And they spoke on Surviving in the Face of Futility
And here are some snippets:
Futility is one of the under-discussed and really important parts of living in the DMV. They meet and recognize themselves as highly ambitious and goal-oriented people come with bold dreams of changing the world and encounter a whole bunch of similar people with similar ambitions, although often on the other side of the issue.
And at the end of the day the question occurs to us, “Why is my energy not turning into results?”
How do we respond? Usually with sin…anger at God (acting out), despair/resignation (giving up), work harder and control more (overwork) and whatever! the end justifies the means (compromise values).
Lament and embrace the true desire: white knuckling isn’t going to work so start being honest about how angry, frustrated, or disappointed you are (but don’t stop there)….surrender your underlying desire to be transformed, not trashed. Involve body, mind, and spirit. Look: Psalm 62:8 - "Pour out your heart before Him."
You feel like you are in a wilderness, but God isn’t punishing you and hasn’t left you alone. You HAVE reached a place where He can work with you. We need to take a clear look at and tear down the idols. God calls us to be faithful, not successful. The success of our efforts is up to Him.
Our definition of futility is often in ultra zoomed-in view, but we need to remember that we can’t currently (or maybe ever in this life) see the zoomed-out version. What’s needed is the longer-time horizon.
Remember heaven: there is a promised land. The wilderness never lasts forever. Remember the story of Leaf by Niggle by JRR Tolkien?
We leave you with these questions:
Where are you experiencing futility the most right now?
Where are you white knuckling life?
Does it seem possible to reframe as wilderness? Why or why not?
What pictures of grace during suffering are compelling to you?
If you knew right now that your life would be a series of difficult and disappointing episodes, how would you feel about that life?
