2020, what a year!

 For a second I thought I was on set in a movie. There was a certain  sommberness to the feeling. Where am I? What's going on?  I saw people walking past me in masks and I couldn't help but look at the strange attire they had on their faces. A few seconds later I would snap back to reality  and realise; we have a coronavirus pandemic. In South  Africa, we had hard lockdown  for twenty one days at the beginning of the pandemic. It was needed. The times were frightening.  There was a sense of a feeling that the world had come to an end. At least the weirdness of the  situation.  

It is seven months down the line and the shadow of the pandemic  is still upon us and the somber feeling is there but not as intense anymore.   Its enough to say that 2020 has been one strange year. I'm not sure there are words to adequately  describe this year. 

We were hit with the worst  pandemic I  over a hundred years.  Some countries have been hit the hardest.  With the USA as of today surpassing  ten million  infections. Ten million. India is not that far behind.  So, we are still reeling in this year but we have hope. 

We hope in God who can save us. Who can rescue us when we call unto Him. He hears us when we ask for His helping hand. Even though this year has been one for the books, it still remains a year to celebrate.  A lot of people have had celebrations this year. 

We will not forget those who died. Those who will forever be remembered by their families and friends. Those who have left this earth due to this massive pandemic  that  has plagued  the whole earth. 

Yes, 2020 is one for the books!

ladders

step up, get yourself up to the top of the world. take every step methodically. make every effort  to push yourself to be on top. enjoy every moment. smell every achievement with each step. celebrate your ability to move up on the ladder. there are people who are watching, hoping they were the ones going up that ladder. others are cheering you on while others are secretly hoping you would come crashing down. step up, go on, you deserve that break. do it while world watches.

when you get up there be careful. watch your step. you lose your grip at the first step the fall is mildly painful. you lose your grip midway the pain is somewhat bearable. you lose your grip at the top of the ladder you come crashing down. the fall shatters. everything flashes. the fall is unforeseen. the pain is everlasting. the memory, imprinted.

so is with the ladders of life. we achieve little no one takes notice. we are somewhat halfway there, the world around us takes notice. they see this beautiful gift that is beginning to unwrap right in front of their eyes. some cheer on, others wonder how long the show is going to go. others wait for the skeletons to come out of the closet. such as is the life we life. bottled up. judged upon. 

safety in the storm

the one thing that is sure to  happen in our lives is that we will face some severe storms. it's not a  matter of if, its a matter of when.  when we face a storm, the one thing we can do is just brace ourselves.  no way to stop it, no ways to run for safety; the only way we can be sure to endure is to go to that proverbial fetal position and brace for it.  sometimes it takes longer than it should. and sometimes, while we are still expecting more then suddenly it's over. two reactions to that, one person will look around and check if more is coming. another when they see the coast is clear they immediately jump out and celebrate.

we, who have a comforter in the midst of the storm go through it differently. we have God who wipes every tear from our eyes. He sees to it that no matter how terrible the storm of life is, He's there beside us. He has not authoured the storm, He has simply allowed it to happen. i've noticed that we suffer differently. we weep differently. we cry differently because ours is a sure and steadfast anchor that keeps us from being swept away and capsized. in life's horrible moments we don't cry out of hopelessness but we do with the knowledge and thought that it will pass away.

we are, safe in the storm.

the leader heals

We all have this idea that a leader never goes through hardships. We know it happens, we just never think of it a great possibility for a leader.  In fact, the shock and awe is when a person deemed to be great leader falls.  People and think within themselves if anything could have been done to stop the process. We wonder if they had anyone to talk to about their internal struggles. Could they have avoided the fall in some kind of way? So may questions arise as to how this could have been avoided.

The description above sounds a like a fall from grace type of hardship. The same goes for when a leader feels emotionally spent. They have spent all they have emotionally, physically and mentally for the betterment of others. This is a great thing. To invest in others. But it does not help the leader if they don't take care of themselves while they help others. Leaders need support structures just like everyone else.  They are vulnerable just like everyone else. They hurt, just like everyone else. The thing is, people don't think they go through these emotions. But the fact is they do. It then becomes of paramount importance that a leader creates support structures for themselves.

I read a book earlier that was titled, "leading with a limp." It was basically highlighting the fact that leaders are prone to everything else that all people go through, and how a leader can navigate through those stormy waters of life and make it while being leader. 

The fact is leaders tend to be judged  more harshly for hardships they face. Especially a fall from grace. Or a leadership mishap. Or a wrong call on an important strategic  decision. Leaders tend to go through the most.  So it's very important for a leader to realise that time to heal or even heal while they are working is important. 

This is not a complete thought process, will come back for it.