In A BANI World Follow The Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.  He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths,

 bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid,

 for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23 NLT

In my blog to leaders, I wrote about living in a BANI world. Normally that is a discussion that I have with workplace leaders, but a conversation I had this week prompted me to write about it here, in my personal blog. BANI is the acronym used to describe the current state of the world. It was coined by Jamais Cascio, and introduced in 2018 (before COVID or much of the other drama we have experienced). The letters of BANI stand for:

Brittle

Anxious or Anxiety-Producing

Non-linear

Incomprehensible

In my work I see these responses to the world in both teams and leaders; I realize BANI doesn't stop when we leave work. I have noticed in a couple of conversations, the low hum of anxiety and fear about what's next. The language may not express the fear (some of us are really good with confessing our faith out loud to impress others), but our actions betray our hearts. 

Here are some questions for you to ponder about you:

·       Have you found yourself disappointed with an organization to the point where you see trust in other systems, places or people become eroded?

·       Have you postponed doing something that you know is important to God's purpose for your life because you're nervous about how it might turn out?

·       Did you have to change your plans because something you didn't even imagine could happen, happened?

·       Do you find yourself saying out loud or to yourself often, "This doesn't make sense!"

If you lead a team, organization or assignment feel free to read the blog to leaders here.

But the advice here is different.

As I considered the conversations I had with friends last week, I realized the BANI world has spiritual implications. Some of us are angry, reactive and expressing the fear that our faith confession doesn't quite cover up. What might God's answer be to BANI? I remembered the first passage of scripture I learned as a child. Considering the brittleness, anxiety, unpredictability and craziness that seems to surround you, God's word reminds us of some responses:

In a world that is brittle, we have a Shepherd that won't fall apart. God makes sure we have what we need. You're going to have to shift how you see, though. If you look through the eyes of fear, there will always be a monster to point out doubts and what you don't have.

God will allow me to rest (if I don't fight Him on it), and lead me into places of peace, not anxiety. Rest is not sleep; it is a Sabbath. Remember Sabbaths (not Sundays)? Sabbath, which God said to remember and keep holy, is the time where we slow down and consider. When we allow ourselves rest, we survey and see what is good in our lives and in God's creation. If you have a goal, your ability to produce increases because of rest. 

God will renew my strength (again, I must allow Him to do it). Trying to anticipate everything that could go wrong is EXHAUSTING! However, many of us have perfected the 'art' of worry. Do you realize there are whole industries designed to make money from our fears? I am not saying don't plan for things that could happen, I am saying to plan from a place of God's strength. You have the creativity of the Holy Spirit living in you; God will show you what to do and how to move at the right time.

Staying close to God and knowing that He is close to you will help you face the darkest situations with courage. You must remember, though, to intentionally seek out closeness with Him, and trust in His "with-ness" and provision for you. 

I didn't write this blog to say you should passively ignore everything happening around you; we live in this world, and encounter the mindsets present around us. Our mindsets, however, should not reflect the thinking of this world. Our God is Counter-Cultural!

So, here's your big sister or little auntie giving you that loving slap and telling you, "Remember whose you are."

You are loved,

Michele