Hi. I'm Sam.
Gracie:And so is he.
Sam:And this is Gracie.
Gracie:And so am I. Together, we are up for the training of our lives, and we want you to join us.
Sam:We've both come to terms with the fact that we won't be representing team GB at the Olympics anytime soon.
Gracie:Let's face it. There's not much call for Sam's 50 meter dash with a guitar strap to his back.
Sam:And Gracie has been banned from the hurdles because she only goes under them.
Gracie:Harsh, but true. Anyway, what we are training for is not a sport. It's a way of life attempting to build up our spiritual and mental health.
Sam:It's in the training where all the work happens, the ups, the downs, the strains, the recovery, all of which is so much more encouraging when experienced with others.
Gracie:So we want you to join us for our brand new podcast, Pulse Check-in, a regular check-in to chat about faith and our fitness for life.
Sam:Subscribe to our YouTube channel, listen via Spotify, or however you like to access your podcasts.
Gracie:Post check-in, an opportunity to take a beat.
Sam:Hello, Gracie.
Gracie:Hello, Sam.
Sam:Now, Gracie, I know you're down south, hundreds of miles away from me. Yeah. But you're looking even smaller today.
Gracie:Yeah. Well, actually, Sam, that is a bit of a worry because, like, I'm already only four foot two inches and a carat high, and every step I take in this heat is definitely reducing my measurements. But, Sam, right, at the risk of sounding like my mother, what is the weather like with you?
Sam:It is rather warm. This room is normally really cold, but today, it's not, which shows how hot it is right now.
Gracie:Yeah. And that is a surprise because what people can't see is that you're actually sat in your fridge. No. But not really. So it's so it is hot with you even though you're, you know, up north.
Gracie:It is still hot, is it?
Sam:I feel like just walking around the house, I'm losing body weight in sweat.
Gracie:Well, I think if ever there was a time to just stop and take a beat, let's do it now. Let's check-in. So, Sam, I've been thinking, right, any activity at the moment is just taking all my energy and I just end up feeling really lethargic. And it got me thinking about other times, like situations in life and I've given it all I've got in terms of not just physical energy but emotional energy, but the conditions around me have caused me to run out of resources quicker, Yeah? Or it's run me a bit dry.
Sam:Right. I know that
Gracie:would Yeah. Be like So it could be in the smallest things like that. I have no I no longer have the capacity to be able to respond in the right way. So I might say something a bit rash or even this morning, somebody asked me something really nice and and was being very kind, but it made me really tearful. Mhmm.
Gracie:Because what she was asking me about, actually, it's caused me quite a lot of tiredness and bit of worry. And and it it just can be occasions where I just have nothing left to give and I just wanna give up. Right? And so every next step I'm being asked to take or I need to take just drains me of my resources. And I know I'm aware that some people might be listening to this with Christmas trees and jingle bells.
Gracie:It might be winter. You might be in the depths of winter by the time you get around to listen to this. But at at the moment, we're in the middle of a heat wave. I was thinking about, like, the heat wave, it it builds, doesn't it? It doesn't just happen.
Gracie:It just it it's built up to this moment and it it kinda creeps up. I like what I was saying about my reactions when I haven't got the energy or ever, that's like a creeping up as well. Yeah. And I I just wondered whether, like, if we were talking about in terms of our faith and our relationship with God, how can that help prevent that creep up, that that build of things that drain us or cause us to respond, maybe not in the most appropriate or helpful way? What do you reckon?
Sam:Yeah. I know what you mean. Like this morning or throughout today, I realized about 02:00, all I had drunk today was a cup of coffee this morning. And I was in my head, I was like, I'm so tired. Why am I so tired?
Sam:And, like, that just that came on gradually, but it wasn't until I hit that point where I was like, what is going on? It's like, I've not drunk anything today. That's why I'm very dehydrated. I need to drink some water. So Yeah.
Sam:I fully get what you mean. What was the question again?
Gracie:Yeah. No. So I know for you to only have had one coffee by what time did you say? 02:00.
Sam:Well, I normally only have one coffee, but it's the fact that I I didn't drink anything else. Like, I hadn't had any water.
Gracie:Oh, yeah. But that yeah. Okay. So you don't have any fluid intake
Sam:No.
Gracie:Other than one cup of coffee by 02:00? Yeah. Yeah. Body's gonna go nuts with that. Yep.
Gracie:Yep. Because there are certain signals it's gonna give you, isn't it? Mhmm. Do you get headache if you don't drink enough?
Sam:Quite I do quite often get headaches, but I didn't get headache today. It's if I didn't drink that coffee, that I would have got headache. But that's another story.
Gracie:Yeah. So the question was, in situations in life, how can we stop situations like creeping up on us where we respond perhaps negatively or not in the best way? How can we kind of prevent that? If we're in relationship with God, how does that provide us with what we need to not run out of the right responses? Do you know what I mean?
Sam:Yeah. I think the thing that comes to my mind is awareness. Like, if I was aware of my body needing water, I wasn't so distracted by other things, I would have probably had a drink. Like, I got my water bottle ready, but I didn't just left it. So having that awareness of myself, my feelings, having that awareness of God's guiding hand on my life and the confidence that comes with God's God's anointing on the tests that I do.
Sam:Like, even if it's just washing the dishes, having a tidy room to work in, like, that's so the small stuff that helps the bigger stuff. Does that make sense? Does that contradict the dose of the small stuff?
Gracie:No. No. No. No. No.
Gracie:No. Get that. No. That doesn't no. It doesn't contradict it.
Gracie:It highlights some other stuff that I was thinking about.
Sam:And it kinda made me think of I heard a story of this random guy who just always cleans the toilet. He wasn't the cleaner, but every time he went in the toilet, was dirty, So he cleaned it. But it's like people always said, why are you doing that? What's the what's the point? That's not your job.
Sam:It's like, well, if not me, who's gonna do it? If you if I did do it, it would be dirty for everybody else, and it would just stay dirty and not very nice and kind of all those small tasks and meaningless tasks, not very nice tasks, somebody's gotta do them. So let's just get off.
Gracie:Yeah. It's like because it, like if we're saying, like, don't sweat the small stuff. Mhmm. It's like how do we put a value on what stuff is small? And actually, are we missing something?
Gracie:So say if something like irritating happened or something like annoying, but if I told you, it might seem like it's a really insignificant occurrence so I don't know. If I spilt my tea this morning, okay, or actually as I did do, not long before I came on here, I hit my head on the kitchen cupboard. Oh. Which is quite something when you're only four foot two and a carat high.
Sam:Was it was it the the the bottom kitchen?
Gracie:It's another cupboard. But yeah, I hit my head on the kitchen cupboard. Oh, and as an aside, I have been known to trap my head in an ironing board.
Sam:Alright. Okay.
Gracie:Yes. Not only did that hurt, but it was quite funny. Anyway, right. So, but in those kind of seemingly irritating annoyances, I have been known to respond quite irrationally, but then I realized that it's not the actual thing, the occurrence that holds its value, it kind of is how it fits into the bigger picture.
Sam:And
Gracie:in those situations, there can be build up of lots of things. Again, we're talking like referring to this creeping up of situations that just build and build and build and then sometimes it's just the smallest tiny irritation
Sam:Mhmm.
Gracie:That could be the catalyst for, I was gonna say, swearing then, but I meant sweating. But perhaps I didn't.
Sam:Yeah. The straw that broke the camel's back.
Gracie:Yeah. Absolutely. That phrase. But it it when you said about an awareness, when we take time to stop and think, be a bit more curious about the small stuff Mhmm. It can lead to a greater understanding of the big.
Gracie:Mhmm. So consequently, the small moments are far more significant in their purpose than perhaps we give them credit for. But yet, have you had any situations today, Sam, or in the last couple of days which you would consider to be when you've sweated the small stuff, when you've worried about the small things?
Sam:I mean, in my head, I can think of the worry and the feeling that it's given me.
Gracie:Mhmm. What is that then? More Describe that.
Sam:More I can think of that more than I can think of the actual thing, which kinda just shows how small that thing was that I can't even remember what it was. Just like a a a sinking feeling in your stomach. I think in the past week, I've had that sinking feeling and not known why I've had that sinking feeling sometimes. Like, I've forgotten to do something, and it's the end of the world. I think last week, I was returning something to TK Maxx.
Sam:Other shops are available. And I'd had the receipt. I'd got the thing, but I'd forgotten the card. It was unavailable to my wife. It was on her card, so I couldn't return it because you need this, the card that you paid on, and I don't have that card, obviously, despite her telling me to take the card with me.
Sam:But I don't think that was a thing that caused me dread, but that was probably an additional thing that added to it. You know what I mean? Like, I wasn't really worried about that, but it all adds up, doesn't it?
Gracie:It does all add up. And it I guess what it's trying to work out when those things add up, what do you do in that moment Where it becomes too much? Or yeah.
Sam:Yeah. It's generally when it's like that fit that scene in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone where Neville gets a remember all, and it goes red straight away. It's like, the only problem is I can't remember what I've forgotten. And I get that that feeling causes me dread a lot of the time because I know there's probably something that I've forgotten, but I can't remember what it is. And like I said before, it's probably so small that it doesn't really matter, but still gives you that feeling, doesn't it?
Gracie:I I also had situations where, like like you said about knowing you've forgotten something. You just don't know what it is.
Sam:We're talking about remembering things that I've forgotten, I'm like, oh.
Gracie:But it can be quite crippling, can't it? It just takes up all your feelings and that take up all your mind. Yep. Well, it's not it's just not nice even think talking about it, it's just not it's not a great feeling,
Sam:isn't it? And I guess sometimes the way my brain works is if I remember something, I know that I have to sort it out straight away, otherwise I will forget it again, which, I guess, sometimes is a good thing, but sometimes it could just distract from other things. Like, I'll just be on my phone trying to sort something when I rather than being present with the people I'm with, it tracks you down. I need to get a new system.
Gracie:How do you think we can discern it's a big word. How do you think we can discern genuinely significant issues that require our attention and the small stuff that we should let go of? And let's involve God in the picture, shall we?
Sam:I guess, give you that time to talk to him, to pray to pray about it, ask ask his guidance. And I guess that kinda goes beyond just praying. You kinda just have to give that time. I mean, that's easier with the bigger stuff, but it's harder with the smaller stuff.
Gracie:Why do you think it's harder with the smaller stuff?
Sam:Because sometimes with the smaller stuff, you want it to be instant.
Gracie:Mhmm.
Sam:When you feel like it should be instant, like, you shouldn't be giving time to this small thing because time is valuable. It's like trying to be efficient. You can't always be efficient. If you you you feel like that's not an efficient way to deal with it. Does that make sense?
Gracie:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Sam:But one thing that I found useful recently is I've got this app called Pause.
Gracie:Okay.
Sam:Now, if you search on the App Store, it doesn't always come up. One minute pause is what it's called on the App Store because pause is already taken. But it's gives you a reminder, or you can set a reminder at 10:00 and 02:00 to take your time to pause. And it's got these either one minute, two minute, five minute, or however minute long, ten minute, it goes to kind of reflections and meditations. It's not obviously a Christian thing, but it's got some nice calming music, some bad noises in it.
Sam:The ones that I've been listening to recently are, god, I give today to you. Guide me today. Give all your worries and cares to god because he cares about you. And it stops and plays some music, and it's like ponder on that. And then it's You would like that.
Sam:Just encouraging you to give things over to God, like, just just stop.
Gracie:It's like stop it's stopping before you started. Mhmm.
Sam:The thing that's struck me was being in union with God. Like, heal that union that I might have lost or got distracted by, and encouraging you to ask God to help heal that and give everything to that union, even if just for a minute you're fully there, and then the rest of the day is easier. Yeah. Does that make sense?
Gracie:Well, you're not doing it alone then, are you?
Sam:Yes. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah.
Gracie:Which is such a simple concept that is really powerful. Mhmm. I guess we may think these things are small and that they don't matter Mhmm. But they they do. They do.
Gracie:And they do matter to God because they matter to us.
Sam:Yep. And when I first started doing that, the reminders at 10:00 and 02:00, I was like, this is the most annoying time to have those reminders because 10:00, normally, I'm just starting it's like, I'm getting always a bit or I've got a meeting that starts. It's normally 10:00 or 02:00 in the afternoon because you just had lunch, so you're just ready to get to get going again or you scheduled to I I tend to always schedule to meet somebody at 02:00. We we always record at 02:00.
Gracie:Yeah. Yeah. It's funny that two o'clock's that time.
Sam:But spending that even on the one minute, like, I'm meeting somebody, I don't do it because that person's important, obviously. But doing it another time or doing it slightly before too, to actually spend that one minute is easier in practice than it is to think about wanting to do it, do you know what I mean?
Gracie:Yeah, yeah. Gives your day a bit of a rhythm as well. Yeah. Doesn't it?
Sam:Yeah. If I could set it to nine fifty five or one fifty five, that'd be much better, but you can't do that.
Gracie:But I like that idea of it's like it's like a check-in. It is like a check-in, isn't it?
Sam:Yeah. Yeah.
Gracie:Yeah. I really like that. So continuing that way of thinking, I guess, of taking a beat Mhmm. And checking our pulse. So if we check our pulse in the small stuff and the big stuff
Sam:Mhmm.
Gracie:Yeah, I see what we would come up with, it would be the same because you because that it is the same heart beating for it all. So, like, for example, let me explain a bit better. So if you're kind and considerate and attentive, like in the small stuff Mhmm. You'll be kind, considerate, and attentive in the big stuff
Sam:Mhmm.
Gracie:Because that is the heart that beats through you.
Sam:Yeah. Like that guy that I talked about before, cleaning the
Gracie:Yeah.
Sam:Just getting on with things, doing the things that seemingly aren't for you, but just having that servant heart, I guess.
Gracie:Yeah. It's the same heart whether it's, like, massive stuff and on display and all the stuff that's kind of done behind the scenes or whatever. But just like, yeah, so those good things can be like your heartbeat, but also the challenge is the opposite. So if you're selfish and hurtful and hateful in the small stuff, that same heart beats for the big stuff as well. And I was looking at some, I was looking at a very just it's just one verse of scripture.
Gracie:Luke chapter 16 verse 10, and it says, whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. You see, we only have one heart, and Jesus knows that heart, and he calls us to live a life of integrity. And I think when other so this whole thing about checking in about small stuff, it's not just about us, but it can have an impact on other people because when others see like that we live a life of integrity or if we if what we do is consistent with our faith, it's gonna point towards a relationship with Jesus, isn't it? Mhmm. So our our response in the small stuff can go on to have consequences for the big.
Sam:Mhmm.
Gracie:As in for our neighbor or our friends or people we come into contact with. It's not just about our own experience.
Sam:Yeah. I think what this might be something to talk about in a future episode as well. But one of the things that about other people seeing that heart that you've got and that that comes from that relationship with God, what I always find difficult is doing that in a manner where it kind of invites people to do the same. Okay. I don't know if it's just in my head, but I feel like some people would look at that and think, I can't do that.
Sam:I'm not I'm not that good a person, so that relationship with God wouldn't work for me, or going to church wouldn't work for me, which for me personally, it's not because I'm a good person that I can do it, it's because I have a relationship with Jesus and he helps me do it. And it's because I've practiced or tried to practice living by his example.
Gracie:But I think if people see something in you Mhmm. And they even ask the question or they even make the statement, I can't live like Sam does because I haven't made the right choice or so. I, you know, I can't be as good as him at that. If they're even asking or making those statements Mhmm. You've got something to build on.
Sam:Yep. That's true.
Gracie:And it's not your responsibility for what they that's about their relationship with God. Yeah. All you can do is be you, have a life of integrity, be honest, you gotta leave that, you gotta let God take on that, you know. You know what I mean?
Sam:Yeah. Think I just, that comes to my mind because you always wanna be acting in a way that is with integrity and with that heart for those other people and thinking how can I do that better and questioning it?
Gracie:And it's often the case if people say that, that can open up conversation for you. But most of us don't recognize our own qualities. Or those who do are a little bit, do you really wanna hang out with them? I was I was with I was with a friend last week and we were going to put together this email which was quite it was an email of complaint, but in the context of not a complaint as in, I'd like to complain. The key was rather large, it seems, but it wasn't that kind of complaint.
Gracie:It was to do with therapy. Yeah. So quite a personal email. Mhmm. And we were trying to push she was helping me put this email together.
Gracie:And then she went on this spiel about she wanted to communicate some of my character in this email. She wanted to make sure that the person receiving the email understood me a bit more.
Sam:Right.
Gracie:Right? And in doing that, she was saying all the negative things about or what she believed. She was like, I couldn't respond like that because I'm not nice enough. I couldn't do that because I struggled to be around people or I haven't got the patience.
Sam:As in she didn't have the patience or that you didn't She have the patience, I don't
Gracie:didn't have the patience. As she was writing this stuff about me, she was saying about herself.
Sam:Saying about herself that she doesn't have the things that you have. Is that what you're saying? Yes. But I get you.
Gracie:I'm not. Yeah. She was saying, Gracie, you are patient. She said, I could never be that patient.
Sam:Right.
Gracie:I'm trying to say it without sounding like blowing my own trumpet, but she put herself down at every point. But I would kind of not challenged on it, but I was really honest with her and said, well, what you don't see is what I see you're like. So you are very, very kind, you're very generous, you're very caring, you take time. The fact that she was taking time to do this task with me, she was giving up her own time with her own family to come and sit there and do that. Mhmm.
Gracie:And But she didn't see it about herself.
Sam:Mhmm. Because I guess, personally, you're you're always wanting to be better. Yeah. You're always you see the negative things. You don't see the positive things that you are doing because you have been rooted in that faith and that trying to be like Jesus kind of come naturally because you practiced it in the small stuff.
Gracie:Mhmm.
Sam:So you don't notice that you're doing it. You just it's just natural. And it's trying to, I guess, being aware that it's coming natural and that that's okay and having the confidence to do that.
Gracie:And also, so it's it's but it's just as you were speaking then, it strikes me that, like, both you and I, we've kind of been exposed to the goodness of God, and we've learned from others about faith. And we've been in environments where there's worship, and we're encouraged to take on the characteristics of God or to learn about it. So it's it come not naturally, but it we're to that all the time, aren't we? Because of going to church and Yeah. Yeah.
Gracie:Just in our faith and the and the and the way that we try and live our life. Whereas for my friend, she's not exposed to faith at all. She's not, she doesn't go to church, she's never, we talked a little bit about it, but she's not gone near it. So talking about those things that are good in her life in terms of her character, it just doesn't it's just not as accessible for her Mhmm. Because she she doesn't have the confidence in anything other than when she sees that she gets a little bit ratty
Sam:Yeah.
Gracie:With a family member or she struggles with a challenging life experience, that kind of thing.
Sam:And I guess
Gracie:it Yeah.
Sam:Sorry. Comes again to that awareness of because we, I don't know, exposed to it and talk about it a lot. We're aware of God's working on our lives and those things, whereas just because you're not aware of it doesn't mean it's not happening.
Gracie:Absolutely. Yeah.
Sam:And it's just, I don't know, turning your eye towards it. Yeah. And that awareness that things aren't always great all the time, but having the trust that God's working through everything and building you up and bringing you into the perfect spot in your life for the right time and the right things that happen at the right time.
Gracie:Would you say after this chat Mhmm. Do you think we should or shouldn't sweat the small stuff?
Sam:We we shouldn't we shouldn't worry about the things that go wrong, but we should be aware of those, or try to be aware of those things, those small actions that we can do, acts of random kindness. And it's okay to think about those to give you confidence to do bigger things, if that makes sense.
Gracie:Yes.
Sam:Like God created us with a plan not not to worry about those things, but to kinda build you up and strengthen you.
Gracie:That's it. You nailed it. Yes. Let's check-in. Sam, as we continue to try and keep mentally fit, scripturally fit.
Sam:Mhmm. You got a workout track for us?
Gracie:I've got a workout track. Excellent. You might like it because you might like the person singing it. Right. It's a Phil Wickham.
Gracie:Thought Oh. You might like that.
Sam:It's special one.
Gracie:It's what an awesome god.
Sam:Oh, yeah. Nice. Nice. Nice.
Gracie:And, yeah, check it out. I like it because it kinda covers both the, like, the the detail and the enormity of who God is. Yeah. So it's all evident in who God is and just reiterates that nothing is impossible and nothing is insignificant either, God holds it all.
Sam:Yeah and it's a very it's a very upbeat get you going kind of song, I wanna say hip hoppy vibes, I don't know if that's true.
Gracie:Can say that.
Sam:Slap me in the comments if you think it's not.
Gracie:It's a bit, I don't know, you'll probably shoot me down with this. If you're looking at styles of music or whatever, it's got a bit of a Justin Timberlake feel to it, bit poppy but a bit
Sam:I can see that. Yep. Yeah? Yeah. So what what might be good if people will go and listen to that track, What was it called?
Sam:Awesome Gods?
Gracie:Yes. What an Awesome Gods.
Sam:An Awesome Gods by Phil Wickham. And let us know in the comment any artist you think it resembles. Email us plexus@salvationarmy.org.uk, or put it in the comments on our YouTube channel, Pulse Check-in. Youtube.com/@pulsecheck-in. See you there.
Gracie:One other little thing I wanna ask you, Sam. So on your playlist, we did this last time. Have any kind of slightly embarrassing tracks crept in to your playlist? There's no judgment here. It's a safe space to be able to share this because we also wanna hear other people's, don't we?
Sam:Yes.
Gracie:You hear their
Sam:Your embarrassing tracks. Yeah.
Gracie:Yeah. Can I just tell you a little story while you're while you're looking through your playlist?
Sam:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Go for it.
Gracie:Being a drama teacher, I have lots of random tracks on my phone and I put my phone on in the car and I just press shuffle and it just plays the track. Right. And there was an occasion when I got to the M 6 Toll, put my window down, this is when they used to have humans there.
Sam:At the booth?
Gracie:At the booth, at the William booths.
Sam:They've got a name, haven't they?
Gracie:Toll.
Sam:Plaza.
Gracie:It is a plaza.
Sam:Oh, a plaza. Yeah.
Gracie:I wonder why they call that a plaza and also a shop in America a plaza. Let us know. Anyway, yeah, so I've got to the So my phone's on shuffle, I get to the plaza, my window and go to pay and out blast from my shuffle playlist, the stripper. Oh. Do you know the stripper music?
Sam:Oh, that beat that. Now
Gracie:I had a choice here in that moment, I could have just pressed it on, skipped it or play it out as if it was, do you know what I did?
Sam:What did you do?
Gracie:I played it out.
Sam:Well done.
Gracie:Because I just thought that person may have had a really bad day.
Sam:Yeah. You have made their day. Yeah. You've had given them something to talk about. We're gonna go home and tell everybody.
Gracie:Yeah. Anyway
Sam:The thing I was looking on Spotify, it gives you, like, new music Fridays or whatever the playlist called, personalized for you. And really disappointingly, I had Doug Horry, the crazy clapping song, which, you know, you've got a young child with some random songs like that.
Gracie:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's what I know other people who would blame their algorithm on their newborn child. Well, oh, okay.
Gracie:I accept it.
Sam:I mean, that's that's quite embarrassing.