Finding Your Difficult and Worthwhile
Choose a centering word of the year, and you can expect to feel the tension of its opposite.
In my last post, I talked about my Enjoy Flow year and highlighted some beautiful outcomes. (See below.)
But isn’t that the very thing that frustrates us about social media? We carefully curate the polished perspective we want to showcase, scrubbing out the bloopers and messy backdrop that taint the picture.
One warm summer evening, my husband, daughter, and I strolled along the bustling Port Dalhousie pier on Lake Ontario. The pier was alive with people fishing, walking, and lounging on benches, all waiting for the sunset. Waves sloshed against the boulders lining the pier, while boats puttered back into the marina.
As the sky deepened, the orange sun slowly sank into the water, painting the sky with pink, orange, and golden hues. We came for the beauty of the sunset, so at first, the crowd felt like a distraction. But then I started noticing the beauty in the distractions—familiar faces among strangers, my daughter’s joy as she ran full speed down the open pier, our shared laughter as we dodged massive waves crashing against the rocks.
The wonder of beauty often comes when you find it in the desolate or ordinary places. It shines in the transformation of an object or view.
The Tension of Your Word
Feeling weary of pain and striving, I prayerfully chose Enjoy Flow as my word for that year for two reasons:
As my heart's cry for God to do something new for me and through me.
Because I sensed He was inviting me to depend less on my own efforts and watch Him bring fruitfulness.
But almost immediately, I felt resistance. My old habits of striving and hustling didn’t simply disappear. Instead, they pushed back.
Verses on my vision board reminded me of what I was hoping for:
Rivers and pools flowing in deserts
New life in abundance
Shared burdens and restful ways of doing things
Yet my year was full of moments that didn’t feel like ease or enjoyment:
Tough decisions
Tension or awkwardness in relationships
Plans not going as I preferred
Feeling pulled in too many directions
I had expected Enjoy Flow to mean things would feel lighter. And in some areas they did, like when authors appeared out of the blue, needing help and I knew exactly how to support them.
However, often it required me to surrender, listen, and engage in new ways—especially when things felt stuck. When we choose a word of intention, we don’t just receive its benefits; we wrestle with its opposites, too. It's in these times I would remember when Jesus said:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
—Matthew 11:28-30
Sometimes our perspective doesn't change until we ask different questions. So, when things felt strenuous, the question I began asking was:
Jesus, if you're offering to share an easier yoke and lighter burden, how can I experience enjoying flow in this situation?
I didn't always like the answer, but as I heard His answers and trusted them, His peace and creativity came more easily.
Your “Something Difficult and Worthwhile”
As I reflected on what Enjoy Flow had meant for me that year, I came across this quote:
“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times… The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”
– Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Choosing a word for the year isn’t a magic wand. It won’t instantly shift circumstances. But it will shape your perspective and focus your openness in whatever comes your way.
It’s easy to get caught up in busy work… endless tasks… mastering a certain way of doing things… working to earn your rest yet never quite relaxing. But at the heart of it all, what is your Something Difficult and Worthwhile?
What would you love to accomplish or experience so much that you’re willing to stretch your mind or body to its limits for it?
Not something you should want. Something that both challenges you and lights you up at the same time.
Here are a few tangible examples I’ve heard lately:
Impact XXX women through my business
Take a year off to travel with my family (and write down our experiences)
Finish writing my book
Publish and launch my book (XXX readers would be nice!)
Compose and record XX songs to share
Finish my degree from a place of rest and fun
But intangibles can be turned into a compelling vision as well
Cultivate a sense of ease and well-being in my body to fully engage with life and purpose
Develop inner calm and clarity rather than being driven by anxiety and mental overwhelm
Heal from past wounds so I can build relationships that reflect my growth and values into my life
Bring It to Your Journal
Once you’ve named your Something Difficult and Worthwhile, take it deeper with these three questions:
What makes this difficult for you?
What makes this worthwhile for you?
What does this require you to stop doing? And start doing?
The tension is part of the transformation. Find the beauty. Lean into it.