And then I promptly launched headlong into a week that was anything but.
The time change impacted me like it would a two year old, periods of sadness collided with moments of elation, we enjoyed a bunch of gatherings with friends, decisions vied for my attention. I celebrated clients' victories and a daughter's new job and my husband's 65th birthday, I was processing news that knocked me sideways, and we were out more evenings than we were in.
The days offered little solitude or silence or time just to be.
By last night, I didn't know if I was coming or going.
There is a need to recognize, respect, and honor the place that God has allowed us to be in right now.
We're not in the season we emerged from last year or reveled in a decade ago. The here and now presents its own unique blend of deep mystery and unforeseen miracles, ever-present griefs and prayerful expectations.
We do well to recognize the impact of all the drama that whirls around us, leaving our souls breathless, our minds numb, our bodies spent.
How do we walk through these days ordained for us in ways that are pleasing to Christ ... and yet honor the truth that this is who we are right now?
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Last night I crawled into bed with my journal and a good long talk with the Lord. Five pages later of purple ink outpourings, the air cleared and I experienced that sacred re-calibration that comes when we offer ourselves to His loving kindness and invite Him to whisper peaceful direction to our overwrought souls.
He is the calm we're seeking. In His presence is fullness of joy and clarity for our ricocheting thoughts and spent emotions and overloaded schedules.
He is our peace right in the midst of crazytown. Go forth, friends ~
Linda
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Sometimes our best intentions to take it slow get sabotaged by life. You know the old saying "We make plans and God laughs"!
ReplyDeleteExactly, Laurie!
DeleteOh to have courage to set boundaries and make plans ... and then hold them all up to the Lord in open hands.
It seems that life has, laughing, said,
ReplyDelete"That that, and that, and THAT!
You're on the way to being dead,
and now you're on the mat."
Caught in this mad spinning gyre
of blood and pue and pain,
I guess it's OK to inquire:
will I, can I, rise again?
So much seems lost and shattered,
beyond the balm of gentle care;
I'd like to think it mattered,
what I have gone through here.
It's hard to see my victory,
but I believe in Calvary.
Amen. We believe in Calvary.
DeleteAnd when all is said and done, everything else, all the pain and sorrow and trauma will fade in the light of His glory.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Clarity....yes, that does bring calm. xx
ReplyDeleteAnd most of us require some kind of solitude to see the writing on the wall ...
DeleteCrazytown describes these recent days for me, but fortunately, I have made time to simply be still and let God in more fully. What a joy that is!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Linda!
You hit the nail on the head, Martha, making those choices to invite God into the chaos ...
DeleteThankfully, He's not befuddled, alarmed, or thrown by what's all around us.
Thanks for this nudge toward His loving heart.
oh how I need that re-calibration from time to time. I'm 67, working full-time with Jo retired and wanting me to slow down and semi-retire. Not possible financially but more than that...I don't want to. But I do need to find balance. Two months or so ago i had one of those moments. "I comment you for your works, your hard work...but you have left your first love." Ouch! Moment of re-calibration.
ReplyDeleteYes, there is a balance, a rhythm, that helps us do the long haul well. It's easy to let it slip away in the tyranny of the urgent and the 24/7 demands of ministry.
DeletePraying for you even as we speak, Bill, as you tend your flock and love your wife well.
He is able.
Sigh. I've been in a season of busy--and even though it's great stuff, my new granddaughter!--it still can deplete me if I don't get time away to be alone with the Lord. Thanks for modeling how we can do this, Linda.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, even the joyful events can be exhausting.
DeleteAnd she is a little beauty! I'm so happy for you all!
;-}
I'm sorry for the crazytown that showed up, Linda. I love how you describe that "sacred re-calibration that comes when we offer ourselves to His loving kindness and invite Him to whisper peaceful direction to our overwrought souls." So true. We need it so much to survive. Love and blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteAmen, friend!
DeleteIn Him we survive, we thrive even when all swirls around us ...
Dear friend ... I think I know right where you’re coming from. There’s busy and then there’s ... well, whiplash crazy intense where-did-that-come-from life. I think of the line from the Casting Crowns song (“O My Soul”) that had me in tears at a concert last weekend ... “this was the one thing you didn’t see coming.” I’m sorry for the swirling, Linda. Praying for you today ...
ReplyDeleteYou're sweet and I appreciate those prayers, friend. I'm doing well.
DeleteI caught up on my sleep, I said 'no, thanks' to a few things, have cut way back on being online, and am enjoying additional hours at home.
The key seems to be paying attention, to listen to what our bodies and our emotions and the Spirit are all whispering, and make choices that lead us back to where we want to be.
The 2nd key is to make those choices sooner rather than later.
I feel a blog post comin' on, ya' know?!
* smile *
I love your honesty. The time change totally threw me too and when my emotions are all over the place, I know something is off. I also find great solace in journaling to get to the heart of the matter and recalibrate. God meets me on the pages and reminds me that He has never left me even when it is crazytown.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that just too weird about the time change? That's never happened to me before! Thank you, thank you for reassuring me that I'm not the only one.
Delete* eye roll *
Hi there!
ReplyDeleteWill try this again since the message I left yesterday disappeared. I avoid Google since they track all info and had been okay with signing in with my name and URL. We'll see...
I hear you about crazy days, weeks, etc. I have had several of those weeks of late from an assorted group of things. They impacted me in any number of ways including my sleep. Sometimes I think the enemy is just trying to wear us all down.
One example from the week. I am preparing for a workshop on Exodus next week in MD with my daughter. The assignments for the small group worksheets on two passages are VERY CHALLENGING. Tuesday I had one pretty much in a final draft to let set until Monday when I will review it. The other needed more work, but I had just updated it with quite a lot in it when suddenly Tuesday night I could find it nowhere on my computer despite it being saved. I checked and rechecked and was frustrated to the max. I finally accepted I would need to start over Wednesday AM. I decided to shut down my computer while I had my quiet time Wednesday AM (not just put it to sleep). When I turned it back on, the document was there. I don't have a clue what or how God did it, but the relief was enormous.
Sometimes it isn't even about saying "no" and cutting down the schedule it seems.
Hugs from chilly OH.
Pam
Thanks for weathering the technology here with me, friend, and coming back for another try at leaving a comment. You words always make a difference in my life.
DeleteAnd yes, I hear you about the frustrations of technology, those surprise graces from God when we surrender outcomes, and the truth that even when we do our best to be selective on what we do and don't do, sometimes life happens, and we just have to ride it through.
I take great comfort that God isn't surprised by any of it ... and that He cares about the impact on our spiritual well-being.
I know you've been anticipating this workshop and working hard in prep for it. I look forward to hearing all the details after it unfolds. Bless you through it all, Pam ...