Six Rocks for Emotional Fitness on the Field

Ron P. | Nov. 15, 2017

In order to cultivate emotional fitness on the field, six big rocks must be placed in your jar before the gravel and sand fill in around them.

1. Shift your center of gravity to your new culture. Lack of this shows in attitudes such as counting days toward next home assignment. Very few cross-cultural workers ever consider their new culture "home". Make choices that shift yourself to make the new culture your new home.

  • Limit number of friends that you are in constant contact with.

  • Don't make social media your comfort.

  • Learn what the new people enjoy.

  • Don't have a victim mentality. Read Killing the Victim Before the Victim Kills You.

  • Keep a running list of things you appreciate about your new culture.

  • Consider often how to keep yourself from living in the balcony in your culture.

  • Adopt Jim Elliot’s philosophy, “Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”


2. Settle the question, "Why am I here?" At first there were a mix of motives, but only 100% pure sustainable motives will keep us there.

  • 2 Cor. 4:15, “For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” The motive of God receiving more and more glory is sustainable.

  • 2 Cor 5:9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.. Our goal is to please Him. We have a fearful responsibility to him. Christ's love compels us. The motive of pleasing him is sustainable.

3. Establish life-giving rhythms.

  • What's enough time with Jesus? When you've shifted your heart. The most important part of our day is connecting with God. You can find deep satisfaction in the presence of God.

  • Isaiah 58 has promises for those who practice Sabbath.

  • Read Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton.


4. Cultivate gratitude

  • We don’t naturally wake up thankful, so begin each day with a list of things you are thankful for.

5. Deal quickly with negative feelings toward others.

  • A grace sandwich says that I know you didn't mean to do this, but this is how I took it and I know you will respond correctly.

  • Wait until it hurts to have to confront because you hsvr prayed for them. It can't be fueled by anger.

  • Ask God for forgiveness for sitting in the judgment seat of this person.

  • You can't take offense for someone else. You don't have grace for that because it wasn't your offense.

6. Believe that what the father is doing in you is just as important as what he is doing through you.


Adapted from a talk given by Ron in Prague, Oct. 2017