Going Slow with Dr. Low

How's Your Umbrella?

I was chatting with a friend this week about creating more harmony, balance and abundance in our life and the image of an umbrella came up.  My friend and I playfully explored this analogy and pictured the many parts of an umbrella and what they represented as holding up the canopy of our lives.  We talked about the stretchers and how we need many of them to hold up the canopy.  Not only do we need many of them but they need to be in equal balance and equal strength otherwise the canopy will collapse and we are no longer protected from the rain.

My friend and I mused about the many stretchers we have ranging from disciplines to hobbies to friends and other things that hold up our canopy.  We then identified the runner and top spring as the center pieces that actually hold everything up - for me that would be my faith and belief system.  We also talked about the need for our canopy to be flexible because the wind and rain often change direction so we need to be able to angle our umbrellas differently otherwise they do not serve their purpose and even, if angled wrong, can be torn open by the wind, broken and blown away.

Of course umbrellas are completely useless, no matter how full and balanced, if there's nothing to hold onto - the handle and shaft.  For me this is God the Father.  While I may choose to create my umbrella with certain components it is ultimately God who connects me to all of it.  God is at the center holding it all together and giving the whole thing purpose and shape.

What does your umbrella look like and how is your umbrella doing?  Are the stretchers strong, balanced and holding up a beautiful canopy over your life?  Is that canopy serving its purpose or it is ripping, tearing or blowing away in the wrong direction?  And how connected are you to the One who holds it altogether?  Something to think about...