Learning Along The Way

21 Days of Rest: Finding #SpiritualWhitespace Day 1

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DesktopWallpaper_SpiritualWhitespace_BonnieGray

The first time I saw this beautiful invitation I cried.  Tears of disbelief actually.

My head knows the Truth that is written. My  heart sees glimpses of the Truth that can be lived. But to simply rest in that Truth? Without being busy justifying my existence?

This is a new way of being.  I am trying to learn.  And it’s not easy undoing a lifetime of perfectionism.  I need help. Maybe you do too.

This is the first of June.  Every day for the first 21 days, Bonnie of Faith Barista, will be serving a prompt to for us to ponder. An invitation to be with Jesus as He invites us everyday:

“Come to Me all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Whether you blog, journal or simply write your thoughts on slips of paper the prompt will be an invitation to slow down, talk with Jesus and rest in Him.

This is not an invitation to figure out what Bible study to do next, or on what committee to serve, or whatever your doing looks like.  This is an invitation from Jesus to be.with.Him.

We can find the whitespaces inside us to rest together with Jesus. (from the introduction Finding Spiritual Whitespace; Awakening Your Soul to Rest)

I’ll be blogging here as well as journaling in this beautiful book created by my friend Holly Beals.

photo(75)Holly creates beautiful images and makes them accessible to us through cards, journals (like this beauty) through her etsy site. She also is committed to ending human trafficking so she donates a portion of every sale to this cause.

And the other book in the picture? Why that’s Bonnie’s new book that is available this week!!!! You’ll be hearing more from me about the beauty of finding spiritual whitespace in the days to come. I’ve had the privilege of spending time here

photo(76)reading, pondering and journaling my experiences in finding spiritual whitespace.

I can honestly say this is a book that epitomizes Proverbs 25:11.

Jesus will meet you in the pages of Finding Spiritual Whitespace as Bonnie tells her own journey and invites us to pull up a chair and share.

It’s almost summer. Don’t you feel a need for a different routine? 21 days of rest to take you to the official first day of summer. Now that sounds amazing to me!

Want to join?

It’s easy! Click on this image and you’ll go to her site where you can learn more.  I hope you’ll share here too!

 

21 Days of Rest: Finding Spiritual Whitespace

3 Vital Statistics Learned (in)RL

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It may be Wednesday but my mind keeps circling around to this past weekend. Does that ever happen for you?
The images and words are floating around like an undercurrent below the surface of the everyday life I’ve led these three days since the weekend. As they have been drifting around in my head, I recognized this morning the thoughts focused on 3 vital statistics that I learned from the (in)RL conference.

1. Time alone with Jesus is a precious commodity

2. Having an authentic community takes intentional investment

3. Being in community is both risky and messy

Let me unpack these a bit.

1. Time alone with Jesus is a precious commodity
I am in the season of post parenting or commonly referred to as ‘the empty nest’. This season is full of possibilities as well as the bittersweet. Letting go of what was must happen in order to be open to whatever may come. Being ok with the unknown happens when you know the One who holds the future. And, like any relationship, it is only as strong and vibrant as the time you invest. I have to get real with Jesus to let Him have influence in my life. The same is true for you.

What time priorities can you re-arrange to make time with Jesus the priority? Notice I didn’t say ‘quiet time’ or ‘Bible study’ only. Those are methods of getting to know Jesus and they are important. I’m talking about inviting Him into your life, your consciousness, within your day. Making Him a time priority.

2. Having an authentic community takes intentional investment
If you’ve stopped by the blog before you know I’m new to the area where we’re currently living. One of the things I saw through the stories of the women interviewed for (in)RL was having an authentic community takes intentional investment. I could continue to whine to my hubster or to Jesus or to longtime friends OR I could be intentional about making investment in this new area. I had that beautifully modeled for me this past Sunday when I went to another church we hadn’t yet visited. I made myself go up to the Welcome Center to introduce myself, telling about my relocation and lack of community. God met me there through the gracious and warm welcome of the woman whose turn it was that day to ‘welcome’ visitors. In my telling a bit of my search for community, she asked for my contact info because she wanted to connect with me to talk more. Later that evening she emailed me and we made a date to walk and get to know each other. Yesterday’s walk and talk was balm to my needy soul.

3. Being in community is both risky and messy
Newsflash: People are broken and messed up! And so are you! There isn’t a place where all the people are emotionally and spiritually mature. Everyone has some type of issue to work through. And we’re all in process. Now that I’ve burst your bubble of plastic-smile-everything’s-fine-Christian-life, what do we do with this information? We have a choice. We can continue to hide our real life from others and pretend we have it altogether or we risk being vulnerable. Being in community is both risky and messy. Hearing what really is going on in someone’s life requires something of you. Investment in their well-being. And that brings on the messy and the risk. You could get burned. Or hurt. The same is true of you sharing your real stuff. You could be rejected or ridiculed or judged or … But the real life you live is vital to God and in His hands can be used for His glory and others’ good.

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This life is hard. Our stories matter. Your story is needed in the community where you are right now. In this community right here. So many of you as readers don’t take the time to connect here. Your thoughts and responses can help others who stop by here too. I see them all before approving them so even in your comment you can ask me not to publish it and I won’t. But connection in community in real life is more important than a comment on a blog.

Where are you investing? Where are you risking being vulnerable?

3 Steps to Be Ready

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I wrote this post 5 years ago before this blog was part of my website. You can check out the original post here (to see what improvements or adjustments I’ve made.)
I often feel I am not ready.

I want to be. I long to be ready at any moment, but I am easily distracted.

I’m distracted by the dishes, the laundry, the dust, the paperwork. I can’t seem to put a routine together because something or someone comes along the Way to change my plans.

Now that we live in a new location, far from friends and family, I can truly say of myself: I can distract myself in a paper bag!

Wait. Watch. Prepare. I want to be available to those in need of a good Word whenever called upon. I study. I pray. I wait. I watch. But still I don’t feel ready.

What gets in your Way of being ready?

What are you getting ready for?
Hume Road Sign

This picture is just a road sign but it struck me and I started thinking about the ways of sharing my faith.

Peter, who walked and talked with Jesus along the Way, tells us to set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.

Step 1:
We as followers along the Way are to live full of hope as we walk in this world.

We show hope in the Way we struggle, suffer loss, live daily and transparently before others. Jesus is the Way. If we follow His Way we see our paradigm set forth.

The Way is not religion. Religious behavior can distract us from the Way. Religious behavior can get in the way of seeing Jesus. We can think we know how God will act or respond if we just do the right things. Jesus got up in the business of the Pharisees pointing out how they had lost the heart of the Law and only stuck to the Letter of the Law. Jesus shows us the Father, shows us Himself. Jesus didn’t heal the same way or pray the same way or meet people’s needs the same way throughout the gospels. If we watch carefully we’ll see how to follow Him along the Way.

Step 2:
We read His Word to know Him more.
The daily habit of reading God’s Word for even 10 minutes can be a tool that He uses to transform your mind and heart little by little as you present yourself a ‘living sacrifice’. We’re to be more like Jesus tomorrow than we are today. Process.

Step 3:
We spend time together with other Christ-followers to encourage one another to love and good deeds.
Meeting together on Sundays for corporate worship. Having lunch afterward with others. Meeting during the week to study and pray. Sharing chores. Meeting needs. Laughing together. Play dates with children. Serving the community together. So many ways!

This is faith walking. We don’t see Jesus face to face yet, but we have His Word, His promises and His Presence in the Holy Spirit to help and guide us along the Way. We have each other in challenging times, if we are living transparently in our challenges.

Getting ready is a life long pursuit. I think being ready is a process that just means being real with where we are along the Way. Keep setting apart Jesus Christ as Lord in your heart by moving yourself off the throne. Keep faith walking. Keep getting ready and you will be ready.

Join me?

Why is Good Friday Good?

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Four years ago I wrote a post with this title.  You might be interested to look back at it here.

This is still a question that resonates within me; a question that you may wonder about as well. There is so much more to say than what I shared before.

Why is Good Friday Good?  How is the excruciating, violent, prolonged suffering of One man good?  Isn’t it morbid to focus on the blood and gore that Jesus of Nazareth went through?  Isn’t this annual tradition just a little out dated in the era? I am no theologian, or Bible scholar or historian.  I know people who are.  I have listened to them, read their writings and mulled over all the implications on my life, on your life, on all our lives.  I have come to one conclusion.

mattandalliweddingAug2012 138Before Christ got to the Cross there was Love.  Love poured out to His followers in many ways: teaching, compassionate acts, healing, bread and wine, washing filthy feet, and most of all: prayer.

So much love demonstrated to them. For us. To us.

The lyrics from Stuart Townend’s song that I posted four years ago still bring me to tears. How deep the Father’s Love for us, how vast beyond all measure…

Why is Good Friday Good?

Because of Love.

Of willing sacrifice.

Of suffering that I, that you, that we, will never have to endure in eternity future.

We are not without suffering here; the momentary “light affliction” that we go through in this very real 24/7 life we are living presently does have physical, emotional and sometimes spiritual suffering.  But our eternity future has been secured by the extreme suffering Christ endured for us.  We deserve separation from God because we broken, imperfect humans fall short of His holiness and perfection and miss the mark completely. But God…

Because of Love. Because of the willing sacrifice that Jesus Christ offered for our sin payment. Because of all the brutality He endured, His excruciating physical, emotional and spiritual pain.

We are free.

That’s why Good Friday is Good.

No matter how hard it is right this minute to deal with the pain your body is experiencing, Christ knows your pain and loves you in it.

No matter how dark the emotional fog of depression is right this minute, Christ knows your deep emotional pain and loves you in it.

No matter the wayward husband, the wayward child, the addiction, the shame, no matter.

He loves you right in it.

His death on the Cross over 2000 years ago wasn’t just a point in history to be remembered by theologians, Bible scholars and historians.  His death makes all the difference for me. And it can make all the difference for you, too.

It’s still foolishness to those who don’t believe. To those who claim His sacrificial payment by faith in Jesus Christ, there is somber reflection on Good Friday and rejoicing and celebration at the remembrance of His resurrection this Sunday.

The question isn’t why.  The question is Will you let the Love that motivated Good Friday be Good for you too?

Today I am linking up with Faith Barista over here.

 

The One Trait Needed for Success

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I witnessed this on Saturday.

loch lomondI was able to see 65 adults demonstrate this trait.

You might wonder if I was at a sporting event. No.

Perhaps some other type of competition? No.

I witnessed courage when 65 adult learners individually took the stage to read a portion of a story they each had written.

These adults have learned what many never are able to and most who know how take for granted.

AlphabetRead1024x768Before you castigate them for not paying attention in school when they had the chance to learn, you might want to hear some of their stories. Learning English as a second language. Too poor to attend school (in any country) during the era they grew up. Learning disabilities in a time when the only words linked to disability were “stupid” or “retard”. Had to work to help the family because he was the oldest son and that’s just what you did in those days.

They each had a dream. To read. To write. In English.

Their courage was (and is) inspirational to me.  There were many rounds of applause. There were tears shed. There were photos taken. There was success.

Yes, that’s it. The one trait needed for success.  Courage.

I don’t know about you, but when I am in the middle of something that is really hard, frightening even, I don’t think about being courageous.  I either sit and wallow in self-pity or I try to make a change to the situation.  I don’t think about courage.

But it’s courage that moves us forward and keeps us from being stuck.

Courage: the ability to do something that frightens one.

These 65 adults showed courage in front of hundreds. They showed courage for their families to witness.  In their courage, we were encouraged.  Many of them gave thanks to God for giving them the courage to learn. To read. To be on stage.  Hundreds of pairs of hands applauded. Voices cheered. Smiles and tears abounded.

Encourage: to give one confidence, support, hope.

So really it boils down to two things: we are either at the present facing something we are needing courage to get through or we are in the position to give confidence, support or hope.  Or maybe we can be doing both?

If you are lacking courage today, you are not alone. When I was at a very low point last fall, I reached out to others who needed to be encouraged.  I became a literacy volunteer.  It was something I knew and understood when all around me didn’t make sense.  I could give time and talent and experience to build up someone else.

Jesus knew what He was talking about when He said It is more blessed to give than to receive.  I was able to give my time,  but just the way a with-God life is, I received so much more.  I knew someone needed my presence weekly when I knew no one in this area.  I was inspired by the perseverance of the learners; coming week after week taking time out of busy lives to practice and practice and practice something most of us have taken for granted for decades.

I was able to encourage when discouragement came lurking.  I received encouragement that I wasn’t expecting.

No matter what you are going through you can find someone else who needs something you have to offer: encouragement.

Courage. This is a great week to think about what it takes to look fear in the face and step forward. Jesus did that very thing.  He showed us His fear and desire to not have to go through what He was facing as He prayed in the garden.  If He didn’t show courage, where would we be?

narnia wallpaperJesus showed courage. He endured so much anguish, pain and suffering for each of us. All so we could be bought back from what we deserve: eternal separation from the Source of courage.

This week, reflect on the thing(s) that frighten you. Reflect on the thing that frightened Jesus. Be reminded that as His follower You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.

GO in His courage.

ENcourage someone today!  Then pop back over to share!

 

 

Learning to Be

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When you move, are you the person who empties out all the boxes and hangs things on the walls within the first week?  I love and admire you.

That’s not me.

I have to live in a space arrange and rearrange furniture; slowly figuring out what gets hung where.

That being said we have framed art leaning against the walls in different rooms, waiting for me to make the final decision.  I love my hubster.  He has his own opinions but not so much about things like decor.

Recently while I was away for the weekend with girlfriends he finished a project we had been working on together.
photo(66)So happy with how this turned out!

I have been sorting through and organizing the ‘stuff’ we (think I) thought we (think I) needed to keep when we moved.  I have been coming face to face with the realization that I have some mindset issues that need realigning.  Somewhere along the line I developed the mindset that “things equate memories”.  Giving up ‘things’ has been a challenge to my core.  And yet we shed a lot prior to our move.  I keep reminding myself of that while I see boxes of books we haven’t unpacked and all the boxes of scrapbook materials I haven’t even opened yet.

I am trying a new, gentle approach with myself.  I am going through one box a day and shedding some more.  It’s good to do this so that no one else needs to figure out what was important in the midst of all the knick-knacks and paddy whacks that I have stored!

The joy of going through this process is the freedom that it brings and the treasures that I find.

Here is one such treasure from a file of notes:

The Fruit of the Spirit is Love

Joy is love’s strength

Peace is love’s security

Patience is love’s endurance

Kindness is love’s conduct

Goodness is love’s character

Faithfulness is love’s confidence

Gentleness is love’s humility

Self-control is love’s victory
Against such things there is no law.

You may recognize that someone has taken the passage of Galatians 5:22-23 and written it a little differently.  If this offends your Biblical sensibilities I am sorry.  But I see it as a beautiful way to go deeper into Who lives within us as Christ-followers.

God is Love.  He is so much more but for the sake of conversation (and the length of this blog post) I want to focus on only one of His many perfect attributes.

This step by step, word by word look slows us down, giving us time to think about each attribute of the collective Fruit (evidence) of the Spirit in us.

All these character traits are a part of us.  All the time they are present within us.
I used to look at these characteristics as individual to do lists of self-improvement and a measuring stick of how well I am doing as a Christian. If I was having a bad attitude day I was coming up short of a lot of fruit.  Which gave me fuel for self-condemnation. But that perspective is neither accurate nor helpful. God’s Word also tells us there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  If He is not condemning me then why am I so hard on myself?

We live this life one moment at a time.  Not one day at a time.  One moment.  In this moment we can choose to speak kindly.  We can choose to be gentle with our own heart.  We can choose to show patience in the face of a repeated mistake because this moment will pass and a new moment with new possibilities follows.  We choose our responses one moment at a time.  Be present to God’s Presence within you.  His fruit will be more and more evident, one moment at a time.

One of my favorite things about this sorting process is coming across treasures like this 3 x 5 card that remind me how far God has brought me and all the grace He has shown me in the process.  How have you seen God at work in your life lately?

 

Learning to Walk

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1530455_567223723366141_300730910_nSometimes, not all the time, but sometimes, LIFE is HARD.

There I said it for you. For me. Our definition of hard may not be the same. No Matter. Hard is hard.

What we do with that reality tells a lot about us. Do we complain? (my worst character flaw) Do we whine? (another of my problems) Or do we learn to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called?

We can change you know.  Not always our circumstances. But always our response to our circumstances.

I am encouraging myself here folks.  When I spend an excessive amount of time navel gazing I find myself mired in self-pity and full of whining & complaining (twins born of the same toxic ilk!)

I really am a female version of the Apostle Peter. Impetuous. Loud. Speaking before thinking. And looking at Jesus then looking away and down at my circumstances. Every once in a while it’s good to lift up my head, look around and consider the realities, not my perceptions.

The result? A made – new perspective. Counting gifts, paying attention to others’ real needs, stepping out of myself and serving others, all help me to get my focus off my own issues and aware of the greater needs around me.

Today’s photo comes from a community of people who are risking for and trusting God in authenticity; in the middle of very real life challenges.  Cancer. Abuse. Dark nights of the Soul.

Reading about their journeys may help you in yours. It certainly has helped me.

As you go about this Sabbath day, be reminded of a few vital truths as a Christ-follower: He is well acquainted with suffering; He told us we will have tribulation in this world, and He has overcome it; we have the opportunity to share in the fellowship of His sufferings; He will never leave you or forget you; His Holy Spirit is in you and He is your Comforter and Strength.

If you are struggling to believe any of these things, let’s talk.  My prayer for you today is that you are

Learning to walk…

Learning to Believe

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photo(33)I know life is hard sometimes.  Some days are worse than others.  Some Mondays you just want a do over by the end of the day.

There’ll be days like this my momma said…

But you don’t have to throw in the towel, or bury your head under the pillow, or distract yourself with TV or incessant snacking.

Nope. You have other choices. Choices for your growth. For your good. For others’ good too. You can choose learning.  Learning to Believe.

Learning to Believe you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.  Learning to Believe God’s plans for you are for your welfare and not to harm you. (even when today doesn’t make sense) Learning to Believe you have the capacity to forgive the hurt that poured out on you from another today.  Learning to Believe Truth.

Someone once told me that Faith is like a muscle.  You need to exercise it to strengthen it.  How do you exercise Faith?

Learning to Believe what may not make sense at first. Sometimes we need reminding of Truth. Actually, daily we need reminding. Why? Because we are forgetful people. Something doesn’t turn out the way we thought it would or should or could and we freak out. Why? Because we are broken people. We need reminding!

Reminders come in so many ways: a beautiful sunrise (if you’re up early!); birds chirping; a time of silence when the littles are napping; an email from a friend; an entry in Jesus Calling. He reminds us to Believe Him. To Trust Him. To grow our Faith in Him.

We need people around us who can be our co-workers in learning to Believe. We need people who can be like Aaron and Hur were to Moses; helping him lift up his hands in prayer to the Lord while the battle raged on in front of him.  It’s a great story: read it in Exodus 17.

Who are your encouragers? Your prayer partners? Your cheerleaders? You’re co-workers in learning to Believe? We all need them.

Sometimes the hardest part of learning to Believe is being willing to risk sharing our very real needs.  Instead of being authentic with others we believe a lie: we don’t want to impose, be a burden, or too much trouble; yet if someone asked you for a listening ear or for help, would you turn away from them?

Learning to Believe you are worth the trouble is sometimes one of the biggest hurdles of faith.  Somehow we aren’t treasured and affirmed the way God sees us and we believe lies about ourselves.  Learning to Believe God’s Truth about who you are is an exercise of faith. Daily.

Don’t give up! You can do this!  Like any kind of learning, it’s filled with practice and mistakes.  The best part of this is: God has got your back!  He is in this learning process with you for the rest of your days!

What are you currently learning to Believe?  How may I be an encourager to you today?

Learning to Hear

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Telling a story once may bring laughter, tears or insight. Who doesn’t love a good story? One that engages your head and your heart; causes you to think about life differently; appreciate what you have even more. Telling a story, the same story in the same way many times, can become part of your story.

Pieces of my story have been collected on these pages for almost 5 years now.  I don’t tell my story just to be heard. I tell my story to process its elements and try to make sense in Light of a Greater Story.  My desire is that through my story I am pointing to the One True Story and helping you see and hear how you can connect your story with the greatest story ever told.

For a few years I have been practicing listening skills.  My ears work fine. But listening is a different thing altogether.

Listening requires focus. (internal as well as external) Freedom from distraction. Patience. Silence. Humility. (letting others talk instead of me) Listening to the heart requires wisdom as well.

After my Dad died I spent a lot of time alone allowing deep grief to be my daily silent companion. It was a form of depression for sure but not the black cloud that swallows many for various reasons. This was the result of the shock; the sudden tragic loss. And I knew I needed to be in the grief and not push it away, pretending everything was ok. It wasn’t. I was learning to recognize wisdom when I heard it.

I sat in the garden one day in May for I don’t know how long. I watched the flowers sway in the spring breeze. I heard birds chirping and cars driving by. But I sat unmoving, deep in self-pity; the kind that leads to despair.

Suddenly to my right a hummingbird started working the lipstick salvia plant that I had purchased on a trip to the nursery; a trip that was meant as a distraction for me. While there I saw a hummingbird approach a small 4 inch potted plant that had 2 flowers on it. I stood mesmerized remembering how much my Dad loved to feed hummingbirds in his backyard.  I bought the plant and put it in the ground in our front yard. That plant was attracting another hummingbird and I just watched in awed silence. Tears welled up and spilled over as I thought of my Dad. I said out loud to God, “don’t you even care how hard this is for me? Do you even see how much I am hurting?”

I turned away from watching the hummingbird and looked at my hands in my lap. I had clenched both hands into fists. Staring at my anger in view of my hands I heard a faint whirring noise.  I looked up and there, right in front of me not 2 feet away, a hummingbird hovered, staring at me.

At the risk of something precious being ridiculed, I will share: I knew at that moment God heard me in my grief.

He has gone to greater lengths than causing a hummingbird to pause in its flight to demonstrate His love for me. But do I listen?

He told us “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”  He showed us “Greater love has no one than this; that he lay down his life for his friends.” He promised us a Helper “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

He also said “he who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Six times this is recorded in the gospels and always in the context of Jesus teaching something.  The word we see translated ‘to hear’ has meaning beyond the ears functioning.  English simply leaves out so much intent and is much too general. The Greek word used here ‘akouo’ means ‘I hear, I comprehend through hearing’.

Do we comprehend what manner of love and provision God has for us?  Are we gleaning wisdom from His Word? Are we in the process of learning to hear?

cultivate walk

 

 

Learning to See

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Have you ever seen a new litter of kittens? Or puppies? Minutes or hours new? They have something in common; their eyes are fused shut.  They don’t open for quite some time after birth; little ones move slowly and you can tell their uncertainty in their surroundings by their tiny whimpers or mews.

A newborn child is born seeing although it has limited sight at first.  According to my dear hubster, our second son was born with one eye open and a wary expression on his face as if asking “who are you and why did you make me leave that warm place?”

Sight is a gift. A sense that may come perfectly formed in humans or in some cases not formed at all. There are also in between cases like me.  It was discovered that I had severe myopia when I started school.  I’m not sure what my parents thought about my squinting behavior before then but at the end of my kindergarten year I received my first pair of glasses. Learning to see with glasses meant I didn’t have to sit close to the TV or in the front row to see the chalkboard.

SDZoo 1965Who knew that our fashions of the 60s would be so trendy in the millennial teens? (My Mom, little brother and me, 1965)

It was not the greatest time in history to be wearing glasses since not all that many children wore glasses when I was in elementary school. And those that did were teased big time. Oh well.

My parents sacrificed a lot for me as a teenager. I had braces and contacts at the end of my freshman year in high school. Learning to see with contacts was an adventure. Wind and sand were not my friends at the beach. Learning to surf meant no contacts which also meant no seeing. That and not balancing well shortened my surfer girl persona.

As an adult, I lost contacts waterskiing because I just couldn’t imagine hanging out in the ocean 100 feet behind the boat and not knowing when a shark was close by. Not too many sharks in Mission Bay near San Diego but between the coast and Catalina Island? Who knows?

Seeing is a gift that we most often take for granted. For years after the technology became available my Mom encouraged me to have Lasik treatment done.  I was a big chicken. I didn’t want to be a statistic. I had kids to raise and what would I do? But in January, 2011 I decided I would have the procedure. I was scared for sure.  Looking back on that day the most significant moment that stands out to me happened at the check in desk.

The receptionist was going through the post op with my husband when a woman in the waiting area came up to me. She laid her hand on my arm and told me how happy she was to be able to give her daughter the gift of sight.  Random? Perhaps. But I also was finally doing what my Mom had encouraged me to do for so long and was able to afford it as a gift; part of my Mom’s estate.

The surgery was a success and I have lived two years without glasses for the first time since I was 6. Learning to see without aid was a re-training of my brain.

Learning to see ourselves as God sees us is a re-training of our brain as well.  Paul tells us in his letter to the church in Rome “do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”  Being changed from the inside out is instantaneous for some but for others is a process: a long, slow, learning to see.

Beth Moore wrote in her study Breaking Free: “You are not defined by anything that happened to you or anything you have done.  You are defined by who you are in Christ.”  Do you know who you are in Christ?

“…until the truths of our pasts converge with the truths of God’s Word, we will never be whole.” (from Breaking Free)

Learning to see.

Oceano sunset

 

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