Some days are easier than others to live life joyfully.
Great things happen. A friend comes to visit. Lots of laughter & deep conversation. Lots of considering it all joy when we encounter various trials.
Wait! What?
Yep. Consider it all joy. ALL JOY.
This was my view in our front yard last year.
When I look back too longingly I can get mired in melancholy. Woe is me don’t you feel sorry for me?
Well don’t. And neither do I. Yes this year has been a series of challenges that sometimes have challenged me just past what I thought I would ever be able to tolerate but I didn’t break. Or shrivel up & die. I certainly don’t want to be a tasteless pillar; immovable and unwilling to let go like Lot’s wife. I didn’t quit moving forward. And I’m here to tell you you can carry on too.
This life is hard. So many things don’t go the way we planned. There are disappointments. There are losses. And the very real pain that comes along with both. I truly believe we benefit greatly by being real with our pain. But even more important is that we get real with God and ask Him to use this pain for others’ good and His glory.
This is my new view. Same ladder. It was my grandfather’s. A connection with the past that I look back on with great joy and thankfulness in many ways. It’s also a bridge into moving forward; gardening is something that I HAVE to do. I must play in the dirt or I will shrivel up and die. (Not really but it sounds nice and dramatic. I’m the only girl around here…)
Moving forward, taking action, planting to grow are all symbolic of change. There is really only One that doesn’t change. All the rest of this existence changes. So getting to spend time with Him in whatever Way helps you connect with Him best is vital for your soul to thrive. Hanging out with God is vital for my soul too. My time of deep connection is in the outdoors. I am a Naturalist.
I still read the Word. Daily. I study and memorize passages. I love to share with others what connections I see. I am reminded of what I am passionate about: pouring into the lives of those who are younger than me.
That’s what back & forth living is really about for me. Looking back at what God has done; through history and my history. Looking forward to what He will do as He has promised. But also connecting the dots in the here and now while He is very present in our lives.
Back & Forth. So good. Join me?
I’m with you, sister, and i’m challenged at the grace shown by you with the MANY changes you’ve made these past months – congratulations! change and movement with Christ as our anchor is the best story you can share with those afraid of the future. What a great example you are!
Thanks Sue. Part of the Mystery of our relationship with Jesus is found in suffering and loss. The sweetness of knowing Him in this Way is profound and words fail, or at best fall short. But an effort to give glory back to Him is the best I can do. Our utmost for His highest…