Heather Holleman's Blog, page 112

Snow Falling on Berries

The Big Storm Coming–17 Inches!

Today we receive many weather alerts to prepare for tomorrow. Our Pennsylvania town will enjoy at least 17 inches of snow. For my readers in the south, this means we pull out the snow boots and gloves, the shovels and the salt, and the mittens and the scarves. We’ll dress in thermal layers to shovel snow, walk the neighborhood, and make snowmen in the front yard.

We might even build snow forts.

10 years ago–with this kind of snow–we all made a real igloo. It took all day. The grad students helped, and the igloo lasted till April.

I’m tempted to build another one.

 

 

Rungs on Ladders and Pearls on Strands

This morning I read a wonderful image in God is Enough from Hannah Whitall Smith. She says to imagine all the “homely services of our daily lives and the little sacrifices each day demands” as “rungs in the ladder by which we are mounting to our thrones.” Each little death to self is a rung in the ladder towards our true home, our true identity, and our true calling. I like the image. I can imagine myself before a Spirit-filled task like loving an enemy or surrendering my rights to my own way and whispering, “Well, it’s a rung in my ladder.”

Each day, I’m climbing higher and closer to home.

The image resonates with something a woman told me after I had my first child. Every day felt impossible. She told me to imagine I was building a life like I was making a great long strand of pearls. Each day I completed with God’s power was a fresh strand on the necklace. What I love about the pearl imagery is how pearls are made–through friction, abrasion, and irritation. Every hard day that came reminded me that I was making a pearl from the day. At the end of the day, I pictured stringing the pearl on my necklace. One day, I would wear the completed necklace with joy.

Rungs and pearls. If it’s a hard day for you of what feels like sacrifice and impossible tasks, think of today as a step up and a pearl added.

More Like Elizabeth

Do you know what I love about the story of Mary visiting Elizabeth in Luke 1:39 and onward? It’s Elizabeth’s attitude and good character. To set the scene, Mary knows she’s having the baby Jesus, so she travels to her relative’s home in a hurry. She was probably overwhelmed and in great need of support from Elizabeth. But what we often forget is Elizabeth’s own situation:

Think about it. She’s pregnant after never having children. As an older woman, this miracle surely deservers more attention. And Zechariah still cannot say a word! Elizabeth has so much to think about, so much to focus on, and so much to consider for her own life. She’s having a baby, too.

But when Mary comes to visit her, Elizabeth immediately shifts her focus to become a great host (Mary stayed with her for 3 months) and a great encourager (she blesses Mary rather loudly and centers her attention on Jesus and not her own baby or her own plans). We observe no jealousy, comparison, or complaining about the situation. We observe nothing but blessing and care for Mary.

What does Elizabeth know that allows for this attitude and behavior?

I imagine that Elizabeth’s highest joy was already Jesus. And she knew God would take care of her, too. She had His attention and didn’t need everyone to fuss over her. Indeed, when her baby comes, all the neighbors and relatives come to share in her joy (58), her husband can speak again (64), and her baby receives a marvelous prophetic word.

Oh, to live more like Elizabeth with a selfless heart that rejoices over others and cares for them even in the midst of our own complicated lives.

 

Encouragement for Painful Holidays

I remember how, before I understood how I was seated with Christ in the heavenly realms, before I understood how “all seats provide equal viewing of the universe,” and before I realized God has perfect good works prepared in advance for me and my whole family, I lived in jealousy, comparison, and loneliness—especially around the holidays.

It’s the return of the ache you cannot name. It’s lonely. It’s despairing. It’s the feeling that everyone else has found their happy lives but you. You read Christmas card stories of all the joys and success and rich communities of other people, and the jealousy takes over your whole heart. And if you’ve lost loved ones or cannot see them this holiday, everything just feels sad. It’s terrible.

The feelings wash over me like they wash over you. It’s the shadow narrative that a better life awaits you somewhere else. How do you heal? How do you escape the despair? The greatest intervention of the Holy Spirit in my life (apart from leading me initially to know Jesus) involved rescuing me from the certain despair of comparing my life to others and not embracing the life right before me. God used Ephesians 2:6, but He’s most recently led me to discover in fresh ways the truths proclaimed in Psalms 61-63. I thought these would encourage a hurting heart today:

David talks about his overwhelmed heart that feels covered in darkness. He cries to the Lord, “Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.” It’s a prayer I pray to rise above any circumstance, any pain, any despair. I then note this profound and life-changing truth as David says, “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

In the margin of my Bible, I note the things I want that I believe will bring me true rest, true contentment, true joy. Is it more friends? More experiences? More presents? What are yours? What if the true joy came from “God alone” and no change apart from Him would actually increase your peace and joy?

In Psalm 63, we read “My soul thirsts for you.” For God! The sadness I’ve felt in life was always a soul-thirst for God. David explains that God’s love is “better than life” (3) and that His love will make our souls “be satisfied as with the riches of foods.” I circled that verse when I was 18 years old because I wanted so desperately to believe this and know God like this. And nearly two decades later, I did. 

I pray we know this in a deeper way than ever before. Christmas has always been about rescue, and today, we might understand how Jesus rescues us from the pain the holiday season often awakens in so many of us.

The Longest Sleep

A little girl–my sweet neighbor–stands in my front yard and asks me a question:

“Do you know which animal sleeps the longest?” she asks.

“A sloth?” I suddenly find myself caught up in the mystery of it. Her eyes sparkle as she’s about to reveal the answer. She’s so happy with the discovery of this thing she’s about to tell me.

“A snail! They can sleep for 3 years.” We stand there, marveling.

I can’t stop thinking about the snail that sleeps for 3 years. She must, when the conditions aren’t favorable for her survival, go to sleep. She sleeps for as long as it takes.

I feel like I’ve been in hibernation or some kind of sleep in this COVID world. It feels like we’re all sleeping snails. When conditions change, we’ll emerge again. It happens in nature all the time. Bees and bears hibernate, and so do chipmunks apparently. I’m learning to embrace it, I suppose. We must. Even if it takes three years.

5 Unusual Rituals of Wellness

My university–like many others around the nation–will institute “Wellness Days” next semester instead of sending everyone home for Spring Break (which is canceled). My syllabus will include several of these “Wellness Days.” It’s such a fun phrase to consider. What would happen on your Wellness Day if someone gave you one?

As you know, I think about wellness and mental health every day; I say that managing mental health is a full-time job for some of us. I’m sure you know the usual rituals of wellness that include nutrition, exercise, sleep, relationships, gratitude journals, less social media, etc., but today I’d thought I’d offer some unusual rituals of wellness I’ve learned over the years. I add these to my wellness toolbox of journaling, gratitude, daily walking, nutrition, laughter, and prayer.

These practices create a kind of “soul wellness” that we often forget in our attempt to create physical well-being. Here are my top 5 Unusual Wellness Rituals that promise blessing and reward in the Bible:

Forgive someone who has hurt you (Matthew 6:14).
Bless other people with a gift or an act of service, especially your enemy (Luke 6:28).
Do things “in secret” like prayer, giving, fasting (Matthew 6:4; 6:6).
Sow peace instead of stirring up controversy (James 3:18; Proverbs 10:12).
Share resources with others who need them (Isaiah 58:7-9).

Why are these rituals of wellness? Well, when we forgive, we cleanse our heart from bitterness that corrupts the soul. When we bless others, we take our eyes off ourselves and our needs and gain a special joy; we know as Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” Next, Jesus tells us how our Heavenly Father rewards “what is done in secret” in regard to prayer, giving, and fasting. We build up our inner life away from public perception and public performance. We also know that as we sow peace, we “reap a harvest of righteousness” and give our lives a break from constant tension and drama.

But perhaps most significantly, we read in Isaiah 58 how, if we meet the needs of those around us, we’ll experience a special kind of well-being. We read this: “Your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”

So when I think about my “Wellness Days,” I remember to ask what Jesus tells us about a lifestyle that puts us on a path to well-being. When I enact the 5 Unusual Rituals of Wellness, I find greater and greater well-being that goes deep into my soul.

The Cookie Factory

All This You

I often leave students with my favorite quotes from Mary Pipher’s book Writing to Change the World. I think about her words as I shape my own life as a writer and speaker. As you consider your own writing and speaking life, consider her words:

“You have something to say that no one else can say. Your history, your unique sensibilities, your sense of place, and your language bestow upon you a singular authority. . . All of this individuality that is you, properly understood and clearly presented, is a tremendous gift to the world. It is a one-of-a-kind view of the universe.”

I like to remind my students and myself that when we clearly and authentically present our ideas, they do indeed offer a great gift simply because of who we are. Nobody else in the entire world knows what you know in the way that you know it. Nobody else has seen what you have seen in the way you’ve seen it. Who but you can tell us about it? Who but you?

On public speaking, Pipher advises us clearly. She writes:

“My best advice is to love your audiences. Be present with them. Form a small community in the time you have together. If you love them as neighbors and family members, they will know it, and they will allow you into their hearts. Then you can create moments for them in which transformation is possible.”

As another semester ends, I leave students and hope they’ve gained confidence as writers. I’ve hoped they’ve grown to love themselves and others more.

All the Delights for You

This morning, I pause over Psalm 36:8 regarding people who find refuge in God. David writes to God, “They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.” I look up the verse so I can see the original Hebrew (I use blueletterbible.org).

As I look at some of the Hebrew words, I learn how those taking refuge in God are so filled with His abundance that it’s like being drunk. It’s like being filled with God’s intoxicating goodness. It’s a drenching, a soaking up, of God’s love. And this river of delights we then drink from? It’s the same word for Eden–for paradise. I think this: Those who find refuge in God are so happy it’s like they’re intoxicated; they find themselves in a new Eden of joy and pleasure in God. 

Christmastime makes me think of perpetual delights. Everywhere you turn, you find joyful lights, warm beverages, tasty treats. You hear music and laughter. You feel cozy all day long. You live with anticipation of the presents to come. It’s a state of hope, love, peace, and joy.

Abundant delight. 

I pray we learn how to feast and how to drink. The table is set. We can ask God to teach us how enjoy Him like this more and more.