Our Spiritual Dashboard

Trying to live within our current capacity while also continuing to grow and transform can feel a lot like piloting a plane; constantly navigating changing conditions, competing demands, and the many factors required to move safely from takeoff to destination. Successful pilots are aware of their own mind and body, the environment around the plane, the people and environment in the plane, the mechanics of the plane, the control panel in the cockpit, and then, in flight, the ever-shifting factors that impact the flight from takeoff to landing. A pilot’s attention must move from one factor to another, with awareness not only of each one, but of interactions between factors. The control panel (or dashboard) helps a pilot manage these complexities.

Life is like this for each of us; there are details to notice, details to ignore, all with the goal of reaching a destination of living today with our current capacity as the people God created us to be. What will help us recognize how to live today, with our current capacity, while still moving forward into growth? Colossians 3:15 provides some help.  

“Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.” (ESV)

The Greek word “brabeuo,” translated as “rule” is the same as the English word “umpire.” In sports, play continues until the umpire throws the flag (or blows the whistle), at which time play is stopped until order (peace) is restored. What if we can live our lives from a baseline state of Christ’s peace, and recognize that each time we lose that peace, Jesus has thrown the flag, stopping play until His peace is restored?  

One way to paraphrase Colossian 3:15 is, “Let the peace of Christ act as an umpire in your heart, since you are all one body. And live with thankfulness.”

Our Spiritual Dashboard

Like pilots, we have many factors to notice and address as we navigate everyday life. Christ’s peace is the most important “light” on our spiritual dashboard, the one we want to notice most consistently. First, we want to know what Christ’s peace feels like for us as an individual. Then we want to build a practice of noticing whether we are aware of His peace in our body, mind, and heart. (Over time, we will also notice when others seem to have a sense of His peace when we are in groups.)

It’s safe to say that most of our capacity building basics will be present when we are aware of Christ’s peace, so we can say that His peace is likely to include:

• Joy (I am glad to be here with God and others.)

• Rest/Quiet (I am able to quiet my body and emotions.)

• Appreciation (I am aware of some of God’s gifts and goodness to me.)

• Relational Circuits on (I feel able to connect with myself, people, and God in a relational way.)

• Immanuel connection (Obviously, if I’m in Christ’s peace, I’m aware of Him as God with me.)

  
  

If we were constructing a dashboard, each of these items would have an indicator, and noticing each of these will help us identify which parts of our awareness of His peace are present or have gone offline.  

We have now imagined a dashboard with a number of indicators:

Christ’s Peace
Joy	Rest/Quiet	Appreciation	RCs
Immanuel	Body sensations	Emotions	Meaning
Current Capacity

Reading the Dashboard

We are each unique people, created by God to enjoy Him and each other as we live in Kingdom ways, and each with a unique history. There is no “one size fits all” for restoring Christ’s peace when we’ve lost it, other than noticing. We will all need to notice what Christ’s peace feels like in our body and emotions, what narratives seem to arise when we are in Christ’s peace, and what is affecting our current capacity. 

Looking at the dashboard above, let’s run a few simulations. What would you notice on your dashboard in the situations below. Scan across the dashboard and imagine where you would have reactions. 

• You are in a meeting and someone dismisses your suggestions several times. 

• Children are arguing loudly and banging toys in the room with you. 

• Friends of yours are arguing in front of you. 

• You are running very late for church, and you have assignments to do at church. 

• You are in a meeting and someone volunteers you for a big task without asking you.

  
  

Restoring Christ’s Peace through Noticing 

Consider how you might begin implementing some of the following practices when you have lost Christ’s peace and Jesus brings it to your attention. 

Help! I’ve lost Christ’s peace!

• Slow down or disengage as much as possible from your current situation. 

• Breathe deeply, gradually returning to a comfortable rhythm. 

• Stretch and relax your body. 

• Invite Immanuel to open your awareness to His presence. “I trust that You are here.” 

• Notice and acknowledge your emotions. Thank them for signaling to you that you’ve lost your peace. “I notice that I feel ___. That makes sense.”

• Notice and acknowledge your thoughts that have a lack of peace. These are probably the meaning/story/narrative you are attaching. “I see that I’m thinking ___ is true. I wonder what other meanings could be true.”

• Connect with Immanuel: “Jesus, I invite your peace, which passes my understanding of this situation, to guard my heart and mind right now.” (Phil. 4:7)

  • “I trust that you are at work in this situation.” 

  • “I trust that your peace is available here.” 

  • “What do you have for me here? What are you doing? What is my opportunity?”

    
    

Noticing takes time. Restoring peace takes time. If we aren’t willing to live life at the pace where we can notice and restore Christ’s peace, we are not likely to experience as much transformation and joy as God has for us. Let’s learn to move at the pace of grace, the pace at which we can stay in Christ’s peace.

The Alive & Well Leadership Community is a practice space for leaders who want to grow in relational maturity, emotional resilience, and authentic leadership, all at the pace of grace.

Learn more at alivewell.org/leadership-community 

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¹ We include current capacity because sometimes we over-spiritualize things and dig for deep meanings when we simply need a snack or a nap.

2 We respect our limits and remain vigilant against becoming overwhelmed. It is advisable to gradually incorporate these practices into your daily routine.