From my school age years, I remember a closet full of balls. As we rushed to grab them, any of the underinflated balls we tossed back. Only the adequately inflated ones, the ones that could bounce, would provide the fun we sought. The fully inflated ones could bounce, though not always bouncing as expected. And therein was the joy of it all, the bouncing, and the responding to the unexpected.
Note. These are flowers that bounce back every year, despite being chopped completely off at season’s end. Oh, to bounce so beautifully as they do!
My Mysterious Mind
My husband and I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Washington, DC for a perfect alignment of all fourteen members of our family. For only a few days, eight adults, three children, and three babies stayed in three homes in a neighborhood near the Supreme Court. We visited several museums and key monuments in flexible configurations of all or part of the entire group. Sometimes walking, sometimes driving, usually with at least two strollers in the caravan, we maximized our time due to a combination of strategic planning and continuous flexibility. In the rearview mirror of life, the coordination of so many moving and unpredictable parts is a wonder to behold!
I only wish I could say the same about our travels to and from DC. After carefully planning our plane travel, complete with at least 90 minutes between our flights, I had hoped the surrender of control to those who coordinated the details of our trip would have had better outcomes. We had flight delays due to the tardy arrival of our plane, the passing through of a storm at the next airport, waiting for an available gate, and needing to have the plane’s bathroom “serviced.” En route to DC, my husband and I ran through Charlotte airport and slipped onto our connecting flight with about three minutes to spare. We didn’t see our luggage until the next day. On the way home, we again ran through Charlotte airport only to arrive a few minutes after the boarding gate was closed. We would spend the night at a nearby hotel, while our luggage spent the night without us at the airport.
Having flown often, I know that unexpected delays are to be expected. If the flights leave and arrive on schedule, that is unexpected, something to celebrate. I’ve learned to just bounce along as my travel details shift. This trip, however, exceeded my bouncing limits. Finally, arriving at the hotel, with a painful, broken fingernail, trying to dig into my purse for my driver’s license, which was nowhere to be found, I sank to the lobby floor and cried. Like a completely deflated basketball, my ability to bounce had disappeared.
Thankfully, my license was in the back pocket of my jeans, in a place I never put it. Once inside our hotel room I emptied the contents of my backpack and small carryon, searching for anything that would count as supplies for the night. I hadn’t been concerned about having much with me on the plane because we were headed home, and the overhead compartments in the planes to Springfield are too small for normal carry-on suitcases. At that point I noticed my husband was wearing a flannel shirt over his t-shirt. Pajamas for me!
During the restless night of attempted rest, I planned future travel adjustments. No more flying through Charlotte. Always bring something for an unexpected overnight stay. Create an emergency set of makeup for the next day. Choose longer layovers between connecting flights.
And I thought about bouncing. I could be more physically prepared for travel complications, but was I sufficiently prepared mentally and emotionally? With each delay and travel wrinkle, I was able to adapt and just keep bouncing. I had, in fact, been doing that all week while traveling with three other families. I wondered if all that bouncing had depleted my capacity to bounce. I pondered how to prepare for deflating experiences, and how to recover from them.
And I thought about you and how all this might relate to whatever you are going through. Are life’s travel plans throwing you around? Is today someplace you didn’t expect to be and you’re not sure how you are going to cope with the supplies on hand? What does it mean to bounce, responding to the unexpected?
Message of Mystery Acres
Resilience. A better word for the ability of the forest to “bounce” is resilience. Despite extreme changes in temperature, rainfall, air movement, and humidity, the forest remains vibrant and alive. In the six years we’ve owned Mystery Acres, my husband and I have watched nature’s resilient capacity to thrive during its own adversity. Even Grandfather, the oldest of the shaped trees from the long-ago age of native people, is still standing, having died before we “owned” the land.
Seasons of drought nor times of heavy rainfall deflate the “bounce” of the forest. Neither air heavy with humidity nor wind blowing fiercely through the woods, can overpower the strength of nature’s resolve to survive. In fact, such adversity improves the overall health of the forest. Drought weakens the weakest, strong winds cull the dead or dying, and what remains is better able to thrive.
Difficult months of winter are followed by the vibrant emergence of spring. Summer’s months of heat and drought give birth to the peaceful surrender of autumn. At no point does the forest expect each day to proceed as the previous one. No tree consults the forecast to prepare for today’s weather. Whatever the day brings is whatever the day brings.
The message of Mystery Acres is an example of resilience. Incredible strength is combined with tremendous flexibility to produce a thriving response to the unexpected. I wonder what it would be like to be more like the forest, celebrating whatever each day brings, without trying to predict or control it, bouncing along joyfully moment by moment.
Ancient Mystery’s Voice
“I can do all things through the One empowering me, Christ.” (Philippians 4:13)
It didn’t surprise me that the word “bounce” doesn’t appear in any English translation of the Bible. Nor do the words inflated or deflated. The closest I could find is “empowering, and that only in the Interlinear translation of the ancient text. A similar word, strengthen, appears over fifty times. A popular verse from Paul’s letter to the people of Philippi is often translated as “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The original words translate more closely to “I can do all things through the One empowering me, Christ.”
As I picture a flat basketball and what happens as it is properly inflated, the word “empowering” seems to fit better than “strengthens.” As air is pushed into a basketball, it gains capacity to bounce when unexpectedly tossed about. When I feel empowered, I am able to respond without becoming defeated, or deflated, when life throws me around.
The imagery gets more clear when I consider that God is described as breath or spirit. As I sit with Him, breathing slowly and deeply, I can feel myself getting filled with strength, like a basketball being prepared for a game. If life has deflated, or defeated me, I can get reinflated by spending time receiving new breath.
Ancient Mystery’s Voice invites each of us, when deflated, to restore our ability to bounce through the empowering of Christ. Instead of trying unsuccessfully to bounce on our own, we can turn to the Breath of Life to restore our capacity to bounce when unexpected challenges toss us around. Are you feeling flat? Rest with the One who can empower you until your ability to bounce returns. I can do all things through Christ, the One empowering me.
Living in Mystery
What does it mean to live in the mystery of bounce, responding to the unexpected? First, it means living in such a way that we can be ready to bounce when life throws us around. Having daily quiet time is essential to maintaining adequate “inflation.” For Christians, this quiet time includes the use of the Bible; for others, daily quiet time might focus on a meditation routine that includes deep breathing and mindfulness.
Being ready to bounce also means having a “ready to adapt” attitude. Instead of expecting plans to proceed flawlessly, try adopting a “get ready to bounce” mindset. This applies to flying, when delays and lost baggage are common, but it also relates to most of life’s activities. Don’t expect a complication-free day; expect that something unexpected WILL happen. Be ready to bounce.
Lastly, be kind. Try not to be spiky towards others, who will respond with spikiness. Such behavior just pokes holes, resulting in less bounce and more deflated attitudes. During our delay in the Charlotte airport, I tried to be kind, hoping to receive similar responses. There were some very spiky people at customer service and at baggage claim. A kind supervisor breathed new life into us, helping us navigate an unexpected overnight stay. The Uber driver was also kind, driving us to a gas station convenience store on the way to our hotel. He joked about an extra tip (which he got). The experience reminded me of how vital it is to be kind, and how destructive a little rudeness can be.
On the final flight home as I made notes for this message about bounce, I was wearing my inflatable neck pillow. I noticed how the air expanded as the altitude of the flight increased. I thought about flying closer to God so my level of inflation could improve. Perhaps that’s another way to have more bounce, ready to respond to the unexpected.
How much bounce do you have, ready to respond to the unexpected? Does your daily routine include time for proper inflating? Do you have a “ready to bounce” attitude, or are you locked into expecting everything to proceed as planned? When trouble comes, as it sometimes does, do you respond with kindness, or do the spikes come out?
Practice daily habits of quiet time. Learn to expect the unexpected, with a “ready to adapt” approach. Remember to be kind, especially when frustrated by disappointment and delays. And consider flying at a higher altitude where the One who empowers you can improve your capacity to bounce.
Connecting with Mystery
Dear Lord of All Mystery, I confess to wanting things the way I want them when I want them. Please forgive me for times when my frustration brings out my spikiness towards others. Remind me to spend time with You, allowing Your breath of life to empower me. Thank You for helping me be ready to bounce when life sends something unexpected my way. Amen.
Notes from Dr. Mac
If you want to do your own investigation of any of the scriptures I use, I suggest you go to Bible Gateway. This free online version of the Bible allows a search of words or phrases in various translations. I encourage you to read the entire letter to the people of Philippi. It can help you be ready to bounce.
Do you want more from my writing? I have almost three years of previous posts, which you can find at my ARCHIVE. I also have topically organized compilations of my previous work in the My Books section. And Mystery’s Voice is on Spotify.
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