Learning Along The Way

It’s Fri-Yay!!

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It’s nearly quitting time on Friday afternoon. At least it would be if I worked a regular job. To be honest, there’s very little regular about me; even when I did work for a regular paycheck I didn’t do my work in a regular way.

In fact, I don’t think like a regular person. I’m far too out of the box and I’m pretty sure God is delighted with the way He’s made me. (see Ps. 139)

I am an Enthusiast. I’ve been in hiding thanks to many hard things in life, but God has brought me back to center. And it’s been a crazy journey of unlearning and re-learning along the Way!

One of the many learnings over the recent part of this journey has been learning to see God’s handiwork in creation with eyes of faith.

I’ve begun keeping an eye out for how God surprises me with reminders of His love. As often as possible I take pictures of the heart shape that appears in random, unexpected places.

This morning’s raspberry on my Rice Chex

The coffee sludge that I rinsed out and set aside to wash later.

The leaf along the path

These are so fun to find!

I’m wondering if you have seen random heart shapes around in your days? Do you notice?

One of the best outcomes of this part of my journey has been the practice of contemplation. Becoming contemplative is the result of spiritual practices of silence and solitude. I ran from those two words for most of my life! I told myself, “ain’t nobody got time to sit still.”

For two decades Silence was filled with the wonderful noise of family. The only silence I found was early before anyone got up. I tried to do that daily, to fill my mind & soul with God’s Word and what Oswald Chambers had to say each day. Those quiet times set the foundation for my soul; they weren’t long times, maybe 30 minutes. But I shudder to think what life would have been like for me when I lost both my parents suddenly, had I not already had the foundation of my soul built on God.

Solitude was thrust upon me when we moved. All the new was overwhelming and I reeled at the disorientation. I struggled with the compounding losses: parents, home, roles, familiar places; everything that had been regular was gone. Solitude became my familiar place. It was hard for awhile, lonely at times, but Solitude is one of the greatest gifts because I learned I am never truly alone.

Now, ten years later, I can spend hours in silence and solitude and not lose my mind. (that actually may have happened long ago, but I digress) Instead of going nuts, I have learned to listen and to see. These are gifts from the Giver of all good gifts.

In this month of personal challenge to

I’d love to have you join in. Keep an eye out for heart shapes in random places. Notice God’s handiwork, like sunrises, sunsets, cloud formations, the smiles of children, birds singing, whatever.

Let’s collect them and share them.

 

What 3 Things are on Your Thankful List Today?

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Last week on Thursday I was with our son & family; going to the Library with our grand-daughter, playing and simply enjoying time as an extended family.

So thankful.

 

Today I’m back in the Bay Area, meeting a young friend for coffee and encouragement, and attending a writing/planning event for creative entrepreneurs, which I guess I am.

But in the in betweens? There have been thoughts of you, dear reader. I’ve thought about what your life is like today, what you’re able to pay attention to, what the time is revealing, if you’re feeling hurried and behind, or relaxed and care-free.

You see, I pray for you. Even if we haven’t met and I don’t know your face in a crowded room, God knows and sees and cares. I don’t need to know the details you want prayer for; God knows.

So I’m curious, what are three things on your Thankful List today?

Why 3? I love 3 because it reminds me of God who exists in 3: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Three is also a short list which is do-able right? I also know that once you slow to count three things or experiences or people that you are thankful for, the chances are you’ll go past three!

Let’s keep showing up each day; developing the habit of thankfulness and paying attention to the Presence that is eternally with us.

What’s in it for You? Come to Me

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Last week I shared the benefit I gained from meditating on a passage of scripture. Being an Enneagram core type 7 I thought it would be fun to encourage you to practice meditating on the same passage from Matthew 11. If you missed last week’s post you can read it here.

Wondering what version you found most resonant for your study of Matthew 11:28-30?

This week we begin looking at the passage one phrase at a time.  I promise you this: if all you do is meditate on each phrase for a week, allowing the words to weave through your thoughts and permeate your mind, the passage will be memorized and taken to heart in a new way without a lot of trying to memorize!

“Come to Me”

This can be read with an inflection of a parent to a wandering child: Come to Me!

In this way it takes on a command. An imperative telling you what to do.

In fact, the Greek word for come in this case is deute and is just that, a command. But if we only look at that word definition and then say Jesus is demanding our attention, our obedience, then we are taking the word away from the intent and limiting the full impact of the passage.

I have heard teaching that has done just that. I will tell you that way of seeing is incomplete and taken out of context.  Let’s go deeper.

“Come to Me.”

In it’s full contextual setting, this phrase is an invitation.

An invitation to be. To be with. To be with Jesus.

*sigh*

A place of relief. As we will continue to see, a place of rest.

This links in my head with several other passages of Scripture that I’ll just give references to:

Ps 23; Ps. 46:10; Ps. 91:1-2; Isaiah 26:3 just to name a few.

This phrase is spoken by the Good Shepherd who sees His weary, burdened flock and feels compassion for them.

Jesus, walking from the upper room after the last supper up toward the garden of Gethsemane pauses, looks back over Jerusalem and says

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”

Jesus gave an invitation to come to Him. He was rejected.

Where do you find yourself today with that invitation? 

For those without the Savior, it is equivalent to a call to believe in Him.

For those who are already believers, it is a call to follow Him as a committed disciple; it is a call to completely turn their lives over to Him.

Here’s some more digging deeper:

“To” is the preposition pros, a preposition expressing close proximity and intimate fellowship. It is used of the fellowship of the Son with the Father.

We have here a call to an intimacy of fellowship.

“Me” is a personal pronoun, me. Note that the Pharisees basically said, “do as we say, obey our system,” but the Lord Jesus said, “come to me.”

What’s His Point?

This is one of the great concepts of Christianity that must be taught and grasped. Christianity is a relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. This is not a call to a program, nor a system of religion, nor to a church, and certainly… Click To Tweet

Too often disciple-makers end up cloning subordinates rather than helping people develop Christ-likeness. They draw people to themselves and reproduce graven images. In essence, they say, “agree with me, think like me, dress like me, teach like I do, act like me, and you will have success, or have a successful ministry.”

While God uses churches, people, and theological systems, Christianity is intended to be an intimate, personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Lots to ponder in three words.

cleardot.pngAs you ponder, I’d love to hear your musings. Perhaps this stirs up questions you’d like to have a safe space to explore. Any comment or question you post can remain private if you let me know. Your comments here don’t automatically post; I read them first!

Sabbath Reflections

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Have you ever signed up for being critiqued? You said to yourself, “I want to get better at ______; so I am going to ask others to tell me how I can improve.” Have you done that with someone who is a professional in the area you want to improve?

I get a sick stomach ache when I think about it.

I did that. I attended a Writers’ Bootcamp in 2016 and asked for critique of my writing. I submitted myself to another’s examination and judgment. What I found was not only helpful but encouraging.

That person has included me as part of his launch team for his soon to release book, Learning to Speak God from Scratch.

His work is a thoughtful examination of words that have been deemed sacred in various religious practices and have become words tossed about without the sacrosanct respect said words deserve.

Sabbath is one of those words for me.

I grew up in the ‘Chr-easter’ tradition: parents who attended church as children without developing much faith around the practice of going to church, and who chose to raise their own children with knowledge of the two “important” Christian holidays of Christmas and Easter. I heard the important stories of God and Jesus, but missed the why of value in knowing about them.

Head versus Heart. Religion versus Faith.

I came to faith in Christ at 23 after a lot of searching for love in all the wrong places. I was standing outside at Aztec Center near midnight, sweeping the patio and emptying trash cans; the duties of a night job I had while I was pursuing my teaching credential. I stood silent on a cold February night looking up at the stars and simply asked, “If you’re real God, would you let me know?”

The response was equally silent but immediate: two stars that were parallel and looked liked eyes looking at me, twinkled. And my heart expanded and I believed. That was it.

I remember that day like it was yesterday. The exact date? Nope. But the fact that I asked for a sign and got a response was enough to convince me.

The people I knew who were Christians also practiced a literal religion; do what was spelled out in the Bible and all of life will go well.

I’ve never been very good at following people’s rules; I wonder, what about all the other possible responses? Click To Tweet

Learning to love Sabbath was one of those to-dos.

Where are you with practicing Sabbath?

Is it a burden? A religious convention meant for others to follow? An old-fashioned word that has little meaning in today’s immediate-oriented and production-driven culture?

My learning along the Way has shown me Sabbath is a gift of rest.

I tried to make it a ritual and hated it. I prepped all the meals the day before, I made sure all the clothes were ready for church the next day, I ran myself ragged in order to rest. I wanted Sabbath to be a wonderful practice but how I was approaching it wasn’t working. When I recognized it to be something to help me slow down, to notice God at work and take time to re-create, the meaning of Sabbath was transformed for me.

In my month of Showing Up I am trying to put into practice things I’ve attempted and dropped at various points in life. I invite you to join me in this week’s challenge. I’m going to sort through ideas and stuff to begin getting rid of what doesn’t fit anymore.  What ideas, what stories, what things, don’t work in this season of life?

The stories I tell myself, the items I hang on to, the clothes that I keep for that ‘someday’ are all going to be critiqued and evaluated; looking for what is valued, deemed worthy of keeping and what needs to be given away.

Practicing Sabbath rest has given me room for reflecting on what is important and what is no longer of value for me.

Are you willing to take inventory? Have you already made this a practice in your life? I’d love to hear how practicing Sabbath rest has opened up your awareness.

Word on Wednesdays

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A couple of years ago, I wanted to learn to meditate and memorize three verses. I’ve memorized a lot of verses over the years but I hadn’t dug in, slowed down and let them marinate into my soul. This was a new practice for me.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

This is the passage. Three verses packed with meaning beyond our English translation. Three verses that as I began to sit with them I realized I wanted to slow down even more and consider them phrase by phrase, not all of the three verses together.

What I learned from doing this slow, meditative practice has reframed my relationship with Jesus. That is saying something. I loved this experience so much I want to share it with you on Wednesdays for the rest of the summer. Beyond this month of Summer Fun!

This is another Way we can practice how to Show Up every day.

My desire is to encourage you to meditate on these words, phrase by phrase, allowing them time to get into your bones. Once there, they will transform you from the inside out.

It’s not magic but it is Mysterious; how does a passage of the Bible have the power to change the way we think and act? I wish I had the full answer. I do know there are countless examples of scripture transforming minds & hearts but perhaps as many of scripture being used out of context as a weapon of hatred and control rather than being wielded with grace. My question becomes “what was the context and its intent?”

As we study this passage we’ll get to see photos of the region where He was when He spoke these words, hear more about His audience and what their lives were like, and look for what this means for us as Christ followers in 2018.  I hope each of you will reply with questions or additional things you learn as you study on your own; we are all in this together! Please share. You don’t know how your question or learning may benefit someone.

For this week I’d like to encourage you to do a comparison reading of this passage in several translations. As you read, ask the Holy Spirit to bring these words to life in your mind and heart.  Choose one version that resonates as you read it and then begin to memorize the passage in that version. You have the rest of the summer!

It’s Simply Tuesday

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Three years ago I had the privilege of being on the launch team for this amazing book

Three years later the principles in Emily’s writing are still sifting through to the bedrock of my soul.

It’s Simply Tuesday.

A regular ordinary day that includes morning habits, errands, laundry, paying bills; you know, normal and ordinary.

 

But these days are precious to me now. Small moment living has become the norm since we are empty-nesters. What I once grieved and rejected, I now see as a beautiful gift, perfectly timed.

I am a slow learner.

When I was 37 I gave birth to our second son. A year and a half prior, we lost a baby at 14 weeks. The world calls that a miscarriage. I called it God’s wake up call.

You see, I had plans for how life would work. I was in charge of my destiny: a second marriage underway, a new home, my dream vehicle in the driveway; now it was time to add to our family. Pregnant in April, plan to take it easy through the summer, baby due at the end of December (tax break!) All moving along as I intended. Until July, 1993.

It was the loss of that baby that took my attention off my self-focus and back on God. Don’t think for a minute God punished me for my selfishness, because that doesn’t line up with His character or His Word. ( For example, Psalm 136:1; Romans 8:1) But I do know that He lovingly shepherds His children and corrects them along the Way (Heb. 12:7) This loss got my attention.

How does this tie in with Tuesdays you ask? He has gently led me along since then, showing me the benefit of quiet, solitude, and contemplation; even when I didn’t appreciate it.

I learned the value of simple moments; of folding laundry as a moment to pray for the feet that fit the socks I matched; of dishes dirtied with sandwich crumbs held by six year-old hands; of a vinyl floor needing to be mopped, yet again, and reminded to be grateful for home.

Children grow, nap times wane and running ragged matched our schedule of lessons, sports, Scouts, Church. Small moments flew without notice; I turned around and the house was full of good wishes for the high school graduate I had given birth to in 1995. Where did the time go?

The temptation to regret, to long for once was, to mourn were all things I chose to walk through. I don’t know how life might have looked over these past five years if I had daily celebrated the beginning of the season of empty-nest; but I do know that in the small moments of my sorrow, God met me with tenderness and compassion that I wouldn’t trade for a billion dollars. Nope. Not a one.

Here’s the point friend: Your small moments are precious; to your soul and to God. He cares about the details. Look for Him in them. Your soul moves at a pace that is nearly imperceptible by our nano-second attention spans. Relax. Celebrate the small. Whether you… Click To Tweet

As we consider together what it means to show up in life, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of being kind to yourself as you practice; whether you’re focusing on work, life or faith, be gracious as you try to connect the dots and make sense of it all.

We all need an encouraging word; please share what gems you’ve discovered along the Way!

How Do You RSVP to This Invitation?

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wheatfield-glenn-carstens-peters

(photo credit: Glenn Carstens Peters via unsplash)

When I discovered this photo a tonic chord resounded in my soul. I saw it and sighed. There is such peace, such calm, a connection with the land, provision & possibility, I knew I needed to make use of it.

I spent the summer meditating and digging into three verses from the gospel of Matthew. This passage is often quoted and for good reason. It holds a beautiful invitation into this With God life:

wheatfield-glenn-carstens-peters-copy

Simply the first 3 words of Matthew 11:28-30. And yet there is no simplicity in the RSVP to this invitation.

In an RSVP we either say Yes or we say No.

Yes I will Come to You Jesus. I will come in the morning and hang out with You in silence with my coffee. Yes I will come to You when I drive on the freeway or when I take the kids to school or on my run or as I do dishes, laundry, answer email, wipe noses, change diapers, clean the house, whatever.

OR

No I can’t come to You Jesus. I’m too busy. I’ve got to take care of all the things before I can consider sitting down to read my Bible.

This invitation isn’t the Salvation invitation. This is the How You Live Your Day Invitation.

Theology calls it Sanctification.

How do You RSVP to this invitation?

If you’re anything like me, the answer changes moment by moment. Sometimes Yes Sometimes No I’m off doing my own thing.

I pray that I am more like Jesus today than I was yesterday and that I will become more like Him tomorrow than I am today. But I am easily distracted. In fact, I am convinced that I can distract myself! I don’t need anyone else to do that for me.

I desire to be saying a sincere Yes to this beautiful, simple and yet incredibly challenging invitation.

How do You RSVP to this invitation?

Speaking of invitations, I am taking the #Write31Days challenge again. This year I am writing daily over at Lisa Lewis Coaching. I’d love to have you visit and of course, share your thoughts.

 

A Letter to My 25 year-old Self

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I spent time with a young friend online the other day, listening to her words and hearing her heart: the things that are bringing her joy and those that weigh her down. Singleness is filled with so many possibilities, life directions, places to live, all of it. I remember well that season of life. When I look back to my own single life, I don’t do so longingly; it’s more with the eyes of ‘if only’.

Since ‘if only’ and ‘what if?’ are not helpful in taking action in life, I’m learning to let the ‘if only’ statements go, to lean in to ‘what is’ and the results of choices of that season. No one has perfect knowledge except God alone, so we begin taking steps of faith, trusting He will do what only He can do, causing it all to work together for good, for those who love Him, and He has called according to His good purposes.

I think what I’d want to say to my 25-year-old, single self if I could write a letter with three decades of life lived; looking over the path I’ve traveled.

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(photo: green chameleon via unsplash)

Oh, sweet woman, 

You are good and beautiful in the eyes of the only one who really matters. Don’t let the imperfect image of God that you see in M be the way you see God. Jesus doesn’t judge you. Remember the Woman at the Well? Or the Woman caught in adultery? No judgment.

Jesus doesn’t compare the condition of your physical body to any others He has created. You are uniquely beautiful as you are. He’s given you gifts and talents in a combination that no one else in His creation has ever had, nor ever will. Let that rest on you sweet girl. 

Get close to Him. He alone will sustain you in the years to come. No man will be able to hold your heart, heal your broken places or fulfill your little girl dreams. Only Jesus. He is enough. In fact, they need to learn to lean in with Jesus themselves. However, that my dear is not your job. Let God be God. Remember what Jesus said to Peter when he asked about John? “What’s that to you? You follow Me.” Stop being impetuous like Peter and grow in your faith as Peter did. 

Get outside regularly in His creation. You know you’ve always loved the beach; He put that appreciation in your heart. Not all His girls care about nature the way you do. Don’t lose sight of how you are filled up with awareness of God when you walk in the mountains or by the sea or through your garden. He is with you, present to your thoughts and longings and caring for you deeply. Look to Jesus.

Walking with Jesus doesn’t make the pain go away or magically keep bad things from happening. In fact, He told us to remember we will have hard things in this world. But the good news? He has overcome all the bad things and has the power to help us through them. One.Step.At.A.Time.

You’ll need to remember that dear one. There will be a lot of unknowns coming your way. Your marriage will fall apart. M will leave you with your unborn son. Your theology will be faulty but Jesus doesn’t falter. He will walk beside you as you continue to take feeble steps toward Him. Keep walking. There are no unknowns to God. He’ll give you just enough Light for the next step. You and your baby will be ok. You’ll be loved by some amazing emissaries of His love. 

Let go of the expectations of others that keep you from looking honestly and humbly at who you are. Those expectations keep you from accepting how you’re made. You are here for purposes much bigger than the small potatoes that some people want you to believe. Let go of the lies that you’ve been told that you are not enough. Or the lies that you are too big or ask too much of people. You are enough in Him. Let it be.

Remember two things: Love God and Love Others. That’s it.

Oh, how I wish I had had all this wisdom at the ripe old age of 25. This is why I am passionate about being available to speak into young women’s lives. Not because I have all the answers. No. But I know the One who does. I am confident in His love for each one of us. Just as we are. In the messy middle of our journey toward the Father heart of God. Click To Tweet

Do you have someone speaking into your life? Are you willing to be honest and risk the vulnerability that sharing your heart brings? Don’t miss the opportunity of sharing your story and hearing another’s story. You might just see how your two stories fit into God’s big story together.

Eating Ice Cream Isn’t Sabotaging a Diet

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We’ve all had them. A day where one unplanned event after another piles on top the over full calendar items already weighing heavy. Juggling it all is improbable at best and sure to cause a stress melt down at worst.

I had one of those today. A little surprising since my day was full only with a few home things like laundry and grocery shopping with writing projects to be my focus. I like to plan little breaks in writing so getting up to move a load of laundry through allows my brain space to ponder.

Idyllic really. No one at home but me, time and space to accomplish these few tasks to bless my husband, as well as our son and niece who are here for the summer.

There were competing forces at work wanting to prevent me from being an effective, gracious Christ-follower. There were several attempts to bring down the stress hammer in effort to shatter my composure. But God.

You know that’s really all we have on our to-do list right? Let go of our need to control. Lean in to the easy yoke of Jesus.

My yoke is easy and my burden is light.

In the middle of all the competing forces the Spirit whispered Truth; reminders of the deep, quiet place in my soul to be still and know that I was invited to retreat to at any given moment.

Including the stressful ones.

I don’t always choose wisely. I want to. I want to be God’s woman in my circumstances. All.the.Time.

However my perfectionistic tendencies have kept me from taking the Spirit up on that sweetly whispered invitation on too many occasions to count. But today?

Today I chose to be still within trusting His wisdom while the waves crashed on the surface.

We make our plans, but God directs our steps.

The stories of Peter and Jesus, their friendship and Jesus’s gentle, yet firm interactions with Peter have always spoken to me. I’m of Peter’s temperament. Quick to speak, slow to listen and quick to become angry. Maybe James had Peter in mind when he penned the opposite verse:

Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

Peter was quick to act before thinking things through. Just like his reaction to seeing Jesus walking on the water in the middle of the night on a stormy sea. Based on the way Peter was portrayed in all the other recorded interactions my guess is he took exactly one nano second to say ‘If it’s you Lord tell me to come.’ I like to think of Jesus with a ‘I know how this is going to turn out yet I want to give Peter the chance’ tone in His response:

“Come.”

You may know how the story turns out, but there is a detail that bears a pause for reflection. Between Peter’s stepping out of the boat and floundering in fear: He kept his eyes on Jesus. The moment Peter looked around at his crazy circumstances and remembered he was defying the known laws of the universe, he started to sink.

As long as he focused on Jesus he walked above his circumstances.  

Peter was still out of the boat, walking on the water toward Jesus. Peter was above his certain death circumstances. The water was whipping and splashing on his cloak. His feet were wet. The wind was still blowing.

As long as he focused on Jesus he walked above his circumstances.

I know this detail is important. There are other places in scripture that tell us to fix our eyes on Jesus. To fix or focus is a way of demonstrating faith and trust. That’s why Jesus asked Peter

‘why did you doubt?’

When I was going through my day with so many reasons to look around at my crazy circumstances in stress and fear that was my choice point. Do I trust the whispered invitation of the Spirit to go deep with Him or do I doubt His Presence or ability and trust myself instead; trying to wrestle my way through the stress and make things turn out the way I planned?

Sounds like an obvious choice right?

Part of peeling off perfectionism is taking the risk to not pretend to be in control.

Part of peeling off perfectionism is making a different choice: to trust God and not myself. Click To Tweet

So that’s what I made effort to do at every new layer that was added today; all the unplanned items that needed immediate priority while still making other prior commitments work. I would have had a meltdown if I’d been operating in my own strength. But listening to the whisper, paying attention and choosing to let go of control & lean into the easy yoke made my day so much better.

In fact, when the obligations were done, My Father and I celebrated by having my favorite treat since childhood.IMG_9295

It wasn’t sabotaging a diet to eat this ice cream. It was a celebration of trust!

Perfectionism is prevalent. You and I can learn to peel it off and choose differently.

Keep an eye out for my e-course launching in August. There will be opportunity to gather with others who are in the same place; desiring to be free of the false perfect way. We’ll celebrate the small victories like mine today. Not always with ice cream, but celebrate we will!

Please share your ‘wins’ in peeling off perfectionism: here or on the Learning Along the Way Facebook page. You never know who needs your encouragement!

 

Bearing Up Under the Weight

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My heart is heavy for many families.

Right now the news is filled with reports of gun violence—again.

Our nation’s collective memory is short when it comes to gun violence. Columbine. 1999.  Wait—Kent State. 1970. Wait—John F. Kennedy. 1963 Wait—Abraham Lincoln. 1865.

Guns kill. That’s what they’re made for. Animals. People.

Do we remember which is which anymore?

A mere month ago 49 people were killed in Orlando. 49 families lost someone they loved.

The parents of the children gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary are still grieving their loss. You may have forgotten how long ago (or recent) that horrific event took place. (2012) None of them have forgotten.

Now in a mere 48 hours 7 more people have senselessly been gunned down. Execution style or sniper. Does it really matter?

My heart is heavy for the families. I know what it feels like to lose someone in a moment at the end of the barrel of a gun.

My Dad turned his own gun on himself in 2008, shattering our family and his body simultaneously.

Is it the gun’s fault? Hardly. It’s an inanimate object. A gun becomes a weapon when wielded toward a target; whether animal or person.

We argue for rights. The arguments are heated. The answers, the solutions are vague, uncertain. Perhaps we have come too far down this path for a peaceful resolution. Perhaps we are not done with hearing another report of shots fired, of lives lost, of families shattered.

How do we bear up under the weight of all this loss? How do we have a civilized conversation about guns in light of all this violence? What about deeper issues of mental health or hopelessness or racial and religious divides?

Our country is assailed by gun violence. If someone lives different or looks different or believes a different doctrine than someone with a gun there is a chance they’ll be gunned down.

Are you kidding me? When will all this madness end?

We are broken. Individually. Brokenness is the human condition. Collectively we are apparently spinning out of control. How does one person bear up under the weight?

There is One Person waiting to hear from each of us.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

(James 4:8)

In this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world.

(John 16:33)

Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.

(Matthew 11:28-29)

When Jesus saw his friends grieving the loss of their brother, He didn’t lecture. He wept. Then He prayed.

A good model for how to bear up under the weight of grief. Not platitudes. Practical.

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Prayer is my chance to bring my heavy heart to the only One who can shoulder this heavy weight. Looking at Jesus and how He was present in His friends’ grief, silent and empathetic without platitudes or promises, helps me to know how I may bear up under this heavy weight of grief.

Jesus is not the poster boy for the NRA or the Republican Party. Or ANY party.

He is God.

Draw near to Him.

Follow Me…

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