Learning Along The Way

Perfectionism Keeps Us From Jesus

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I had something gently pointed out to me three different ways between yesterday and this morning.

All three were foundational and revealing.

Perfectionism keeps me from Jesus.

Yesterday demonstrated what a piece of work I am. Fault finding, critical, irritable about everything. Wanting to have things go the way it should go. And at the time I didn’t mind sharing all my angst with the entire world; most closely noticed by the Hubster and our collegiate son. Not fun for anyone.

Perfectionism is the outer shell trying to appear to have life all together. All the while the inner world is filled with insecurity, uncertainty, and sometimes shame. Perfectionism is me trying to fix myself, control my circumstances and rely on my own understanding.

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Before the end of my emotionally chaotic day the Spirit whispered to me; inviting me to confess my failed attempts at keeping myself together while my toxic feelings leaked out. I took Him up on that invitation, pressing the RESET button for the remainder of the evening after a tearful confession of my internal struggles that impacted the external.

This morning I read Jesus Calling and it reminded me not to try to present my cleaned up self to Jesus; “wounds that I shut away from the Light of My Love will fester and become wormy…they can split off and develop lives of their own…”

Then I also read My Utmost for His Highest entry for today.

‘If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish—His purpose is the process itself.”

The foundation is Jesus. He is here with me and there with you all.the.time. The foundational truth is based in His one invitation:

Come to Me.

That’s it. In the turmoil of unresolved issues that foment emotional upheaval we can find rest for our souls. Click To Tweet

I don’t have to try to fix me or my circumstances. Neither do you.

Whatever you are facing, the Perfect Invitation awaits your response.

Come to Me.

Your circumstances are not likely to change. I know, bummer.

But here’s the miracle: you are offered the opportunity to be changed from within by the Presence of God Himself. That’s what spiritual formation is like. Choosing to say yes to Jesus’s invitation to come to Him, quiet your mind, heart and soul and be at rest in His Presence. The coming to Jesus results in His peace that passes all understanding. This peace is a result of letting go of our idea of how things should be and leaning into the yoke that helps keep us in step and keep company with Jesus.

Relax. He’s got this. His purpose is the process itself.

*Sigh*

Where have you seen perfectionism get in the way of relationship with Jesus and others?

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!

 

It’s a Swing and a Miss

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The All Star break is over. Whew. This girl is a gamer. Or a poser. I can talk just enough baseball to stay in a conversation. I know the number of players on the field and what positions they play depending on where they stand. Don’t ask me to score the game or tell you what type of pitch was just thrown.

It’s a game and it’s fun to watch and fun to play. You may not be a baseball fan so I’ll try to keep the analogies to a minimum. I can’t pass on this one though.

Conversations in developing relationships between genders often result in a swing and a miss.

The Hubster and I’ve been married 25 years this coming Wednesday. From the lens of the world this is a huge accomplishment. From the lens of a perfectionist it’s evidence of not always getting your way and giving in for the sake of the relationship.

Don’t get me wrong: the Hubster lives up to his nickname’s definition.

Urban Dictionary: Hubster–Nickname derived from hubby however it marks a significant difference from it. This is a man that is not only a husband to a woman but he is a companion. Someone that loves his wife completely and utterly. He understands her in every situation and makes any and all the effort to make her happy. He is truly a best friend, he is that one person whom she finds comfort in and can tell anything to. Not only does he pertain to all these qualities but he is also kind, sweet, loving, and a completely honest person. He is a one of a kind man that all girls want to have, but when he chooses that one girl for him, it is all he can think about. He is truly the best husband a woman can have.

In the 25 years of me giving in for the sake of relationship, the Hubster has had more personal sacrifice to deal with than I am happy to admit. I literally laughed out loud when I heard these humorous and yet pointed tidbits from a text our son received. This long-winded commentary came from one of his college housemates in reference to the struggles of a relationship from a male perspective. With his permission here are his whimsical words (which may give you more insight to the male mind).

“I have to clean the house, bathe regularly, control myself, watch tv with other people, share a bed, buy food and watch other people eat it, look presentable, talk to a woman, not get enough sleep, deal with other people’s questions, deal with it at work, lie about my feelings, be nice to her friends and family, come up with date ideas, deal with an endless stream of questions about my day and what I’m thinking about and probably some more stuff I don’t want to deal with.”

My perfectionist self laughs but there’s also a part of me saying

Although my inner voice may be asserting I’m NOT bossy, I make effort to temper my skills with humor.

The genders come at communication with differing perspectives, expectations and agendas.

Relationship 101.

We can’t change another person. We can only CHOOSE to become a better person. This is where give and take comes in. But a relationship isn’t a baseball game where we keep score or the stats are recorded. In fact, quite the opposite. We need to learn to let stuff go.

The struggle for perfectionists, like me, is placing unrealistic expectations on ourselves and others. The Hubster has worked tirelessly for a quarter of a century to teach me two words:

Oh Well.

These aren’t words of resignation. They’re words of grace. “Don’t be so hard on me. Don’t be so hard on others. And don’t be so hard on you.”

This is a significant part of becoming a “better person”; choosing to give grace instead of criticism. Choosing to show grace and simply enjoy one another’s company without keeping score.

How different might a developing relationship be if there were no hidden agendas or unwritten rules & expectations getting in the way of simply being yourself, of being who God has made you?

Perhaps if we choose to let go of expectations and lean in toward one another, we might experience a greater sense of being a partner, a member of a team.

How have you seen this idea play out in your relationship experience?

Peeling off Perfectionism

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I can’t even tell you how creepy this disease is. I have a vague memory of a scene in a children’s movie where the black goo of evil gets all over the bad guy and suffocates him. This suffocating image expresses  this pervasive covering of perfectionism for me.

I’ve been numb to it for years. I believed perfectionism was someone else’s issue not mine. But the truth is because of shame I have lived with this mindset of perfectionism for as long as I can remember.

Good news!

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(quote credit: Christine Caine)

I’m peeling off the layers of perfectionism. It’s messy. And I will make mistakes. It’s painful to look at the gaps in my way of doing life that used to be covered over by this lie I believed.

But Jesus said all things are possible to him who believes. So my response is I do believe, help me in my unbelief.

This means being honest and talking through the hard places of change; moving toward growth and being willing to do things without having my act all together.

YIKES!!

This vulnerability feels a little like the emperor’s new clothes except where the Emperor thought he had a lovely outfit, I know I’m going to be exposed. (Fortunately for all, this is just a metaphor!)

I choose to be brave and take a tentative step forward in my one creative life.

My heart is ready to risk.  It’s been hidden away, self-protected, falsely secure.

For years I’ve read verses that tell me Truth about who God sees me to be. But I have been like the person the apostle James describes who sees their face in a mirror but then forgets what they look like when they turn away from the mirror.

In other words, I haven’t lived out the words of life and truth. I’ve chosen to stay stuck, allowing the enemy of all that is good and true to hold me captive in an imaginary cell of my own acceptance.

What about you? I know I am not alone in this unfortunate trap. I’ve learned just enough about how to get out and away from the slime of perfectionism that I can hold my hand out to you and say

let’s go this way together!

Here’s what I want to do. Let’s get a group together of those who are willing to drop the facade, who are willing to engage with what we’re all learning along the Way.

I’m starting a podcast at the beginning of August where I’ll share quotes, facts, resources, challenges and connection points.  I will also be launching an e-course (available on my website) focusing on letting go and leaning in. There will be a spiritual component to the activities in the course because I believe strongly that we are all on a spiritual journey while we are here on this planet. Where we are journeying is the important question.  We’ll talk about that too.

In the meantime, let me know either here or on the Learning Along the Way Facebook page that you want to peel off perfectionism too.

Let’s do this!

Be the Change You Want to See

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Not too long ago there were two boys living in our house.

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In a blink of an eye they’re both men living lives of purpose making a difference in their part of the world.

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Time feels relative right?

Our parenting style grew as they did: from teaching & correction, to guidance, to launch & let go. My own upbringing was rough; I purposed to do this parenting thing with intention, hoping for better results. Many voices influenced our thinking but this one stands out:

 

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Mahatma Ghandi: a man of peace. He advocated political and societal change. Ghandi didn’t have the same faith practice I do, but no matter. He believed humanity could change and live respectfully in peace.

That may sound grandiose or fall flat to your ears. I get it. Perhaps your life is hard in this season and you can barely rub two coins together. Or maybe you’re fighting a physical battle that takes all your focus and energy to stay upright. Changing the world is not on your radar now or maybe ever.

Is being responsible for changing the world really what Ghandi meant? Did he want all people to become social activists? What if his thought was for personal, internal change? For you and me to simply be people of integrity, who show kindness to everyone, who care for those less able to care for themselves? Perhaps his words are a call to simple living right where we are, regardless of our means or motivation to change the world?

Each of our sons went through a season of living outside their integrity. We watched and prayed but did not pry. We didn’t lecture or wag our fingers. We knew they would come back to themselves…eventually. Watching and waiting aren’t easy skills in parenting; they’re skills that belong to the Father. We trusted our sons to the Father’s heart for them. In the waiting we grew to love and trust God more. We also grew to love and pray for our sons in deeper ways as well.

We trusted these young men to come back to center in their own time because we trusted God and knew they developed appreciation for Ghandi’s words, thanks to the influence of their great AP English teacher, Eldra Avery. Living outside their integrity wouldn’t allow them to be the change they wanted to see in the world.

 

Be the change you want to see in the world. Mahatma Ghandi Click To Tweet

Change begins with one. For me, change was my parenting. We made conscious decisions that steered our family in a different direction than the one I was raised in. Others might not catch what you’re doing. It doesn’t matter. That you live out the change you want to bring to your part of the world is the important point.

I call this let go and lean in. Let go of the broken ways and lean in to the Arms waiting to hold and help you grow and change. In that leaning you just might learn more about your part here.

What change will you be?

 

3 Tools for Fighting Shame

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At 19 I recognized the Hallmark card sentiments didn’t match the relationship my mother and I experienced.  Her hard comments spoken without witness; the movable measuring stick to let me know how I performed in her eyes; the lack of spoken love or approval. Hard stuff for a sensitive kid like me.

 

People told me “how proud your mother is of you” but I didn’t hear those words. Later when I became a mother she found value in me for her grandson (and later grandsons). She wrote a note in my Mother’s Day cards telling me I was a good mom, but no spoken words were shared.

I lived with the echo of an empty Mom love tank for 50 years, trying to earn favor along the way and then 7 years ago she died . The empty tank echo bounces around in my heart; sometimes faint, sometimes loud.  In the midst of a loud bounce recently I made a choice.  On a plane ride across the country to spend Mother’s Day with my mother – in – law, I stopped my downward spiral of woeful thoughts & memories. Instead I forced myself to compile a list of 10 positive characteristics my own mother instilled in me.

Taking time to think things through

Love of Words

Love of Reading

Serving people

Education & Life-long Learning

Kitchen Savvy

Love of Travel

Overcoming Adversity

Appreciation of Fashion

Care for those less fortunate than me

These are GREAT characteristics that I possess thanks to my Mother.  In spite of not hearing the words or feeling she loved me, she invested in my growth & character in many ways.

Tool #1: speak what is True

Lies can blur Truth but Truth dispels lies.

She did care or she would not have instilled these traits in me. In spite of her influence I’m one of the Dream Followers and Servers that Glennon of momastery referred to way back in her blog history (two years ago).  I am messed up and do not have it all put together. I laugh, cry and sometimes want to run away from my life. If I had it all put together I would forget where I put it because I’m post-menopausal now, so gray hair and foggy memory are a part of daily life. Oh Well.

Those are two words my dearest Hubster taught me to say 25 years ago after we married.

Oh Well.

Tool #2: see what is True

Admitting mistakes as part of life frees the hold of shame.

I bear the marks of shame and of being not enough in my mother’s eyes.

Oh well.

Perhaps that is what has made my own mothering such a sacred gift: looking at my sons as MORE THAN ENOUGH helped me grow in identity: who they are, how they’re wired paired with who I am and who I am becoming.

Tool #3: cling to what is True and let go of the rest

The Way out of Shame has been a battle and I bear scars from other woundings along the Way. I’m working at letting go of the lie of perfectionism and learning to lean into the Truth that I am loved and have a place at the Table. Just. Because.

Philippians 4:8 spells these tools out: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable,– if anything is excellent or praiseworthy– think about such things.

Some days are harder than others. But I am learning to see myself as okay in this messy middle and fight back with JOY. There’s such great freedom in this posture.

Anybody want to come out and play?

Staying on the Path of Letting Go

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Lent is a process of confession and repentance.

Yesterday I confessed my struggle with discontent and my resulting focus on what isn’t.

What I didn’t write about was the glorious results of confession and repentance.

After a good cry with Jesus I went on a couple of errands that needed to be done by the end of the business day.

I saw this:

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I shared it on Instagram as soon as I saw it.  What a gift.

Today I have spent the day encouraging others. Through spoken words, through hugs, through emails, so many ways. Encouragement extended to even the sweet lady who checked my groceries at Smart & Final.

I’m a nice enough person but truly I know it was the Holy Spirit working through me. I know my “fake it till you make it” and this day was not it.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13

God’s plans for me on a daily basis include encouraging people with His love and His Word.

When I saw this sign last summer I knew I would need to be reminded.

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There would be days like yesterday when I would be tempted to get down on myself or take in hard things that could distract me from my path.

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I believe it is valuable to acknowledge the hard places, the suffering we experience when there is loss of any kind. Being misunderstood, over looked, rejected or forgotten; those are all things Jesus knows. He knows how hard and hurtful those experiences are. There is a sweet Mystery that transpires when we do endure suffering; we share in the fellowship of His sufferings.

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians he expresses this Mystery this way:

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

We all have hard things. I won’t compare my things to yours; that diminishes each of our experiences. God is not surprised by what we are going through. He is sovereign over all. But in His great mercy, He helps us grow and change, little by little, to become more like His Son.

When I confessed my discontent God forgave me and showered the gracious gift of awareness and eyes to see a beautiful sunset and then He chose to work through me today to encourage others in His name.

12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Learning to let go and lean in.

Letting Go of the Land of Not Enough

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I’m feeling small today. Like Alice who drank a potion and became small, I am feeling small in my own life. And I don’t like it.

You see I dared to put myself out there in two different arenas: one in a corporate way and the other in ministry. And in both arenas I have fallen. As if I am too small to be of value or to be heard.

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So like Alice, I have fallen down, down into an unfortunate locale; I call it The Land of Not Enough.  In this Land every where I turn I see reminders, signs that say What Isn’t:  You don’t have a real job, Lisa. You are too old to be of value. You used to be…  No one cares about your experiences.  You are a has been.  Not relevant.

I just want to stop and say this hurts.

These reminders of What Isn’t touch up against the message I have lived under most of my life: your value is in what you produce/achieve. The rut in my brain is deep with that repeated familiar thought. So the Land of Not Enough has a familiar feel like an old pair of shoes…and it’s time to throw them away!

Have you felt like this? In the Land of Not Enough? Sometimes it feels like the Land of Not Enough is where we live All. The. Time.  The signs are all around us: you need to buy this to be relevant. You need to own this car, live in this area, shop at these stores. Your kids need to be in this school or this activity or you need to parent in this way…

In the Land of Not Enough I see evidences of What Isn’t, but I don’t see a single Truth about What Is.  I can focus on all of What Isn’t or I can hunt for the Truth of What Is and speak it to myself.  Author Ann Voskamp writes about her journey out of depression in her bestseller One Thousand Gifts.  (Depression is a real medical term for a serious condition but what I also think of as The Land of Not Enough. It helps me gain perspective on my struggle)   Ann learned the exceedingly abundant practice of counting the Gifts that are daily given; the practice of looking at What Is, and ultimately Who Is.

One of the pastors at the church we left when we moved to this new area spoke of the important difference between a gaze and a glance.  When we gaze at something we are focusing our attention on it.  When we glance at something we briefly acknowledge it’s existence. He said we often gaze at our circumstances and glance at God. How much better for us to gaze at God and glance at our circumstances.

In the Land of Not Enough I have to hunt for What Is and focus on What Is instead of gazing at the signs in The Land of Not Enough; the reminders that litter the sides of the rut my mind travels.

Romans 12:1-2 reminds me of What Is true.

I urge you therefore brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship.

And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

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This is the path I am training my mind to walk when the signs come up from the Land of Not Enough. I don’t have to gaze at those signs even if they are true. They are NOT ALL of What Is. I am learning to let go of the worn out familiar and lean in toward the Land of More Than Enough because of Christ in me, the hope of glory.

What are you letting go of in this season of your life?

Living Things Grow; Growing Things Change

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Living Things Grow; Growing Things Change

I first heard these words on Christine Caine’s podcast; Coffee with Chris. I was on a walk through our new neighborhood and her words really pierced into me since we had just landed in a new area after 15 years in the same home.  What a challenging season that was. In some ways I am only now lifting my head consistently after almost 3 years.

I had lost the sense of how hard moving was; not just the physical, but emotional move, when leaving friends and family and familiar is involved. I had lived in the same area for almost 30 years! Changing residences always involved the physical hard work of packing and sorting; giving away and throwing away. But this move? It involved the letting go of the home where we raised our sons, the friends and church we had lived among for nearly 2 decades, our pets, and all the familiarity of streets, best coffee shops, outdoor opportunities within a moment of walking out our front door.

Letting go was hard for me. I slipped into the cavern of depression where light peeked in from far above me. Finding a place to rent that fit our simple list: 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a gas range and a garage was harder than you’d think. What we didn’t realize at the time, because we were strangers to this new area, was our ideal price range was not going to find those creature comforts.  Coming from owning literally 2 times the amount of space to renting for 3 times our mortgage at home made me angry. It still does. But it is what it is.

The anger over less than ideal rentals (we’re now in our second place; a story for another time) wasn’t helping my overall attitude either.  I’ve heard that depression is anger turned inward. I don’t know if that is completely accurate but I knew that I needed to get out of the cavern somehow.  Getting outside and active was a first step. Interject the words I heard on my walk: Living things grow; growing things change.

If I am living then I will be growing AND changing. Those two words are to be expected not rejected. This is not our final home; why do I keep thinking everything needs to be hunky dory all the time? Some might call this magical thinking. In coaching we call it mindset.  Part of my work needed to be in the arena of self-acceptance instead of self-recrimination. A change in mindset.

In letting go I had to acknowledge I was focusing on what wasn’t, instead of being thankful for what is.  That awareness was the first step to real change.  To really lean in I needed to embrace change instead of being mad at it.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-7

I look at these verses and I see the progression, the process of growth. Growth causes change. I don’t want to stay the same. I want to be in the process of letting go and leaning in; of becoming my utmost for His highest.

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In this season of Lent I am doing this very thing, one action at a time.

Where do you find yourself today? Are you in the cavern of depression? Or are you buried under a pile of to dos? Wherever it is you’re not alone. Reach out to someone who can bear witness to where you are and what you’re going through.

You may comment here; it comes to my inbox before going live. If you want to simply connect with me let me know and I won’t publish your comment.

We’re not meant to shoulder this life alone.

Practicing Sabbath During Lent

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Beauty in the weeds.

It’s in simplicity that we learn to appreciate small things. Slowing down, really seeing what is around us, paying attention; these are elements that can become a part of our daily life with practice.

Practice implies doing something more than once; doing something imperfectly, but doing something with the hope of improving.

Practicing Sabbath during Lent is going to challenge me. I’ve fallen into a rhythm that uses Sunday afternoon as a “get caught up” time rather than a time of slowing down and paying attention.

What needs attention? The house, bills, laundry, groceries all call for attention. Quietly though, I begin to feel something else needs attention. My soul. I start to feel stretched when there has been too much going; too much serving; too much doing; too much listening to others. Without refilling I have nothing of value to give. My soul needs rest from all these things. My hope is that by practicing Sabbath during Lent this draining rhythm will reset.

“The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.” Mark 2:27

God instituted rest for our good. We’re the ones who think we must fill the days with busyness. We fill and over-fill our calendars and keep going beyond what we’re really able. And our souls dry up from the drought; a lack of watering will cause all living things to suffer.

 

spiritual disciplines

Reading. Reflecting. Resting. Refilling. Reset.

Practicing Sabbath.

I may just see beauty in the weeds of life…

 

 

 

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