New Series: Renewal!
Song of Solomon 2:11-13 ESV
Today we begin a new series that has a bit of a different focus.
Having grown up and lived in a few different parts of the Midwest United States all my life means around here, we have four pretty distinct seasons. Every year Winter turns to Spring, spring turns to Summer, Summer turns to Fall, and Fall to Winter.
While we sometimes have a long cold harsh winter or a long long very hot summer, that’s about the only difference we see in the weather patterns. Every year winter turns to spring and spring to summer and summer to fall and fall to winter.
One recurring theme I can remember every year without fail is jubilation when Winter is over and the Spring flowers start popping up. Around here everyone is pretty much happy that the cold dreary Winter months are over.
We also have people who are not thrilled when we have a long very hot summer, and those people are usually glad when the leaves start to fall. That’s probably because when it gets hot in the Midwest the humidity levels are off the charts.
I know from experience when I visited family that lived in Nevada, even when the temperatures were well past 100 degrees, dry heat is more bearable than 100 degrees with 90% humidity.
Today, in the Midwest we are having our first real Spring rain, and the trees are growing leaves. Dandelions are popping up everywhere. By tomorrow tiny flowers will be sticking their heads up out of the soil.
It’s perfectly delightful!
In Song of Solomon 2:11-13 the song says, “for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.”
Solomon’s beloved appreciated the change of seasons. The King noticed the beauty and wonder of the earth.
Solomon carried a heavy weight as king.
When the king engaged himself fully in everything he needed to accomplish he could easily forget to take time to live.
When studying leadership in graduate school we often discussed taking time to appreciate the things we love. We were cautioned to encourage leaders to pour as much into themselves and what they love as they pour into others. We were reminded to help leaders understand the importance of surrounding themselves with people who know them and help them connect to their inner self. Leaders need to take time to live.
Leaders can run the risk of giving away too much of themselves. Tempering that attitude with healthy thoughts (exercises) shows great wisdom.
Leaders need to take time to notice the joyful small things in life that pour life back IN. That means a great leader needs to know what “feeds” their soul.
They need to take time to love the child within.
There is a specific reason for that kind of care and attention. “For leaders, self-care is an investment in productivity, longevity, and effectiveness. It allows you to model the behavior you want from your team—i.e., healthy ways to cope with stress, increased emotional intelligence, and a high value placed on personal health and well-being.” (https://leadershipcircle.com/en-au/using-self-care-to-become-a-more-effective-leader/#:~:text=For%20leaders%2C%20self%2Dcare%20is,personal%20health%20and%20well%2Dbeing.)
Specifically, taking time to step aside and engage the senses help to ground us. Grounding is a term used too get us back to our “center” or our true self. Some refer to it as the child within.
Just as Solomon was reminded to take time to see, hear, recall taste, smell, and touch we can “practice” healthy exercises. We can ground our selves or get in touch with our truest self.
“Activities in which you engage your senses are excellent grounding strategies. A commonly used grounding strategy is ‘5-4-3-2-1’. This entails viewing five stimuli with your sense of sight, followed by hearing five sounds with your sense of hearing, then feeling five tactile stimuli with your sense of touch and repeating the sequence with four, three, two and one using each of the senses of sight, sound, and touch. When you are feeling emotions at an intense level, practicing this exercise allows you to quickly switch your attention onto sensory stimuli which facilitate a reduction in the intensity of your emotions to manageable levels. (https://drpatrickkeelan.com/psychology/using-your-senses-to-enhance-your-mental-health-its-just-common-sense/#:~:text=Examples%20include%20taking%20a%20bath,drinks%20(sense%20of%20taste)%3B)
For wise King Solomon taking time to notice the seasonal changes “fed” him. In his “song” his beloved spoke of flowers that appeared, turtle doves that were singing, and trees that brought forth fruit. It’s interesting that what was mentioned engaged all the senses, including the fragrance of flowers in the air.
In Song of Solomon 2 the King was joined by a trusted partner.
The song and engagement of the senses were intended to speak to the king on a deeper level.
So…whether we are reminded by a trustworthy soul or we remind ourselves to take time to step away and see, touch, smell, hear, and taste the change from winter to spring, we need to set aside time to engage the world around us. Today…take time for you!
Spiritual Practice: Grounding
In some form, (either 5-4-3-2-1 or even engaging two senses) practice grounding.
In God, Deborah
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