{"id":40889,"date":"2025-02-27T14:36:32","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T22:36:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=40889"},"modified":"2025-02-27T14:36:32","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T22:36:32","slug":"lessons-learned-from-my-desert-swamp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/lessons-learned-from-my-desert-swamp\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons Learned from my Desert Swamp"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I live in a breeding ground for wicked problems. My host country is in the Sahara. It is listed as the fifty-sixth poorest country in the World.[1]<\/a> Limited resources are a daily struggle for everyone living here. Conflicting values in the country stem from topics such as slavery, ethnic conflict, and colonialism. The country receives foreign development funding, which brings expectations from the financial donors. With globalization and social media influence, the younger generations are trying to balance the expectations of the \u201coutside world\u201d with their traditional nomadic culture. The book Exploring<\/em> Wicked Problems:<\/em> What They Are and Why They Are Important <\/em>seems like an autobiography of my life.<\/p>\n

The authors, Joseph Bently and Michael Toth, define wicked problems<\/em> as \u201cill-defined, ambiguous, complicated, interconnected situations packed with potential conflict.\u201d[2]<\/a> Wicked problems arise when \u201cpeople compete for limited resources, hold conflicting values, and wrestle with diverse expectations held by others about what they should be doing.\u201d[3]<\/a>These are things I am faced with every day in the Sahara. Persevering through these wicked problems is what captured my attention in the book, particularly The Swamp.<\/em><\/p>\n

The <\/em>authors define The Swamp<\/em> as the aspects of work settings, and I will add in life, that is muddy and unclear. The Swamp has no clear directions, guidelines, or answers. It is confusing, complex, and challenging.[4]<\/a> The Swamp is unavoidable; we will all face it at some point. People find themselves in the Swamp because of unforeseen circumstances pushing them beyond their limits, an unfortunate choice or serious mistake that led to astray, a reckless decision causing self-inflicted consequences, or a deliberate commitment to work in swampy conditions.[5]<\/a> When we find ourselves in the Swamp, we can choose to survive, thrive, or get out.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

God has called me to the Sahara. My arid environment is in a perpetual state of hypothetical swampiness. I have chosen to stay in this swamp because of my calling. One day, I will exit, but for now, I want to thrive while I am in these conditions. When I first landed here, I was in full \u201csurvival mode.\u201d I had a lot to learn. Bentley and Toth say that for progress to happen when dealing with wicked problems, \u201clearning to think differently and then to act differently is the only way forward.\u201d[7]<\/a> The Swamp was daunting as I learned through experience that I had to be the one first to change. Over time, I learned new skills, coping strategies, and creative ideas that have helped me thrive in my desert swamp.<\/p>\n

Bently and Toth present Michael Seligman\u2019s five ways to flourish<\/em> as a tool \u201cPERMA\u201d to use to thrive in the swamp. Seligman\u2019s acronym captures how I have learned to thrive in my desert swamp. In hopes that this may be helpful to someone else choosing to work and live in a cross-cultural swamp, here are ways I am learning to flourish using Seligman\u2019s tool:<\/p>\n

P: Positive Emotion
\nE: Engagement
\nR: Relationships
\nM: Meaning
\nA: Accomplishment[8]<\/a><\/p>\n

Positive Emotion<\/strong>: Laugh at your mistakes. Some days, you will just pronounce \u201cweather\u201d as \u201cdiarrhea!\u201d Create fun and joy. Remember that we always have hope<\/strong> in Christ. In the moments when things feel hopeless, I ask God to speak into the situation and help me see things through His eyes.[9]<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Engagement<\/strong>: Take risks, be adventurous, and learn from the host culture. Drinking camel milk from a nomadic shepherd is a delightful, almost Biblical experience! Beerel tells us that great leaders are learners and seek out new opportunities to grow and explore.[10]<\/a> Engaging and learning from host traditions and practices will help develop a love for them.<\/p>\n

Relationships<\/strong>: Ask someone their name in their language. The smiles are huge! The phrase \u201cbuild relationships\u201d reminds me that connection takes active effort, it is not passively received. Be the friend you wish you had. Choose to practice building friendships to combat loneliness and to nurture connection.[11]<\/a><\/p>\n

Meaning<\/strong>: Remember my call to the desert swamp. Rehearsing my journey to the Sahara reminds me of God\u2019s provision each step of the way. Simon Walker encourages leaders to find meaning from the past to find freedom to lead \u2018out of who we are.\u2019[12]<\/a><\/p>\n

Accomplishment<\/strong>: Look for the little wins around you. Wicked problems do not have \u201cright\u201d answers, which means many possibilities and opportunities exist.[13]<\/a><\/p>\n

Wicked problems are a part of life. As leaders, we can model how to thrive in swampy territory while dealing with wicked problems. As I walk alongside others on their journeys, I want to apply the advice the authors gave: \u201cWhen someone is struggling with a wicked problem, don\u2019t give advice. Be present, listen, provide positive support, and if possible, join with them in their struggle.\u201d[14]<\/a> Who in your life needs you to come alongside them in their swamp? What are ways you have learned to flourish in your swamps? What have you learned through grappling with wicked problems?<\/p>\n

\n

[1]<\/a> Luca Ventura, \u201cPoorest Countries in the World 2024,\u201d Global Finance Magazine, May 6, 2024, https:\/\/gfmag.com\/data\/economic-data\/poorest-country-in-the-world\/.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Joseph Bentley and Michael Toth, Exploring Wicked Problems: What They Are and Why They Are Important<\/em> (Bloomington, IN: Archway Publishing, 2020), 11.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid, 11.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Ibid, 150.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Ibid, 178.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Ibid, 133.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Ibid, 181.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> See Romans 5:5.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Annabel C. Beerel, Rethinking Leadership: A Critique of Contemporary Theories<\/em> (New York, NY: Routledge, 2021), 128.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Dr. John Delony, Building a Non-Anxious Life<\/em> (Franklin, TN: Ramsey Press, 2023), 117.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Simon P Walker, Leading Out of Who You Are: Discovering the Secret of Undefended Leadership<\/em>, The Undefended Leader Trilogy, Book 1 (Carlisle, UK: Piquant Editions Ltd, 208AD), 216.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> Bentley, Exploring Wicked Problems<\/em>\u00a0105.<\/p>\n

[14]<\/a> Ibid, 201.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I live in a breeding ground for wicked problems. My host country is in the Sahara. It is listed as the fifty-sixth poorest country in the World.[1] Limited resources are a daily struggle for everyone living here. Conflicting values in the country stem from topics such as slavery, ethnic conflict, and colonialism. The country receives […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":206,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2994,2995,2967],"class_list":["post-40889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bentley","tag-toth","tag-dlgp03","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/206"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40889"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40893,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40889\/revisions\/40893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}