Learning Along The Way

Living Without

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You may know people who are battling serious diseases whose source comes from the food they have been eating.

Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, are two examples that come to mind.  Or you may know someone whose blood chemistry causes their doctor to say

“No more this, that or the other thing”.  Or you may know someone who lives with food allergies where ingesting a certain food is life threatening.

There has been quite an awareness raised about gluten and the connection to health problems such as: behavior in children, arthritis inflammation, digestive issues to name a few.

There is at least one magazine dedicated to recipes and information for those in the above categories.  It’s title? Living Without.

Ironically all this comes to mind along with a bigger idea of what it means to live without food.  The food that one needs to survive let alone thrive.

The media throws around statistics to get our attention but not often enough do we hear how many millions in our country are hungry.  When you think of starvation, be honest; images of developing countries with tin, cardboard and plywood walls come to mind..

This week of Lent is focused on the spiritual discipline of fasting.  I have been challenged to choose a meal daily, or one entire day, to fast.  Whatever my meal would cost could be put toward an agency who helps feed those without.  This sounds really awesome!

This challenges me. I can’t even write yet about the conviction I feel.

Do you fast?  What are your experiences?

Of Water & Wheels: Reflections on Solitude

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Saturday is a day of looking back, reflecting on the week just ended.  It also is a day to look ahead to the coming week; to take stock of what was and what will be.

In the middle of both I find myself looking at what is.  I am like water.

In what way?  Left to my own devices, I seek my lowest level.  Like water.  It always will run downhill.

I mentioned this week that I am easily distracted.  Actually I distract myself.  Pondering and practicing the discipline of Solitude this week I have seen my habits in a new light, rather like a flood light into a dark room.  Revealing what was formerly tolerable in a dim light to be frayed and worn under bright light.  My habits of starting and not finishing, of having too many things vying for top priority, of saying Yes too many times and having little or “no time” to be alone.

Blegh.

I learned this week that although too much action can be the enemy of Solitude, when practiced at the discipline, one can experience Solitude while busy.  Richard Foster said it this way: “Solitude is more a state of mind and heart than it is a place.  There is a solitude of the heart that can be maintained at all times.”

Look at how two sisters made choices. When presented with a dinner guest, one got busy, the other sat with the guest.  One resented all the work, the other sat peacefully in the guest’s Presence.  Given that much information likely our Western minds would jump to the side of the busy sister who is taking care of the needs of the guest.  Ironically, that’s not where Jesus sided.  He chided the busy sister with these words: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered by so many things; but Mary has chosen the better part and that will not be taken away from her.”  Mary’s priority was being with Jesus.  Martha’s priority was doing stuff.  Both are necessary.  But Mary has chosen the better part…

Being with Jesus prepares us to be with others.  Solitude in His Presence is refreshing to our souls; like what water is supposed to be to our bodies.

Yet we must take care of life and work.  We must be active.  In reading the Windows of the Soul by Ken Gire I encountered an idea that made perfect sense to me.

Be the still axis.

A wheel can spin wildly fast; going downhill like water, the revolutions are hard to count.  But at the center is the immovable axis which keeps the wheel able to do what it’s intended to do.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh suggests we strive “to be the still axis within the revolving wheel of relationships, obligations and activities.” 

Don’t do away with action; Be the still axis.

Looking at Solitude this week has been a blessing.  I have seen some of my habits for what they are: water going downhill.

I have also seen the possibility of learning to be still at the center even when there are many things to attend to.

I love this summary again by Anne Morrow Lindbergh: “The problem is not entirely in finding the room of one’s own, the time alone, difficult and necessary as that is.  The problem is more how to still the soul in the midst of its activities.”

What have you learned this first week of Lent?

 

Sitting with an Empty Chair

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Nearing the end of the first full week of Lent, I am blessed and challenged by this thought:

In the practice of Solitude is God’s invitation to “come sit with Me”.

Solitude does take practice.  It is noisy in the world.  I make it noisy by adding commitments and tasks that take up my time for solitude.  I excuse away the call to “Come away by yourself and rest” because I am busy doing things…for Jesus right?

He doesn’t need me to do anything.  He wants me to be with Him.  Simply be.

Alone with Him. In Solitude. *sigh* The Creator and Sustainer of Life wants me to be with Him.  That is all.  Just be.

I am blessed and challenged.

The challenge comes in the letting go of my routine, my to do list, my false source and sense of value.  The challenge is to accept that time alone with God, just hanging out with Him, is of primary value.

That Solitude is valuable.  That Solitude, time apart from the world, is valuable to God.

Solitude takes practice.  For me, years of practice. (I am a slow learner).  I first came in contact with the idea of spending time alone with God without an agenda, without my never ending prayer request list, 5 years after I began walking with Christ.  In 1986.  This idea of just meeting with Jesus came through the form of a tiny booklet, My Heart Christ’s Home, by Robert Boyd Munger.  It is an allegory using the illustration of your life and heart as Christ’s new home based on the Truth that Christ lives in us when we have accepted Him as Savior and Lord.

If you’ve never read it, I highly recommend it!

This empty chair is symbolic for me.  There is another one, to the right of it, where I sit.  Every morning when I am home, I get up, get my coffee and sit in my chair to have coffee with Jesus.  My google calendar says that “Coffee with Jesus” as a marked off hour at the beginning of each day.  I love my time sitting with an empty chair.  Just hanging out with Jesus is getting easier; not always asking “please fix this broken relationship” or “please change me in this attitude” but simply enjoying the silence and focusing on the reality of His Presence.

Solitude takes practice.  This season of Lent is the perfect time to practice slowing down, making space in your day, your mind, your heart, to be alone with Jesus.

Are you avoiding this?  What is keeping you from sitting?

Hush.  Listen well. The Chair is not Empty.

 

Learning in Lent

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This is the cover of the book I am reading during this season of Lent.  I bought it because I love the title.  I love the concept.  I loved it so much I ordered multiple copies with specific “Formation Friends” in mind; women who I know to be on the path desiring a closer, deeper walk with Jesus.

It’s short.  It’s simple.  But it’s deep and piercing.

On Day 4 of Lent and the first Saturday in Lent a pattern is established: reflect on what I have learned and experienced in the previous week.  One of today’s questions: ‘How has your connection with yourself, with others, deepened because of your intentional work with this discipline?’

Hmmm. This isn’t an easy answer.  I sit quietly considering my response.  Then it bubbles up: this book deepened my connection with others.  I have heard from several of the women to whom I gave a copy, that this little book is the answer to their prayer asking God for what they should do this Lent.

Now that is humbling.  To have prayed for the names of who to give the book to, ‘who Lord would be blessed to receive this?’ And then to have them say, this is an answer to their prayers!  That’s humbling.

But also confirming.  Having them tell me the book was an answer to their prayer means that I actually listened to the Holy Spirit and obeyed. Now that’s encouraging.

This first few days of Lent the discipline of Confession, of less guilt and more grace, has been the focus.

My internal repeated lie of not doing enough is being replaced. With Truth.  Be still and know that I AM God.

Less is More.

By the way, Renovare just made this book available digitally here.  So if you want your own copy but you think it’s too late, it’s not!

Inventory

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Have you ever taken a personal inventory?  You know, asking yourself honest, hard questions like where am I in this area of my life?

I am taking part in an online book study of Kim Avery’s book Uniquely You and Day 3 is all about taking inventory.  In 8 areas of life we’re to honestly evaluate on a 1 – 10 scale: physical, career/ministry, financial, health, fun & recreation, personal growth, spiritual growth and relationship/marriage.  I’d say that just about covers it.

As you can see my page is blank.

I have to confess, I gloss over things that I don’t like.

But I am in the season of confession and the idea of coming clean is kind of appealing.

Day 3 of Lent and Day 3 of this book study are melding into one big baring of my soul on paper.

I need prayer.

I am generally an honest person. Generally.  If I don’t have something nice to say I try not to say anything at all.  The Thumper Rule. (Bambi anyone?)

But generally is not good enough before God.  One dishonest, glossed over point is still something that needs changing.  It’s still sin in the eyes of a Holy God.

Oh how obvious it is to me how much I need Jesus!

I am pretty sure that awareness is part of the focus of Lent.  Being honest in taking inventory and seeing how far I am from Christlikeness and how much I need my Savior.

Result? You might think guilt.

But interestingly for me it’s freedom.  Coming clean is becoming clean.  *sigh*

SO good!  Join me?

Seeds of Change

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I think in metaphors.

It may be due in part to years of teaching children.  Perhaps it’s because this is a way God helps me understand big ideas.  In any case this image is one that really speaks to me.

Lent is the season of change.  Of letting go. Of opening up. Of embracing.

This morning I read about forgiveness.  No big deal.  Ha!

Trying to wrap my head around this big idea, the image of a seed came to mind.

Confession is like the seed.

Forgiveness is the soil.

Grace is the rain and sun that causes the plant to sprout and grow.

When I tell someone I know I wronged them and ask for their forgiveness, that is a step toward growth and change for our relationship.

If they accept me and forgive, that is God’s grace at work.  I certainly don’t deserve it.  I really haven’t earned it.  But the result of forgiveness and grace is new life. Renewed love and care.

You hold the seed of change in your hand.

Who is it that you need to hold out the seed to?

Why Lent?

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I have a confession: I am undisciplined.

I look at DIY blogs and Pinterest, and Facebook and tell myself not so nice things about how I take care of our home, or time, or…

I have no shortage of ideas of what to do or how to do them!

What I lack is discipline. Follow through. Commitment. Perseverance.

Truth be told, some of those words make me cringe, like a bright light being shone into dark places, revealing what was hidden.

Why Lent?

For this very purpose: confessing what is out of whack and doing something about it.

For nearly two millennia Christ followers have been emulating what Christ must have gone through in the 40 days in the wilderness during the period of time prior to the celebration of the Resurrection.

The remembrance of that time period begins today.

You may not have grown up in a faith practice where the season of Lent was even considered.  You can learn more about the history and faith practices around Lent here.

But I will tell you this, slowing down, considering honestly who you are and where you are compared to who and where you’d like to be in your personal growth and spiritual formation is always valuable.

Doing something about what you see is even more valuable.

So for the season of Lent this year, I am going to be journeying publicly, here, daily writing.  Yep. Daily. Writing. Here.

Working on the discipline I lack and sharing the process.  Being in the work not just in my head.  Sharing my process as I learn along the Way.  My hope is that you benefit from my journey; that you are encouraged in your own spiritual formation practices and that you’d share some of what you’re growing through with me.

What’s the Difference?

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Life can be so, well, daily.

Routines help get tasks completed. Planning gets more tasks accomplished. Schedules make order of the day. (thanks to ebby for his photo)

That sounds fabulous if you are a do-er.

But what if you’re a feel-er?

 

You get up when you wake up. You look in the cupboards and fridge for what looks good to eat. You don’t feel like doing the laundry because it’s sunny and you’d rather be outside.

Do-ers read that and respond with the Nike slogan: Just Do It

Feel-ers sense judgment for not being like Do-ers

Do-ers may experience an emptiness, a drudgery to the daily routine.

Feel-ers may experience overwhelm from all that isn’t yet done and not knowing how to get started.

What’s the Difference?

In these examples both Do-ers and Feel-ers have moved away from the balance point.

But what if…

Do-ers schedule “free time” to enjoy a bit of unstructured play?

Feel-ers commit to one regular 10 minute activity every hour; like starting a load of laundry?

What’s the Difference?

Intention

If we look at the reality of our day, make one intention for change and take action, then life could slowly come to the balance point of work and play.

Jesus invites us to be intentional in relating with Him. Sharing the stress of the schedule or the frustration with not getting something accomplished is part of that relating with Him.

Learning to lean on Jesus throughout our day is what makes all the difference.

It’s a process of learning along the Way.  Are you in process?

 

 

 

Family Flashback Friday

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Alliteration is fun.  Having words start with the same letter can be helpful for memory’s sake.  If you use Instagram with your smart phone or tablet, you may have seen friends posting older pictures.  It’s fun to see younger versions of my friends.  There’s Throwback Thursday and Flashback Friday.  I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon sort of, by putting this particular photo both here and on Insta.

I am in this picture.  If you know me, you know which one is me.  If you don’t yet know me, look on my website to see a recent portrait of me and you’ll know which one is me right away.  This has always been a favorite picture for me; my grandparents holding my brother and two cousins at Christmas in 1962.  That’s right, 50 years ago.

That’s a flashback.

By no means would I take the time here to flash forward through all of life that has been lived; that would be a volume not a blog post!  Suffice it to say, there are lots of joys and sorrows that have been lived in each of the lives represented in this photo.

At the center of it all, the girl with the big smile has hung on…to Hope.

I am happy to say that gift of Hope is one thing that has helped me, like a beacon of light for a storm tossed boat; there is a grounding, a solid place that the storms cannot destroy.  My Hope.

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness”  The Solid Rock.  He has been in this with me and for me even when I wasn’t in it for myself.

“I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.”  People let you down.  People who say they love you can hurt you, intentionally.  Knowing full well they’re hurting you.

“When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; in every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil.”  When terrible things happen, where do you turn?

“His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.”  When the bottom falls out of life, where is your grounding?

I didn’t work at this Hope.  I didn’t muscle through tough things with a dogged determination to be hopeful.  It is a gift I have received from the Generous Giver of all good gifts.  Even as a child when I didn’t fully understand, He was hovering and protecting me and giving me Hope.

He longs for you to receive His Gift.  We have been practicing Thankfulness for a season and now it is the season of giving and receiving gifts.  This is a Gift for which you can be eternally thankful!  Won’t you receive the Gift of Hope today?

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