Wow, I can't begin to tell you how good it is to see you, dear friends!
I had no idea when I'd ever be back in the saddle again, laptop open and active. And then when I started to think about returning, well, the sky fell in and life shifted drastically.
More about that another day.
I realized I was yearning to hear your 2 cents, wisdom, observations, and insight again. To cultivate encouragement and a deeper faith in Christ through our shared conversation and community.
I admire those astute and organized readers who keep a well-organized journal of every quote that grabs their heart and begs for their attention. I wish I had done that along the way.
Instead, I have pieces of paper strewn about in drawers, ripped out of magazines, used as bookmarks, lost in a random pile somewhere. But this quote from the recent Gordon College magazine, Stillpoint, was just too good to be tucked away.
Whatever you have lost, whatever you watched dissolve away and whatever is yet to disappear in the coming months, please do not allow expectancy to go, too ...
Gather up your strength, wrap your arms around hope and expectancy and drag it with you into the days to come. There is work to be done in this new day. There is learning and exploring ahead. And there is purpose and meaning calling you forward.
- Heidi Forget, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W.
Many of us can't help ruminating for far too long over all we've lost this year. Vast changes and ongoing challenges have been the name of the game and have impacted us in almost every area of life. Some are quick to adjust and move ahead, while others are having trouble navigating each and every turn.
The downsides of this year seep into every conversation. This is a wearisome quicksand, an exhausting quagmire that has halted us in our tracks and slowly turned us inward instead of outward and upward.
This has nothing to do with faulty character or a lack of faith. God has designed us to embrace routines and rhythms, serendipity and adventure, purpose and freedom in the company of others.
But truth be told, much has dissolved away like melting snow in springtime ... and most likely may not return. We can't reclaim the months, the plans, the dreams, the gatherings that we have had to relinquish.
But hope is the name of the game. It is what God has called us to. Primarily hope in who He is, His unchanging presence, His holy character, His gospel plan, His promises for the future.
So let's be honest about what we've experienced. Let's continue to grieve and mourn even as we adjust and make fresh choices. Those words expectancy, learning, exploring, purpose, and meaning are sheer gold simply awaiting our choosing.
Let's go there. By His grace.
And if you are beyond weary and find that beautiful expectancy illusive or laughable, there's no need for you to be responsible for mustering up your own strength and dragging anything anywhere. His strength is perfect when our strength is gone. And the Lord specializes in carrying us tenderly and gently into a new day, an unknown season, an immense harvest field begging for workers to share His lovingkindness to a world gone crazy.
He is able.
Linda
Welcome back, Linda! It is good to see you post although I confess I am concerned reading your words that the sky fell in and that life shifted drastically. I am praying for you and yours.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your encouragement to expect, learn, explore... to find meaning and purpose... and to see God's "new". Those are the rewards for doing the hard work of walking through the valley.
For many years I've used the mantra, "Nothing Is Wasted." This phrase softens my heart and gives me hope when I'm suffering and feeling no hope. I may not be ready or excited for "new" but I can hold on to the truth that God.Uses.It.All.And.Wastes.Nothing. N.O.T.H.I.N.G.
Shalom, Carla
To look ahead at what might be new and fresh and awesome sure beats endlessly talking about what we've had to deal with. Opportunities are going to sprout up wherever we look. If we're too busy gazing into the rear view mirror, we risk missing what God is inviting us to!
DeleteThanks for being here, Carla. And although the sky fell in and the past month has been an immense challenge, all is well. God is good.
I don't know why, but I feel compelled to share an additional thought... I absolutely believe in the message of Hope and New and I KNOW God uses everything in our lives for His ultimate purpose and glory.
DeleteHowever, I also believe, as the writer of Ecclesiastes says, there is a time for everything. And I believe we are all uniquely made. Because of that we each grieve differently, as you alluded to in your post. :) Sometimes the message of Hope and New can unintentionally offend people who are in acute or complicated mourning. These people can feel pushed or pressured to put on a happy face before they should. They live a life of "Sunday School Answers" instead of a life of authenticity. Ultimately that comes back to bite them and they have layers of unresolved grief to work through.
It is important for us as Christians to acknowledge our own grief and find safe places to process our own grief. We are also called to companion others who are grieving, knowing the timeline and journey is different for everyone. Please know I am not countering the message of Hope and New! For me, finding myself in a place of expecting and experiencing Hope and New is usually the RESULT of having gone THROUGH the dark (that might look pretty drawn out or negative to other people).
"Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house so that new joy can find space to enter." -Rumi
Thank you for your generosity and kindness in creating a space for such conversation,
Carla
I am so happy you continued this dialogue with us, Carla, because it is so important. You're absolutely right. Many of us continue to grieve, our losses have been great, and we're still sorting through and processing and releasing them to our Healer.
DeleteNo one likes those stupid pat answers and people's intolerance for our own personal mourning only creates a deeper frustration that stalls our journey through the valley.
Over time I've learned, with some surprise, that grief can co-mingle with joy, sorrow with laughter, anguish with hope. It's hard to believe how this works until we actually experience it ourselves. We are so fearfully and wonderfully designed! God is so merciful to take us there.
I hope you'll find this place to be a safe community. You're in good company right where you are. I aim to be honest in this space, yet filled with compassion and empathy, hope and joy.
Again, thanks for returning to continue where we left off. Sure wish it could be in person!
Holding two opposites with one hand... Truth! :)
DeleteCarla
;-}
DeleteI’m happy to have you back again. It’s nice to read your words and writing and the quote is also a good one.
ReplyDeleteAnd I really enjoyed your calming and homey snapshots in recent weeks, friend!
DeleteGood to hear from you Linda. Hope your time away was fruitful. You know...during this season I never lost hope. I clung to it because if one takes away hope there is nothing left. Even as the church had to shut down for awhile, I was hopeful (and still am) that life will return. Not to normal but to a better normal. But whatever happens God is sovereign and I trust Him to do what He deems best.
ReplyDeleteA better normal. Yes, Bill ... God specializes in redeeming those seasons that 'the locusts have eaten.'
DeleteBe encouraged today.
Nice to see you again Linda. Praying all is well with you and family dear lady. Speaking of HOPE.....Boy, it surely has become all the more clear to me that God's Words hold true...A people without HOPE with perish. Hugs and blessings, Cindy P.S. Holding onto HOPE in Christ.
ReplyDeleteWe become what we focus on.
DeleteI'm with you, I want to see through lenses of hope, Cindy. May the Spirit fill us to overflowing!
It has been a strange year, and being a processor, I think it will take me some time to process it all. Hope though, is a driving force that God planted and we can hold on to. My writing group just released a book of short stories on hope. It was a project that seemed to take longer than expected yet it's timing for release is perfect. God's got this all, in His perfect timing. Nice to see your words here again!
ReplyDeleteHi Lynn, I'm with you about being a processor! I think we will continue to mull over, sift through, pray over all that continues to unfold. It's how God designed us, yes?
DeleteAmazing the time of your publication on hope! For such a time as this, for sure ...
So good to see you here again, Lina!
ReplyDeleteOK, so what, life's off the rails,
handbasket bound for hell,
but these are trivial details
in the life I'm living well,
counting up my sunrises,
doing judo in the dark,
cherishing the small surprises
like the sweetly-singing lark
who doesn't know that life has changed,
and doesn't really care;
his world's not been re-arranged,
for who can alter air?
It' he from whom I'll take my cue,
song-flying 'till my days are through.
Inspiring, Andrew!
DeleteYes, let's take all our cues from the only One who knows what's happening, who has all power and mercy!
Thanks for the prompt to keep our eyes on Jesus, not on politicians, talking heads, naysayers, and social media insanity.
Welcome back, my friend! You say well what we all have experienced in varying degrees. At the outset of things in 2020, we believed we would be beyond so many of these things we needed to let go of. That was not the design or the way and though we would not prefer this season or year, God has been in the mix, shaping us, reminding us where our hope and sustenance lays, and reminding us we who know Him are citizens of heaven and our identity is not from anything here on earth.
ReplyDeleteMany hugs and blessings to you, my friend♥️
You've said it all, Pam, right here --> 'God has been in the mix, shaping us, reminding us where our hope and sustenance lays, and reminding us we who know Him are citizens of heaven and our identity is not from anything here on earth.'
DeleteYour words provide a much-needed reality check for when we begin to lean toward defining our days by the latest Covid numbers or the political crazymaking.
Our hope is in Him. Amen.
I am overjoyed that you're back, Linda, and with such wonderful words of encouragement to share with us all! Yes, this year has been so tough, but I refuse to dwell on what might have been, and focus on the joy and hope of what will be. God has and will continue to see us through these uncertain days, and we can lean into Him, trusting that He has our best interests at heart.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Martha, yes! Focusing 'on the joy and hope of what will be.'
DeleteLove this.
Wow, what an encouraging post. Thank you. I battle a subtle but pervasive unsettledness each day, wondering when the next train wreck is going happen. I "get out my head" and stop the incessant "dress rehearsal for disaster" (heard this on Brené Brown's podcast) by moving and creating. I catch glimpses of expectancy but they are elusive.
ReplyDeleteKathreen, you're so right. Most of us are battling 'a subtle but pervasive unsettledness,' if not daily, then often enough that it is impacting us more than we'd care to admit.
DeleteAnd those who were already prone to see the glass half full before 2020, most certainly are likely to be living in full 'dress rehearsal for disaster.'
I'm thinking of 2 Corinthians 10: 5 where Paul encourages his readers to 'take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.'
God can cradle us in the comfort of expectancy. Saying 'yes' to His invitation sometimes seems impossible. But He is able to woo us there, under His wings, where He protects our souls.
I love that. And I'm so glad you're here.
So good to see you again! I appreciate your words and your focus on hope rings true in my heart as well.
ReplyDeleteGod has re-directed our plans and given us a new vitality in just the past month. We too now have a new and, possibly, a better normal. We see His fingerprints everywhere.
To God be the glory!
A new vitality! Possibly, a better normal. Seeing His fingerprints everywhere!
DeleteYes, yes, these are encouraging words that we need to keep hearing, keep sharing, keep claiming.
Allison, thank you.
So, so thankful to hear from you today, sweet friend. You are beyond precious to us all and when you aren't here, your presence is sorely missed. Love you and appreciate you so much and continuing to pray for you.
ReplyDeleteYour warm words are like a lovely blanket on a cool evening, Cheryl. Your prayers have meant the world and have touched the heart of God and reassured me that I am not alone.
DeleteBless you.
I'm one of those who keeps quotes in notebooks on my computer though never as organized as I'd like. This one is a KEEPER. Thanks for sharing it and Welcome Back!!
ReplyDeleteIt's good to be out and about online again. I feel a bit like I've come home again.
DeleteThanks, Debby!
Welcome back, Linda! I am so happy to be reading your words again! Can I be honest and say that I've struggled with looking forward to things because I'm always fearful they'll never come to pass. So, I don't hold to expectancy, but rather I hold things at a distance. I did have something I held out anticipation for, but it didn't happen. But God . . . His ways are perfect, even when they are disappointing. I'm still learning how to hold onto expectancy. And I'm remembering to consistently look to the Lord who is my hope, even in disappointing times.
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, Jeanne. I'm thinking of several people I care about who live in that place of fearing that nothing good will never come to pass, that the next disaster is around the corner. Holding 'things at a distance' does seem safer.
DeleteYour words are an encouragement to those who wearily hold that half empty glass. Your faith in God even in disappointment is a strong testimony that so many need to hear.
For sure, our ways and our timing are often not His. But we trust in His character, His love, and believe He holds our souls in His tender hands.
I appreciate your authenticity. Always, friend. Bless you.
* That 2nd sentence in my reply should read 'nothing good will ever come to pass'
DeleteSorry!
We have two choices: to go under in a whirlwind of despair and regrets, or to look forwards in hope and trust in God.
ReplyDeleteWhich one does He want us to do?
God bless.
WWJD?
DeleteYes?
I'm guessing that He'd speak peace to the whirlwind. And find His Father's presence there.
Thank you. Gail
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Gail ...
DeleteWhat a nice surprise to “see” you in my inbox.
ReplyDeleteI do not feel deprived of anything caused by pandemic except not seeing my MA son. I don’t fear every germ. I do see such innovative things happening in our churches, entertainment, even neighborhood movie nights on the lawn. I love the gym and pool regulations that gives me an entire lane to not have to share to do laps. My schedule did not change.
But my devotional by Paul David Tripp pierced my heart this month: “A thing I can’t live without, such that I DOUBT God’s love when it is absent, becomes a functional God-replacement, directing my heart more than He does.” Ouch!
Peace, friend
Carol, hey dear friend.
DeleteThanks for the heads up to watch out for innovative things happening all around us in our neighborhoods, churches, and even at the pool!
Your words are a super prompt for us to be aware of the good things happening ... and step out and be a part of creative solutions.
Miss you.
❤️
ReplyDelete;-}
DeleteSuch a blessing to read these words this week, Linda. It's an important message for this moment, I think. God is doing a new thing. Not that He ever stopped, of course, but maybe now we are paying more attention? Sending love and hugs your way, my friend.
ReplyDeleteYou're so right friend. He never stopped. We've just been overwhelmed by the uncertainty, the fear, the unkindness, the crazymaking, the numbers.
DeleteHe is indeed doing a new thing. Now ... to keep our eyes focused on Him rather than everything else that wearies us.
Hope is something I look for and think a lot about. A beautiful reminder like this post is always helpful for me to refocus. There's a whole lot to learn, and my purpose is ever evolving. Thank YOU for adding meaning to my day! You and your family are in my prayers. Be well, friend.
ReplyDeleteYou're keyed into where people are, Barbara. I can't tell you how many conversations I've had with women who say that they don't know what their purpose is in this season. Yes, it is evolving!
DeleteAnd hopefully in ways that will benefit others greatly and make the Lord smile down on us ...
Like everyone, I was grateful to read this post. May every seed of disappointment or challenges fall into the ground and bring forth a harvest of purpose and joy in your life. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteOh thanks, Joanne. What a kind contribution to our dialogue this morning!
DeleteIt was so good to see you in my inbox yesterday, Linda. You always encourage and inspire. I choose to wrap my arms around hope!
ReplyDeleteYour beautiful autumn vignettes have been such a calming, pretty presence in my life this season, Pam. Especially that wonderful little cottage!
Delete;-}
So glad to read your words again, Linda! As always, I'm encouraged. This is a wonderful quote. I think for most of the last six months I've been waiting for it all to be over, but now that we know significant restrictions are likely to be in place here for at least another six months, I think it's time to find that expectancy again and move forward with hope, even if it's not going to be "normal."
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Lesley. The powers that be kept insisting that this was going to be over any day. But this is a new disease, and one that will require much study over treatment and long term impact on health.
DeleteI can't help but think that this is our new normal. I'm taking great comfort in knowing that God is not surprised and He can bring beauty from ashes.
Please, Lord ...
So good to hear from you again, dear friend! Thank you for these wonderful ruminations on expectancy. What a powerful word. When I read the title "Are You Expecting?" I thought immediately of the times I was pregnant and thought "No way!!!" I am encouraged to find expectancy again. It is something worth searching for in these days that seem so dark. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing more than a few readers were taken back with that pregnancy connection!
Delete;-}
But I guess maybe it's apt. For we are all in the process of birthing ... the grieving, the adjusting, the anticipation, new ways of doing life, fresh purpose, caution, etc. ...
One day at a time.
Thank you for this reminder of hope Linda. I look forward to reading more from you and getting to know you! I'm visiting today from the Grace and Truth link up. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteMarielle, welcome! I am happy to meet you this morning ...
DeleteIt has been a tumultuous year for sure. Your words remind me of the Message version of Romans 15:13, where the author calls God the 'God of green hope.'
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, Anita!
DeleteI love that quote to keep expectancy alive. Sometimes I can drop it, for fear of getting my hopes up then dashed. Thanks for reminding me to never give up on hoping on God. He is able. Indeed! I've missed you, friend. I'm glad to see you here again.
ReplyDeleteLisa, hi! Yep, that fear of our hopes being dashed thwarts our efforts to be courageous, to forge ahead, to reach out. Your thoughts remind me of 1 John 4:18 ... 'perfect love casts out fear.'
Delete