"The universe is shaped exactly like the Earth, if you go straight long enough, you end up where you were." —Modest Mouse
This post is inspired by a word that was preached by Dr. Anita James- At One Potter Church
Life is a circle. Not a mountain to climb. Not a line on a graph. A circle. We have four seasons, winter and summer aren’t just one-offs. The leaves will bloom, then fall, every year.
In life, there will be seasons of ease and difficulty, joy and grief.
So what’s the point? The point is to be present to life’s circumstances and to aim up, an upward spiral toward the highest good.
Life will present you with people and circumstances to free yourself from anything holding you back from your highest calling. It is simply a mirror, reflecting back where you have things to resolve, people to forgive, and opportunities to strengthen your character.
Lessons are repeated until learned. Life always gives us the opportunity, over and over again, to grow.
A personal example. The lesson I’ve needed to learn as a parent is patience and control, especially when people don’t listen to me. When I don’t feel heard, I get triggered. I feel warmth radiating from my stomach up my chest, my heart rate rises, and I feel angry.
2024 was three kids under four. Screams, cries, tantrums galore. The more I tried to control the situation—just listen to me! Get in the bath, put on your jammies, and brush your damn teeth so we can play a game and read books. Simple, right? Listen to me, and we’ll do fun things—the more it circled back.
Sometimes they would listen, sometimes not, but life kept showing me that I was not patient and could easily lose control when I didn’t feel heard.
The spiral downward would happen when I grew angry and yelled. Jammies aren’t on? No game tonight! Crying ensued. Bedtime got delayed. I felt guilty. I apologized. We read a book.
And the next night? Same story.
Bath was supposed to happen, but now they’re downstairs with their Magna-Tiles and stuffed animals strewn across the floor. The same ones I just picked up before dinner. Are you kidding me? The nerve of these rats.
I feel the early signs, tight jaw, tense neck, heat rising in my body.
But this time, I just go outside for a second.
The highest good in that moment was to not react. To not say anything. I spiraled up. The same moment presented itself, but I chose how I wanted to respond.
The more I began to choose to aim up, the less the situation repeated. And I started to see that spiraling up was building my character. I became more patient, less reactive not just with my kids, but in every situation where I didn’t feel heard.
When I spiraled down, the situation kept happening, over and over. When I spiraled up, it happened less and less.
It wasn’t about them. It was about me.
There’s something in your life that’s circling. Maybe it’s a relationship. Money. Alcohol. Boundaries. An annoying colleague. Your neighbor. A parent.
It’s happening because there’s something for you to learn, something that will grow your character so you can show up as a better father, son, mother, daughter, aunt, uncle, athlete, kid, leader, or friend.
What is your spiral up?
Maybe it’s saying no and holding a firm boundary.
Maybe it’s walking away from a conflict.
Maybe it’s forgiving someone you’re holding resentment toward.
Maybe it’s flushing the pills.
Maybe it’s giving your kid a hug instead of yelling.
Maybe it’s writing a letter to someone you love.
Maybe it’s asking for help.
Maybe it’s just getting on your knees and asking God, “WHAT DO I DO?!”
We have the freedom to choose, in the smallest moments, to spiral up.
The situation doesn’t have to be solved all at once.
But when you choose to aim up, however big or small—the spiral builds patience, endurance, contentment, generosity, and love.
Pine trees grow in spiral patterns to give them greater flexibility during high winds and heavy snow.
If you’re feeling the winds and the heavy loads of life, choose to aim up.
And know this: there will always be another opportunity to change how you respond—because we have God’s grace every single day, no matter how much we spiraled down the day before.
You've got this. Let the Good River Flow
Peace and Love