Ahead of the Curve

Have you ever had a weirdly scheduled week where you knew not, from day to day, what would unfold in your schedule? Been there. Done that. Way too often.

It’s been a “jury” week after the court was closed for the holiday week of Memorial Day, and no one was called for the Monday, instead, everything started with Tuesday. “Call after 6 pm” was the general rule, but my schedule was not very flexible to change so I called beginning around 4 pm…

I was anxious. My evening would be more occupied if I had to get up and attend to my civic duty. Why? My schedule had to slip, only, it could not slip too far.

Life and duty must co-exist. Responsibilities do not get shuffled just because civic duty gets applied. Juggling too many balls will certainly cause failure, but when the extra ball gets tossed into the mix, well, you must learn how to adapt!

Here’s my thought today. Again. I think it’s timely and appropriate to many faces of life.

You must learn to live ahead of the curves that come your way!

It happens often, you know, the pressure that a curve will throw your way at the time you less need it to be there! As a pastor, an IT professional, a married family man… Life has a way of interjecting itself and throwing some unexpected curves into your plan.

It was the Fall of 1998.
I had started a new job on the Y2K team for Alyeska Pipeline.
The church we had started in 1994 was growing and going!
My plate was full, overflowing, and civically this was my first time in Alaska to get called for duty. I showed up with a hoarse “preacher’s” voice barely able to speak, worrying about taking time from a new job and worrying about the trial.
(Murder, estimated 4 weeks of duty – it went 5 weeks).
It’s a long story, but finally, I was dismissed from the jury.

I was blessed to dodge the curve thrown my way. The timing was horrible. The cost could have been great. But I did worry about the outcome of the trial, and wondering if I could have been a calmer voice to the panel, were it needed, of course.

When working in downtown Houston, the jury pool was so large we were only asked to show up half a day, and wait to see if we were needed. In 10 years of downtown working, I showed up several times but was never called to serve. In Alaska, and here in Washington, you get the entire week to pace the floor wondering if you will need to show up, get selected, and properly serve your civic duty!

How do you “roll with the flow” of life when curves come your way?

Each of us has different coping tools. Juggling, reassigning, pulling some irons out of the busy fire and letting them cool for a while, or learning how to say “no”.

It’s the Pressure of the Curve that I’m thinking most about today.

Have you ever used a Pressure Cooker? Growing up I remember Mom using it every so often. Even though one of these devices sit in our cabinet, I am not sure I have ever consciously cooked anything with this pan. It’s somewhat scary. It’s controlled pressure, but, what if?

In essence, it cooks in a closed environment, pressuring the contents and helping to cook the contents much quicker. This is so much different than a “slow cooker” that does the same thing over a longer period of time with no high pressure or high heat.

The results are often the same, it’s just a different style of cooking.

A Pressure Cooker is generally safe, although there are some inherent dangers. It can be a ticking nightmare if not handled correctly!

I see this happening to many. All the time! It seems like life is a pressure cooker, the temperature is rising, the steam is pouring out of the vent, and the danger exists of catastrophic failure. Some work good under pressure, others do not.

Here are a few questions to consider when you think about the Pressure you face:

• Is your vessel capable of holding up to the pressure?
• Do you have a safe seal to keep unsafe hazards from leaking out onto innocent bystanders?
• Do you have the mechanisms to bleed off the pressure and safely open the cooker so that you can enjoy the results?

Can we handle the unexpected pressure that curves introduce to our path?

If I only had time to think this through! In light of everything, it seems like we are in a pressure cooker and we are facing some dangers that we are not prepared for! From global to national to local pressures, we are struggling with how to maintain balance on every front and not explode!

I believe each of us could name all the issues, and whether you come down on one side or another, we all struggle with the feeling of “pressure” if the other side “wins” and we “lose.” This is what’s happening on many fronts. Religious freedoms versus social freedom versus legal freedom. Who first gets to chose who gets to win and who gets to lose. There are very few things that “everyone” wins on… Those on one side of “winning” makes the other side who feel they are “losing” – and regardless of the end results – all are losers.

Listen to King David for a few moments. Life is pressuring up ….

“A David psalm. Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be– you get a fresh start, your slate’s wiped clean. Count yourself lucky– GOD holds nothing against you and you’re holding nothing back from him. When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder, my words became daylong groans. The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up. Then I let it all out; I said, “I’ll make a clean breast of my failures to GOD.” Suddenly the pressure was gone– my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.” 
(Psalms 32:1-5 MSG)

You need a way to vent the pressure that builds up inside. That pressure cooker needs to vent! Or it will finally explode.

How about it… 

Do you have a way to manage your life when the unexpected curves start rolling through your life? Do you have a good way to release the pressure that builds up every so often?

Better find it… I believe the curves are here to stay, and the pressure is building!