Heading into the end of the year, we were running at a pretty fast pace. To help us stay on the tracks, we set aside some much needed time to pause, reorient and fix everything that was not working. There was so much to do - so much to figure out. It was time to reset and rebuild.

We brought in The Call to Work to facilitate some times of reflection and discernment to help us with this. These sessions helped us tease out so many different ideas around the various aspects of the business and the ways we work. A lot of what surfaced related to “getting off the roller coaster,” with a central theme taking shape from our time together:

"Let it be easy, let it be fuzzy."

As a team, we’ve agreed to lean into this beautiful invitation from God. But truth be told, we’re actually more comfortable and familiar with the roller coaster – where we attempt to take the reins in every aspect of our work, striving towards a greater sense of clarity and control. Getting off this roller coaster is a real struggle that is hitting a nerve within each of us – permeating throughout all of our lives.

For me, it’s a constant push and pull. In all the various moments which confront me with something I don’t know how to do, it typically first feels like panic and a sense of “I have to figure this out. I have to create a grand masterplan so I know what I’m doing.” But then I take a moment, and there’s this gentle reorientation. It’s a call to trust more in what God has for me versus my own ability to figure this out.

"Ok, hang on – let it be easy - maybe it’s ok not to know.”

The panic subsides. What takes its place is not quite full relief, but it is peace of mind. I take on a new perspective that says “This doesn’t make a ton of sense to me, but I know that doing less and trusting more is the right way forward.” I don’t gain clarity, per se, but I do gain a sense of internal alignment. The other way can feel fragmented. This way brings wholeness. It feels healthier – like a breath of fresh air.

It feels like freedom. It feels like shalom."

...I had some fear in bringing this very controversial topic up, but our cohort really has become a community of grace

...having started a small business without knowing anything about business and feeling wholly inadequate. In the end, I fell in love with building a business. Over the years, I developed friendships with lots.

…The recent string of unarmed black people killed by white officers or vigilantes destroyed my spirit. I’m a 40-year-old black woman, the daughter of migrants from the deep south who came of age in the sixties in segregated Chicago.

When the opportunity arose, I was thrilled to be in discussions with our church leadership about a full-time position where I would lead and grow our church’s local outreach and compassion initiatives.

When I received the offer letter, the initial salary was much lower than expected, and I immediately struggled with feeling second rate. Was this what church leadership thought of me and what I brought to the table?

...I have always had vases and glass plates and other little decorations around my house that are important to me. My daughter sometimes rushes around and moves too fast. I’ve always told her to slow down, to calm down. Sometimes I get a little upset.