It is a particularly strange time to be alive, and our need for wisdom beyond what we face on a regular basis grows each day.
When it rains, it pours,” they say. And that is true for the hard times in our lives. But isn’t that also true of the wisdom, discernment, instruction and love of our Father God? I’m puttin’ my money on yes! Otherwise, how do we balance joy and pain? How do we face the ups and down of this messy, marvelous life?
Read on for hope + solidarity.
I think we can all relate to experiencing a place of complete uncertainty in the midst of this messy, marvelous life. From debilitating anxiety to the discomfort of not being able to plan ahead for the coming months, fear has a voice that is loud and obnoxious. Fear tempts us to doubt God’s goodness and His ultimate control over the things that feel out of control in our world…
Theology is complex and faith in an unseen God is mysterious… But this I know: While I can’t see Him face-to-face, I can see His fingerprints ALL OVER THIS WORLD because of the work of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Read on for hope + solidarity.
Is your head and heart weary from all the grieving news these past few weeks? Mine sure is. I keep going back to John 16 where Jesus offers hope to His disciples just before He, Himself, is unjustly …
I think we can all relate to experiencing a place of complete uncertainty in the midst of this messy, marvelous life. From debilitating anxiety to the discomfort of not being able to plan ahead for the coming months, fear has a voice that is loud and obnoxious. Fear tempts us to doubt God’s goodness and His ultimate control over the things that feel out of control in our world…
Theology is complex and faith in an unseen God is mysterious… But this I know: While I can’t see Him face-to-face, I can see His fingerprints ALL OVER THIS WORLD because of the work of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Read on for hope + solidarity.
In order to grow and move forward in our lives, we must recognize the things that need to be pruned (removed). Much of this for us right now is unhealthy thinking. Unhealthy thoughts are founded in unhealthy beliefs. Unhealthy beliefs ultimately lead to unhealthy behaviors. It’s a vicious cycle. And it can suck the life out of us.
But when we identify and understand what we believe and why we believe it, we can make better choices that allow the Life and Truth of Scripture to energize us, nourish us and sustain us.
Read on for hope + solidarity.
Each day we live, we are perpetually learning how to hold joy in one hand and pain in the other. And each day, with all of it’s mess and marvel, will pass.
We so often want to CLING to the splendid moments while rushing through the strenuous ones. And that’s fair. But I wonder what we may miss in the process. I wonder what God may be doing through both the joyful and painful moments of our days.
I wonder what it would look like to REFRAME our days, our motherhood, through the lens of God’s love for us. To hold up the good stuff, the hard stuff, and all the in-between stuff to the lens of God’s love and see what He sees.
Do you find it hard to balance feeling grateful while you are also grieving a loss? Read on for hope and solidarity!
Are you running on fumes? Read on for hope and solidarity!
Perhaps you can relate… Perhaps even before the great shutdown of 2020, you already felt a bit unqualified or ill-equipped for the tasks in front of you. So today, let’s offer each other some hope and encouragement.
Here are some truths that remain even while everything around us is changing.
Today, I want to offer you a prayer. A prayer written thousands of years ago. A prayer that rings just as true now as it did then. The prayer of Mary, mother of Jesus. Imagine being given the task of raising the Son of God… how ill-equipped she must have felt! Yet, she trusted that God had chosen her to do what He asked her to do. And God provided everything she needed, every step of the way. He will do the same for us, dear friend! He will.
I invite you today to reframe the ordinary moments of your life. Ask God to help you see past the dishes, the laundry, the mess – and give you eyes to see the beauty of how He’s equipping you to do the tasks He’s given you as a wife and mom. As a sister. As a friend. As a coworker. As a boss. As an employee. As a neighbor.
May you accept the truth that the God who created you and loves you will give you everything you need every step of the way.
Father God, as Mary prayed, please empty and quiet the places in our hearts that are filled with fear and inadequacy. Open our souls with Hope. Let us experience the creative power of your embrace and the cleansing fire of your unconditional love. Amen.
My soul trembles in the presence of the loving Creator
and my spirit prepares itself to walk hand in hand
with the God who saves Israel
because I have been accepted by God
as a simple helpmate.
Yes, forever in the life of humankind
people will sing of this loving encounter;
through remembering this moment, the faithful
will know all things are possible in God.
Holy is the place within me where God lives.
God’s tender fingers reach out from age to age
to touch the softened inner spaces of those
who open their souls in hope.
I have experienced the creative power of God’s embracing arms
and I know the cleansing fire of unconditional love.
I am freed from all earthly authority
and know my bonding to the Author of all earthly things.
I am filled with the news of good things;
my favor with God,
faithful trust in the gentle shadow of the Most High,
the mystery of my son, Jesus,
the gift of companionship with my beloved kinswoman,
Elizabeth, who believes as I believe.
The place in my heart that I had filled
with thoughts of fear and inadequacy
has been emptied and I am quiet within.
God comes to save Israel, our holy family,
remembering that we are the ones who remember,
…according to the kinship we have known…
remembering that we are the ones who remember
and that where God and people trust each other
there is home.
From Miryam of Nazareth: Woman of Strength and Wisdom by Ann Johnson
Yesterday was Good Friday. Sunday is Easter. But today is a day of silence, grief and mourning. Similar to the day between when Jesus died and rose again, we face a tension when we’re sitting in-between where we are and where we want to be. But there is a sacredness to this space that we may miss. Read more for hope and solidarity.