It’s an understood trajectory. High school. College. Marriage. Babies. Society’s idea of success. If you’re feeling stuck in life it’s probably because you’ve bought into the lie you need to do or become this, that, and the other for good things, for a full life.
But God is so much more creative than our cutouts, and we weren’t meant to thrive in our own expectations or in the expectations others have for us. God doesn’t need our boxes to make something beautiful, big, and full of His glory.
I used to love writing poetry. I would fill pages with poems and write them in class when I should have been focused on the lecture. I wasn’t scared to put my emotions on paper and bring out something purposeful. As I got older and blogged more, there seemed to be less space for poetry. For a few years, I wrote very private 4-line “poems” to God as a way of worship and I learned to preserve my talent & creativity for Him alone. That was a beautiful season too.
These last few weeks have been a discouraging time for me as a writer. There are so many good things happening in my life (!!), but the change and transition launched me into a kind of “writing limbo” I didn’t expect. But it’s good to stand still, to float in a season of questioning. In the frustrating days that followed, I realized I wanted to return to things I first loved as a child–writing fictional stories and lots of poetry.
But you know what?
This year, I’m taking you on a journey through my 2019 calendar to show you how simple it is to write one small thing about your life each day. This short exercise has helped me notice, savor, and celebrate my life.
What I love about my record for February 2019 is how much I wrote about nature. I don’t remember everything about that February, but I do remember it being dominated by life and it’s reflected on the calendar. Read more
Pain is a gateway to the best joy & peace. . .God Himself.
It is not that hard & painful things are swept under the rug and dealt with superficially as we tack on Christianese and suck it up. It is moreso that we have no rug or superficial joy or adequate reasoning to turn to. . .so we CLING to the only One who satisfies, who can make sense of senselessness.
We run, fall, cry, and wrestle safely in the Refuge of God. We are upheld, unashamed, and understood. We find our true joy in God because we are finally unable to hide from or ignore the only One who so perfectly comforts, helps, and transforms.
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