Gracefulness Under Pressure

Gracefulness Under Pressure

Pressure, pressure, pressure.  Everyday we are faced with pressure of some type.  This life can be a bit of a race.  I believe our victory is in more than just getting to the finish line.  We are victorious in HOW we get there.  Fight or flight.  Battles come, I can choose to fight through them or run in other directions.  I have done both more times than I can count.  In attempting to mature in life, I am focusing on my approach and response network during high-pressure periods. 

At the point of pressure engagement I can choose grace or disgrace.  For me there is not much middle ground in this.  Although I often fall short during pressure, I want to show and extend gracefulness, not because of me but because of God’s grace towards me.  It covers me. 

I love the word grace because it has so many meanings: simple elegance, refinement, poise, politeness, finesse.  Here is my favorite, in Christianity grace is the unmerited favor of God.  Grace under pressure simply means to remain calm and disciplined when life’s heavy stresses would cause you to unravel. 

Displaying grace under pressure takes courage and is not easy.  To me, having grace under pressure would mean:

• To remain silent when you would rather cuss people out
• To be kind when you have every right to act unseemly
• To try to find more tactful ways to articulate disagreement 
• To find ways to display love when faced with blatant disregard
• To show compassion even to people who seek to destroy your dignity

NONE of this is easy.  This is not in apathy or cowardice.  Knee-jerk reactions are easy, they don’t take much thought.  Being flippant and saying everything that comes to mind is easy, it does not take much self-control.  Pulling back and not saying the first thing you want to takes restraint and mental agility.  I want that gracefulness. 

I want the gracefulness that makes me pray for the people that treat me less than the Queen that I am.  I want the gracefulness that pushes me to be kind, even when I am dealing with people that do not deserve it, by the world’s standards.  I want to show gracefulness, not because of weakness but because of strength.  Gracefulness under pressure, fire and heaviness.  Gracefulness that is not circumstantial or situational.  

A continuous state of gracefulness.