Blessed is She
Hey Love,
“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!””
Luke 1:45 NIV
Over the weekend I had an in-depth conversation with a close friend and one of the things we talked about was the journey of our friendship. My friend and I had a near fallout last year. I wrote about the experience in my journal, prayed about it, and sincerely gave it over to the Lord. That experience was very hurtful to me; in the midst of it I prayed and encouraged myself to be still and trust God. Over a year later, I read that raw journal entry to my friend. We talked about it and how we perceived that experience differently. More than anything, she and I belly laughed about the whole thing. What a blessing. What was once pain turned to joy. During our talk I kept thinking of Luke 1:45, a scripture I typically associate with achieving a goal, not mourning into laughter. But God did that.
Hope vs Expectation
In the last post I wrote about a wild dream of mines that's blooming and I shared in my manifesto that this month I'm practicing sharing my journey and what I'm hoping for. Both of these are new personal developments for me. Over the summer, I came across the following in Sarah Breathnach's Simple Abundance "expectation is the emotional investment the ego makes in a particular outcome". This really struck me and shifted my paradigm. Often in the past I shy away from thinking or enjoying the wait of something I'm looking forward to. There's this notion that I'll jinx it or that I'm only fooling myself and it won't truly happen like I want it to happen. This has made me hesitant in sharing my hopes and dreams with others. The fear that they won't be realized as I hope and the fear that others won't celebrate or care. These fears have kept me from the joy of hope.
How to Curate Trust in God
Hey Love,
One of the things I wrote in my manifesto for the month of August was to "curate trust in God". I wrote those words not fully understanding what that meant. Truthfully, I still don't fully grasp that phrase, but I've come to recognize that curating is an ongoing process. When I wrote those words down, it came more from my sub-conscious, my spirit, than my conscious awareness of what they meant. I read and prayed over those words every day in August and I've gleaned a novice interpretation of what it means to curate trust in God. In this post I share 4 ways I'm consciously curating trust in God.
The Struggle is a Gift
Hey Love,
So I'm working my way through the Bible and this week I started Ecclesiastes. A title I still struggle to pronounce and just know I may never be able to spell. Three chapters in and I'm realizing that this book is far more than I previously thought it was. I always got the impression that it's the Debbie Downer of the Bible. What I remember about it was "there's a time and season for everything" and that "we're all going to die". And yes, there is a lot of that, even in the opening chapters, but there's a depth of knowledge I didn't know the Bible spoke about. When I read the following scripture I had to pause and be in awe.
"sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it" Ecc 2:21
A couple years ago I read Deuteronomy and remember being perplexed as to why Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. All the work and toiling he did during that journey and in the end, all he was allowed to do was look out into the Promised Land and never step foot into it. That was God's plan.
Since that realization I've come to view a lot of my work and effort in the same vain. That the vision I have for my life is one I may not get to live. Initially that sounds discouraging, however, I've actually found it to be a source of great motivation and courage.
The battles I face today aren't just my victories, but my children's, my daughters, my families, the greater society. The woman I am today was paved by my ancestors; I stand on the shoulders of giants I have never met. Most of whom I'll never know and don't have a familial connections to.
So when the work gets to heavy for me or I dare to think of quitting I am reminded that this work is not done in vain and not done for my sole purpose. More, I am reminded of what the Teacher of Ecclesiastes wrote:
"There is nothing better for a person that that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil." Ecc 2:24
There are probably endless self-books out there purporting that very same idea: that we should enjoy the work we do. How many times are we reminded of this fact. But I've never heard this passage preached. Maybe I missed that Sunday. But this is a principle I fully believe and credit to population culture. So to read it from God's Word is awe inspiring.
There's a beautiful connection to our work being for a greater purpose and choosing to enjoy each step. I think of the Lysa Terkeurst quote I shared in the last post and one that's been on my heart "a well-lived life is chosen one day at a time." When I view the work I do as part of this larger mission I can more easily make peace with the challenging bits. I can chose to live well each day because I showed up for my self and for future generations. To read this guidance in the Bible is truly paradigm shifting.
We're given a mission and a short time to complete it on this planet. There is a time for all we must do and a season for doing it. As the Teacher of Ecclesiastes writes, "take pleasure in all [this] toil, this is God's gift to man." Ecc 3:13
Faithfully,
Marie