer to almost everything. The trouble is pat answers just do not work right now. Being well hydrated and rested certainly helps but falls seriously short of addressing the deep needs people have.
I have been turning over a concept in my mind that has helped me. I’ve begun searching for evidence that refutes whatever negativity shouts the loudest. I look for a bonafide truth. I call it searching for “evidence to the contrary”. Each truth becomes a buoy. For example, when the talking heads spout gloom and doom and I start to fear for the stability of our nation and my personal safety… I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that when I am absent from the body I will be present with the Lord (II Corinthians 5:8). I don’t fear death. I don’t look forward to it… but I definitely don’t fear it. That is a buoy I cling to.
I think there is plenty of evidence to the contrary to be found. There are buoys everywhere. The magic is in training ourselves to look for them. Sometimes, being able to identify truth is the one thing that will keep your and my head above the waves.
I’ve shared before that CrossFit is my current sport of choice. Minus a couple of deferments for ankle surgeries and recovery, I have been doing CrossFit since September of 2014. That’s 6 1/2 years. One might think I should look like the picture you imagine when you think of CrossFit. I assure you, I do not. EVERY TIME I sit down on the rower I tug at my shirt. My fat rolls mock me. Today though, I got my 100 class patch. I’ve been hundreds of times, but they just started tracking a few months back. I may not be skinny and ripped, but I am there with extreme consistency. When the image in the mirror sings “fatty fatty 2×4, can’t fit through the bathroom door”, I can look at the patch and be reminded of how much work I do to be healthy. That is a buoy I cling to.
What truths bring you stability? What are your buoys?
