Dear Friends,
In a beautifully pastoral column in the New York Times, memoirist Jennifer Finney Boylan reminded me last week that the yips, the twisties, and the waggles are coming for all of us. Writing about gymnast Simone Biles decision not to compete during portions of Olympic Games, Boylan stated:
“Whether we respond to the yips with scorn and self-flagellation or with grace and acceptance says a lot about us as human beings. It is one thing to pray for excellence on the vault or the uneven bars. But embracing one’s vulnerability, the very frailty that makes us human — well, that demands a very particular brand of wisdom and humility. I’d call it Olympian.”
In sports, the yips, the twisties, and the waggles are that moment when self-doubt plagues a player and impacts their performance. As we learned in watching Biles during this past week’s Olympic Games, when you are hurling your body through the air these moments of self-doubt can move quickly from annoying to dangerous. For those of us staying solidly on the ground, these moments of self-doubt can still cripple and harm us. I have been preaching for long enough that it shouldn’t affect me. When I am standing at the pulpit, there are moments when my heart is racing and I feel the crush of stage fright.
More than just stage fright and performance anxiety, the daily and mundane yips, twisties, and waggles block us from embracing the fullness of life. We are scared and lonely but are afraid of rejection when we reach out for help and connection. We resist expressing our thoughts and feelings to avoid conflict or embarrassment. Our never good enough, always be hustling, “diet culture” mindset keeps us from embracing the beauty of this moment, the beauty of our bodies that carry us through life, or even simply enjoying a day at the beach or freshly baked pastry.
In the Christian spiritual tradition, self-doubt is often connected to our doubt in God’s loving presence in our lives. Over and over again, we forget that we are the beloved of the Divine source and fall back into the relentless process of proving our worth. As we’ve talked about during worship, release from this relentless process lies as the heart of those who name salvation by faith alone.
At other times, many of us go through months, seasons or even years when we can’t seem to experience holiness or sacredness. Often known as “dark nights of the soul,” we live with is a sense of dislocation and God’s absence. After her death, we learned through her personal writing that Teresa of Calcutta experienced this spiritual draught for almost a quarter of a century.
The only way through these spiritual twisties is with patience and rest. Sometimes, the answer isn’t to work harder, ignore the pain, and just push through.
I believe that Christ invites each of us experiencing the yips to pause and recalibrate, to take on a yoke that won’t break us. When these moments come into your life—and they will—know that they are a sign of your humanity. Naming and embracing our yips and twisties and waggles are signs of our courage, our strength, and our resilience. They are opportunities to be nourished and held in community in a new way. They are invitations to let go of a yoke that is too heavy to carry alone.
Grace and peace,
Rob
Dorothy Day and Christ as portrayed by Kelly Latimore in her painting “Don’t Call Me a Saint.”
Join us for Online Worship this Sunday
Everyone is invited to join us this Sunday at 10:00 am for our online worship gathering as we discuss ways to balance and sustain our need to be nourished along our responsibility to nourish and care for others—what the 18th Century evangelist John Wesley named as our call to both acts of piety and acts of mercy. Music will be led by CCW Music Director Winifred Brown and accompanist Reid Taylor. Peg Kritzler and David Kwo will be our worship leaders. Our online coffee hour will be led by Peg Kritzler.
To join us via Zoom, please click on the button below or go to our website at www.ccwilmette.org and follow the link at the top of the homepage.
Living and Serving Together
Donations for A Just Harvest
We are currently in the process of raising funds for A Just Harvest to purchase a new industrial oven. We will hopefully be able to send out more information in the next couple of days about their specific financial needs. In the meantime, please feel free to make donations to be matched by the Elsie Carlson Fun. Checks should be made out to “The Community Church of Wilmette” and include “A Just Harvest” in the memo line.
Missions and Outreach is also collecting specific items for A Just Harvest. The organization is in immediate need of paper towels, bleach, canned vegetables, and chicken and beef broth. You are also welcome to drop off donated items at the church office or contact Carol Brigham to coordinate a pick up.