I believe that right here and right now, we have been made for this. You. Me. This generation and in this time we are fully equipped to not crumble but instead rise above the chaos and do our part to bring it into order for ourselves and those around us. We were made to live a beautiful life. There is a still small voice whispering this truth within us and if we allow our pace to slow and our mind to quiet we will know it in the unexplainable place within us. I have the image of Glenda, the good witch, reminding me that I have the power within me.
This moment in time has become so loud. Every day in ways subtle and not so others try desperately to convince us that life is a zero end game. In order for someone or a collective group of people to win, someone has to lose. To add even more frenzy, time feels so short so urgency is absolute. I just don't believe that to be so. I believe this life is about a slow role refining and we are all in it together.
Our current media, in all of its various forms, is the low hanging fruit. It is both overwhelming and confusing but even more so dangerous in my view is it's polarizing power. It is dividing and that, no matter how you may see things, is not good. It is not beneficial.
It is overwhelming, I believe, because we were never meant to carry the weight of the whole world on our shoulders. I had a conversation with one of my bests that brought simple yet profound revelation. We talked about the reality of Jesus' time here on earth. His territory was not very big. He had his family. He had His close circle of friends, from all walks of life. He had His community. He had a profound effect and a voice that we still listen to today. He did what He could, what He felt was right and He trusted God to do the rest.
Psalm 37:3 is His direction for us to do the same: Trust in the LORD and do good, dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
I do not want to be one to be blind to the needs of the world. I do not, however, need my news to come in real time all the time full of things that I can do absolutely nothing about. If I find myself becoming overwhelmed with all of this world's troubles which are endless, they always have been, then I freeze. I do nothing for the lack of being able to do everything. If I use only my voice to weigh in on a smidge of any topic reported, I open myself up to vulnerability and possible argument that I am not prepared for because the whole story is so hard to come by. Silence seems the result in the zero end game and I cannot rest in that either.
Here then is a fresh perspective for such a time as this.
There are currently, and I am only guessing here, thousands of books inviting us to simplify our lives. It does not get any simpler for me than "Trust the LORD and do good."
I begin most of my days with a quiet time. Sometimes it feels holy and other times it does not. It began as a necessity: Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. Deuteronomy 30:19. One of us was not going to make it out of that season, now so quickly in my rearview mirror, alive. There were 4 of them and only 2 of us and it was hard.
My time in the morning then became a choice and a discipline that grew into a habit and today it is a pure blessing. It is in the quiet where I open the latch to the top of my head and release the bats collected the day before and then allow the LORD to fill me with butterflies of light which fly into my heart. I can then go forward giving those butterflies away all day long. To see someone receive that gift is what speaks satisfaction in the depths and knowing of my soul. It is simply beautiful. It is everything and nothing at all of mine.
This year in addition to Jesus Calling and my Bible I have been keeping a devotional journal that my mom gave me for Christmas last year. This week's thoughts came from a verse in Proverbs and the question was: Where do you see salvation, service and wisdom in your life? My answer came quickly.
Salvation is my foundation. It is my security blanket. It is Jesus with me.
My service is everything I do: My family and all the care and keeping of them as they grow and multiply and age. It is my job at the little shop in the Heights, the NOOK. It is the art of photography. It is the interaction with those in my community. Community is defined as a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. My community, out my front door and in my small town, is where I believe I am meant to be effective. I can trust the whole world to the LORD and I can do good in my own family and community. That seems doable. That does not overwhelm me. That allows me to rest well at night knowing today was enough.
My wisdom, well now that is a brand new concept for me to embrace. Wisdom is rich prayer without a lot of words. It is thought invoking conversation. It is an open ear to listen. It is a brand new place to write that has been in me all along. Oh Glenda, you got me again.
I pray that this inspires, you with no pressure to be or to become something that you are not already.
You are exactly what we need in such a time as this.
11.26.22
Louie
My view from the red chair this morning.
Books referenced:
Jesus Calling by Sarah Young
5 minute Daily Prayer Journal by Jocasta Odom