POWER & AGENCY

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

We live in a time when it is hard to cut through all the noise and intentionally live into the calling of our lives, and stay focused on the purpose and plans God has set out before us. The same struggles abound among us:

We feel stuck.

We feel adrift.

We feel overwhelmed by life.

We have decision fatigue. Burnout.

For many of us, the pandemic has created an existential crisis of we are not doing what we’re meant to do. This feeling shouldn’t be one we feel guilt about as it is largely systemic. On the other hand, reflecting on our agency to advocate for ourselves and others and use our power for the good of others can help us attune our lives to our intentions.

HOW TO PRACTICE

1) Meditate or memorize on Matthew 5:14-16. Consider using this guide to scripture meditation.

2) Reflect on these questions.
Where do you have power? Where do you have agency?

Make a list of roles you carry or identities you have that give you power and agency over your life and the influence of others. Where can you use these roles to advocate for the good of others?

Note: If you feel you have a low sense of agency, below are some practical steps to increase your sense of agency…

1. Be a humble learner. Expanding our capacity to learn where you recognize you are a work in progress yet capable of learning and changing combats the fear of failure or judgment that comes upon us in life.
2. Increase awareness of your emotions and scripts that drive your thinking and influence your behavior. The next time you are angry with yourself or a self critic, try catching yourself and do not accept the immediate harmful emotion or dwell on it. Pause and ask, Why am I feeling this way? Does this emotion mean anything for the future or is it just a dark emotion? Take yourself to a quiet place. Let go of the tension building.
3. Contemplate, then act. One symptom of having a low sense of power and agency is procrastination, obsessing over details or worry excessively during our decision making process. We may lack confidence or be risk averse. When making a decision, assess, evaluate, way the options, walk away and come back to it. After that, make changes and take action. Remember taking action doesn’t require 100% certainty.