If I could choose one word to sum up my life right now, it would be transition. Transition means that something-or many things-are changing, but the process of change has not yet been completed. It's that painful, uncomfortable in-between phase when you're caught in the middle of two places at once, not fully in either place. And change is hard for me. I have learned to not like change. I have learned to not trust the ones who make changes that affect me. So when change comes, along comes a whirlwind of emotion. In the whirlwind is fear, uncertainty, anxiety, loneliness. A bunch of yucky things that I would rather not wallow in by further elaborating. But you get the picture.
In this season of my life, little actually makes clear sense...yet. Since it is a transition, I have not arrived to the "other side" of the change. It's still in progress. And sure, we can make the case that our entire life is one big transition and we won't get to the "other side" until we reach heaven. No dispute there. But what I am talking about here are the smaller, yet very big-seeming at the time, transitions of change throughout life. Maybe you are going through some major life transitions yourself. Perhaps you just had your first baby, or just had a baby period. Or your youngest child is in their first year of school and you no longer have kids at home with you during the day. Maybe the empty nest is right around the corner for you. Or you just got married. Maybe you've moved away from the place you call home or you got a new job or you've retired. Whatever your transition is, I bet you can relate to feeling caught up in a whirlwind of less than desirable emotions.
The resounding question in my mind during this season has been, "What's my default posture?" In other words, what's my "go-to". When life doesn't make sense yet, when I can't see what God is doing yet, when it hasn't come around full circle yet, how do I cope in the meantime? How do you cope? How do we keep ourselves "okay" as we make our way through seasons of uncertainty and instability? Maybe we would think to pray more or delve deeper and more frequently into God's word or do some other form of work to help ourselves feel more under control or at peace. And those may very well help also. But you know what I have found to be my best posture for times like these? Sitting. Or laying. In God's presence. That's right, I don't do anything. Even if only for a few moments, I cease to strive and I end up thriving in the midst of it all.
Did you know that He delights in our doing this very thing? Did you know that He wants us to sit with Him and that He waits for us to do so? The essence of relationship is being with someone. The doing, the works, should be an outpouring of our being. And when we just sit with Jesus and spend time with Him, not trying to please Him or expecting anything from Him, but having only the intent to deepen the relationship, something amazing happens. He rubs off on us. The King of the universe rubs off on us. His very nature and character is peace, stability, consistency, predictability, love, joy, faithfulness and a million other things! So the more time I spend just letting His nature rub off on me, the more I will become like Him. The more I am able to have a peaceful posture when chaos surrounds. And that my friends, is my recipe for dealing with all the unexpected that life throws at us! Won't you take a seat at His table? He is waiting for you, Beloved.
Friday, April 3, 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Information Overload
Thank God for Google. It really is cool and amazing that we have any tidbit of knowledge available at just the click of a mouse (or tap of the finger for us smart phone users) . If I want to find a recipe that uses truffle oil, I can Google it and countless options come up within seconds. If my baby has a fever, I can find out when it's serious enough to call the doctor. If I want to know the best way to fold a fitted sheet or how to make a burlap flower, I can look it up and watch a video showing how to do it in step-by-step fashion. Facebook even offers a wide range of information and articles on all subjects to read, and not to mention all the thoughts and obscure details in the life of the individual. The sky is the limit when it comes to what's available on the internet.
But with that I have a confession to make... Lately all this readily available information has been somewhat of a downfall for me as well. Not only is there a lot of good factual information out there that is helpful, there are also a LOT of opinions. On every subject. Like food choices, parenting styles, how to discipline (or not discipline) your kids, theology, handling money... The list is endless really. These are just a couple of the biggies.
Let's use food as an example. I may read an article about how we must eat all organic, free-range, grain-fed, meat, dairy and eggs with no hormones and no antibiotics, purchased from a local farmer who raises their animals humanely. Then the next day I read an article about couponing and cutting costs at the grocery store and how I could save so much money by purchasing from certain stores or certain brands. The two articles cause me to become conflicted. I feel like I should eat healthier, but I also feel like I should save some money on groceries. The point I am trying to make is that the information overload can cause confusion.
The problem for me with spending too much time reading about what other people think and say about things is that I often miss what God is saying to me about it. This also applies when we're not being careful about whose opinions we seek and listen to. James 1:5-8 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all his ways." Who or what do we go to first when we have a question? What you just read says that if we ask God for wisdom, He gives it to us liberally...when we believe and not doubt. Having too many opinions swirling around in our minds can lead to doubt so quickly!
So here's what I have been doing: I have been taking an unofficial fast from mindlessly reading articles and listening to opinions. In doing this, the interference in my connection line with the Holy Spirit has been diminishing. I am better able to hear His direction for things in my life. I am learning to make more confident decisions this way because I know that my new-developing confidence is coming from the Giver of confidence Himself. Care to join me on this journey?
But with that I have a confession to make... Lately all this readily available information has been somewhat of a downfall for me as well. Not only is there a lot of good factual information out there that is helpful, there are also a LOT of opinions. On every subject. Like food choices, parenting styles, how to discipline (or not discipline) your kids, theology, handling money... The list is endless really. These are just a couple of the biggies.
Let's use food as an example. I may read an article about how we must eat all organic, free-range, grain-fed, meat, dairy and eggs with no hormones and no antibiotics, purchased from a local farmer who raises their animals humanely. Then the next day I read an article about couponing and cutting costs at the grocery store and how I could save so much money by purchasing from certain stores or certain brands. The two articles cause me to become conflicted. I feel like I should eat healthier, but I also feel like I should save some money on groceries. The point I am trying to make is that the information overload can cause confusion.
The problem for me with spending too much time reading about what other people think and say about things is that I often miss what God is saying to me about it. This also applies when we're not being careful about whose opinions we seek and listen to. James 1:5-8 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all his ways." Who or what do we go to first when we have a question? What you just read says that if we ask God for wisdom, He gives it to us liberally...when we believe and not doubt. Having too many opinions swirling around in our minds can lead to doubt so quickly!
So here's what I have been doing: I have been taking an unofficial fast from mindlessly reading articles and listening to opinions. In doing this, the interference in my connection line with the Holy Spirit has been diminishing. I am better able to hear His direction for things in my life. I am learning to make more confident decisions this way because I know that my new-developing confidence is coming from the Giver of confidence Himself. Care to join me on this journey?
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