11 Steps to Endure Long-Suffering
For Anyone Searching for Inner Peace.
A dear friend texted me, asking for prayer. He was hurting on the inside. Although I didn’t know exactly what was going on, from our conversation, I knew enough to pray for him with intentionality and power.
After thoughtful prayer, the words began to flow.
This was my response to him and to all those who are suffering on the inside, whether it be from the current pandemic flooding our world, the pain from racism and judgment, or the pain inside for those of us feeling the tension and turmoil in the atmosphere surrounding us.
As a writer, I am still searching for words to communicate what my spirit and heart most wish to express. I have chosen to speak (here in this post) from the perspective of those who believe in Jesus, using the language of “Him” for God. Even if you do not believe in “Him”, feel free to insert the language that most resonates with you. What I have been shown is this: God is both our Mother and our Father. I sense God very strongly in the feminine, too— especially as a trail runner flying through the Forest Wilderness— God, my Mother, my Mother Earth, Holy Spirit, The Great Spirit.
11 Steps to Endure Long-Suffering:
1. Breathe. Many times when emotions are high, if we get present, we realize we’re holding our breath. This only increases our anxiety, of course, as the flow of oxygen is cut off from our brains and the rest of our precious bodies. Ask God to help you Breathe. It’s His breath that gives life, after all. Ask Him for more. I believe He wants to give great gifts to His kids. And His Breath being the greatest of all, that which keeps us alive. Count as you inhale for as long as your can, then exhale for the same count. Do this multiple times to find balance within and give your lungs, heart, and chest a moment to let go and release unneeded tension.
2. Posture your Heart (not a centimeter off!) I heard a Pastor once say that if we are aiming for Australia but the aim is one centimeter off, instead of reaching the landmass of Australia, we would find ourselves somewhere in the middle of the ocean, far from our intended destination. The same goes with the posture of our hearts, I believe. To align our hearts, to posture them towards Him, is vital. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you with this. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)
3. Slow down, and step back. The world says we must go faster, push harder, and force our way through the crowds. But I challenge you to look at life in a new way. Slow down. Step back. I once ran a 62-mile race. Before I began, I prayed and asked God to help me run at His pace, Our pace, together. I felt strongly that He encouraged me to slow down; don’t shoot out of the gate too quickly. So that’s what I did. I slowed my roll, and it was as if I clicked into an internal gear that never gave up, got tired, or stopped. They said I was running fast, but I felt I was not running at all. So much so, I missed the first aid station! I learned slowing down is often counterculture to the world’s ideas and agendas. This means those of us who believe in Him would do the opposite. “Those who are last are first.” The Kingdom flips the world on its head, doesn’t it? So when I slow down and step back, I invite God to lead instead of trying to be the leader of my own life. This is the way of Peace, for me.
4. Create a Secret Place. Go someplace quiet and private- whether it’s a bathroom or a closet or a bedroom or in the middle of the forest. Go there and sit. I like to put my palms together in front of my chest in a prayer position, with my thumbs touching the breastbone. Something about the pressure and presence of my hands here brings peace to my heart. The gentle nurturing feels so good, like I am mothering myself. And gently, my heart begins to release tension and open a little bit more.
5. Come into Prayer Pose. In this quiet space with my hands in prayer, I slightly bow my head and ask God to come back. I know He never left. It was just life and its distractions that ransacked my attention away from Him. Reminds me of Peter when he realized he was walking on water. If he only remained in tune with Jesus, locked into His gaze and His love, he would not have sunk deep into the wind and the waves. No condemnation. We can regroup and get locked back in with this simple posture.
6. Close your eyes. Breathe in, sending the breath up to the top of the head, and “see” it moving down your body, your chest, and spine, landing deep within your gut; take your attention there- deep within you. With eyes closed, look for Him, seek His face, see His eyes looking upon you with great compassion and care- those gentle eyes blazing like fire FOR YOU. You cannot miss Them. Look deep into His eyes. Let Him consume you. Tears may come; let them. Simply be in this moment with God. He will ignite you, speak to you, touch you, bless you. As you open your eyes to go about your day, practice “seeing” Him looking upon you. In each person who appears in front of you, see His eyes looking back at you. Set an intention to not turn from Him. Through this experience, not only will we strengthen our relationship with Him, but also with ourselves and with others. After experiencing His Presence and Touch, we become so compelled to give and share all we have received.
7. Memorize & Repeat Bible Verses. I’m reminded of these verses: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6). “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10). Repeat these to yourself; be reminded that He is with you. His Word will become your words when you spend time in your secret place with Him. Do this when times are great and when times are challenging. We never know what is around the bend, but we do know “He is the same today, yesterday, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). His Word is Truth, will always stand the test of time, and will never change. He never lies. Let Him lead you to a prophetic word for your life or for this season. Choose to take your long-suffering to Him, lay it at His feet, and just like the woman who poured oil and her tears onto His feet, wiping them with her hair (Luke 7:36-39), do the same with your life, your lifestyle, your pain. Make Him Central to all you do, hear, think, feel, say, and experience, and He will be all you notice, see, and do. Let go. It may feel like a free-fall, but inside Him, it’s free-flying. Let Him consume you and speak to your heart through the power of His Holy Living Word.
8. Keep Faith on the Tightrope. Some days feel like we are walking a tightrope. About a month ago, I was in Asheville walking down a quiet tree-shaded street. Above my head was a power line connecting one pole on the right side of the road with another pole on the left. I heard a loud noise. Looking up, I saw a squirrel jumping from a tree to the wire and running across it to the other side. It was amazing! I realized that’s what I felt I was experiencing in my life as I was taking big, bold, courageous moves. By faith I was saying “Yes!” to God, yet in doing so, I was traveling further from those who love me. But I knew it was Him calling me beyond where I ever thought I could go. I’ve tried many times to cross the so-called “ocean” in my life, and time and again, I have reached a place and had to turn around. But this time, I was praying for more courage, that He would make me braver than before. Seeing that squirrel was confirmation that yes, I felt I was on a tightrope, but just like Miss Squirrel, I too would make it to the other side. And so will you! We must not look to the right or left but remain focused on the task at hand, asking Him to help us remain laser-focused on Him and ignore the minutiae, refusing to allow any pain, fear, anxiety, or frenzy to distract us from the mission at hand, from what we’ve been called to do. We, too, can walk on water in Him.
9. Express Thankfulness. And MOST OF ALL, continue to thank Him for all the hardships, the challenges, the pain, the despair, the not knowing- as well as the blessings, the goodness, the beauty, the sunsets, the butterflies, the humans, and the food! I heard in my heart one day, “Micah, it’s okay not to know all the answers. It’s okay to not know where you are going or exactly what you are creating. It’s okay to not know”. I got it. It’s okay for us to just keep moving forward no matter what. Recently I was running 25 miles on single-track trails. With each turn, I encountered more rocks, more stumps, harder trails, and massive climbs. I thought, “Am I ever going to find flat ground? Will I ever descend?”. Life can feel like that sometimes too. We are constantly in a war with tough terrain and uphill battles. But I want to encourage you to keep going. The way I endured was to repeat in my heart (and often out loud), “Thank You, Lord! This is so much fun!” And I meant it. Because in those moments, I get to see what I’m made of and what We can do together. And I remember that what must go up that hill will also get to fly down. And that I did…after those 12.5 miles out, I got to run so fast down that massive hill, and it felt so good! I was laughing and hopping over rocks and forgot all about the pain I had just endured. The more I say “Thank You, Lord!”, it seems, the faster I’m able to run, and without the awareness that I’m even running. My attention is locked into Him, right where it belongs. This is the golden key for enduring long-suffering, in my opinion- thankfulness! This will shift your inner atmosphere, guaranteed!
10. Re-Frame the Situation. We are human. There will be suffering and trouble in this world, He says to us, but take heart because He has overcome the world! He will never leave us or forsake us. No matter what we’re going through, we can thank Him. Because if we are experiencing it, we will conquer it with His help and His grace (unmerited favor). And sometimes, we just need to reframe the situation. So many times the human mind wants to place a negative bent on a situation. But what if what we see or “think” we are experiencing is merely an illusion? What if instead of assuming the worst, we took the situation to Him, laid it down at HIs feet, and asked Him to decipher it for us? I’ve found, most of the time, I have it all wrong, anyway. I need His help to see clearly.
11. Laugh out Loud. Remember it’s okay to laugh and have fun. Even with the world at odds and great emotions running high, we are still allowed to enjoy the moments of reprieve. We are allowed a time-out to just “be”. We are still allowed to belly laugh; we are free to do that- often and full out! I believe it’s important to not let these joyful moments escape our grasp. We can be fed up with racism and the pandemic and the destruction and still fully embody great joy, joy not based on circumstances. What if we collectively asked Him to open our eyes, the eyes of awe and wonder of a child, and remind us of what is to come? What if in the uncertainty, we individually and collectively choose to seek first His Kingdom and watch Him move in great and powerful ways, as only He can?
No matter what, we must remember we are not alone. He is always with us until the end of age. And we are all in this thing called life together. I’ve had so many people be skeptical of my kindness. But I still chose to be kind. Let’s look out for one another. And we do this by placing God first in our lives, in every single area. We have to put him first- before family, friends, work, husbands, wives, children, hobbies, and everything! And when we do, our vision will change. Through this relationship, we will transform. We will become. We will see. We will know “great and unsearchable things we do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3). We will see mountains crumble into the heart of the sea, melting like wax. “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough places smooth” (Isaiah 40:4) in His Presence.
His Peace is like no other. We can experience peace in the boat with him, even when the sea is supercharged, with high winds and forceful waves. We can choose to remain in Him and His peace.
Living in the light is a choice. And when any of us find ourselves struggling to remember, struggling to see, it’s vital to reach out to someone, just like my friend did. Ask for prayer. Ask for what we need. Ask Him to provide. He will show up. Every. Single. Time. Maybe it’s in the form of a human, a voice. Maybe a heart thought. Maybe an idea. Maybe an open door. Maybe a “Wait”. Whatever it is, it will be for our good and His glory.
Keep the faith, y’all! Keep believing in that which you cannot see. And remember, it only takes a mustard seed!
I’m here for you and rooting for you! I would love to hear from you- feel free to respond with the Contact Form or email hello@micahhardke.com
God bless you- now and forevermore.
Love,
TBA
August 31, 2020- May 25, 2021
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