It is by grace and grace alone that we have come through storms of many kinds─personal, family, national, and international. When storms come, what keeps you anchored to God? Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a storm that seems to have come out of nowhere with a reaction that caught you off guard?
IDENTIFY TRIGGERS OF THE PERFECT STORM
This is not simply about surviving the storm, but also learning to identify storm triggers before they become too overwhelming and cause us to lose our anchor.
The perfect storm is the fodder of many a disaster movie: a series of events all coming together at the same time to produce catastrophic results. At the time, it can be hard to see the connections. It is often only in the aftermath that we can look back and see how all the different triggers worked together to cause such devastation. Triggers are like red flags along the pathway, yelling at us to stop, pay attention, and act now to avert disaster.
I know in my own life, certain triggers can create a perfect storm in which I can quickly lose sight of God, drift from the anchor that He is in my life, and have an emotional meltdown. I find myself exploding at my husband or children for a seemingly innocuous misdemeanor that catches both them and me off guard and causes hurt, confusion, and disconnection. The disproportionate nature of my response is a symptom of a much deeper unrest, prompted by several triggers coming together all at once.
The question is: Would it have been possible to avoid the storm, preemptively identify the causes─the triggers─and diminish their destructive power?
1. Physical Triggers
Before I trained as a life coach, I worked as a physical therapist for many years. I would treat patients who sustained a sudden injury that seemed to come out of nowhere.
But, dissect their stories a little, dig backwards into the preceding sequence of events, and often there were clear indicators. Triggers set off a chain of events that led to injury and incapacitation. It was often possible to identify those triggers─postural problems, chronic weariness and over busyness, muscle weakness or imbalance, and a sudden demand on the body all coming together inevitably leads to system failure like pain and incapacity.
With our physical bodies, it is possible to identify each of these triggers in advance and proactively address them with exercise, rest, and improved posture. The physical realm has much to tell us about the realm of our emotional and spiritual well-being.
2. Exhaustion Triggers
Tiredness and insufficient margins of time and energy mean there is no wiggle room when unexpected demands sneak up on us. Chronic energy drainers may look like an over-stuffed inbox, piles of clutter, too much electronic noise or social media use, certain relationships, or an unexpected pandemic. Energy givers may be life-giving relationships, time with God, or restorative activities that feed our souls. We keep suppressing and ignoring unmet or unidentified needs, at our peril, as such needs will not go away but remain to erupt out of us as the storm brews.
3. Emotional Triggers
This last one is a big struggle of mine. By nature, I am a stuffer. Just deal with it, get on with the next thing, pay no heed to the rising tide of anxiety, fear, stress, or irritation that is threatening to swamp me. If I ignore what my emotions are clearly telling me, a storm starts to build. Add in any of those other triggers listed, plus any negative self-belief, and the elements are all there for a perfect storm: I explode at the smallest thing. The fallout can be terrible, and causes me to lose my anchor to God in all the emotional upheaval.
But God is faithful, kind, and merciful. No matter how far we fear we have drifted from God or how quickly we have lost hold of His anchor in our lives, His love for us is so great and His compassions are new every morning (Lam. 3:21). By the gift of His Spirit, we can learn to identify the triggers in our own lives in advance by regularly reflecting on how we are feeling and doing. This self-reflection gives God by His Spirit the opportunity to prompt us to stop, notice our behavioral patterns and needs, and bring them to Him.
WHAT MIGHT THIS LOOK LIKE IN YOUR OWN LIFE?
1. Self-Reflection
It starts by taking time regularly to ask ourselves questions like these: What am I feeling, and what do those feelings indicate? What do I need? If I ignore my needs and continue down this path, what will happen? This is about identifying what is most important and what proactive steps we can take, with God’s help, to keep ourselves anchored in Him.
2. Listening to the Holy Spirit
He is our essential guide here, as we learn to listen to His prompts. Ask: God, what are You showing me about myself in this situation? About You? Where am I being tempted, distracted, drawn away from You? Where am I seeking to meet my own needs rather than surrendering to Your love, grace, and purposes? As we identify what we need, we can then take action to address it. Often this can mean small, simple steps like talking with a trusted friend, taking a little time off, dealing with things that have been draining our energy, or saying no to extra commitments to create a little wiggle room.
We can learn much by looking back with God at events leading up to a storm and asking Him to show us how He is growing and shaping our character. The more we do this, the more we spot patterns and themes that help us identify triggers. We cannot always stop or prevent the storm. But we can learn to notice our own triggers and with God’s help, act to minimize fallout of our own making, and ensure that we remain anchored to Him.
