Alan Fadling's Blog, page 14

UL #307: The Narrow Way of Jesus (Alan with Rich Villodas)

 

When Jesus calls us to follow him, he invites into a narrow way—onto a narrow path. And narrow doesn’t immediate strike us as inviting. But Jesus also tells us that he’s come so that we could experience an abundant, rich life. That’s inviting. How does the narrow way of Jesus lead us to the sort of fullness he promises? 

 

In my first interview of the Fall season, I’m glad to be able to share a conversation I had with Rich Villodas a few months ago about his new book, The Narrow Path: How the Subversive Way of Jesus Satisfies Our Souls. I love that title. In it, he offers a vision of how following the way of Jesus is what we most deeply and truly want. 

 

Rich Villodas is the Brooklyn-born lead pastor of New Life Fellowship, a large multiracial church with more than seventy-five countries represented in Elmhurst, Queens. Rich holds a Master of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary. He enjoys reading widely, preaching and writing on contemplative spirituality, justice-related matters, and the art of preaching. He's been married to Rosie since 2006 and they have two beautiful children, Karis and Nathan.

 

Previous Unhurried Living Podcast interviews with Rich:

The Deeply Formed Life

Breaking Free from Insecurity: How God’s Love Liberates Us from the Need for Approval

Blog by Alan Fadling

In An Unhurried Leader, I shared that I’ve often been tempted to prove something about myself through the work I do. I behave as though my value is uncertain and needs to be earned or achieved. But to use theological categories, my worth is more a matter of grace than it is a matter of works. That sort of insecurity has been a major driver of hurry in my life. I wonder if you identify.

 

But our value as persons is given us by our Father in heaven. The jury is not out deliberating about this. The Father has already determined that he loves us and delights in us as sons and daughters who belong to him.

 

But so often we still find ourselves seeking something in our work that only God can give us. Insecurity like that is a major motor for hurry. It can drive us to frantic activity that drains us—a frenetic pace that wearies us. It makes such a difference when we bring holy confidence and joy to our work.

 

Again, we are mistaken when we imagine that our worth is hanging in the balance of how well we perform. In this scenario, if you have a productive and successful week, you feel like you matter. If you have a bad week, an unproductive week, a week that feels way more like failure than success, you can feel worthless.

 

In the kingdom of God, we bring worth to our work rather than finding worth there. We express our value rather than establish it through what we do. This has been a paradigm shift for me, one that I’m still making.

 

Let me remind you, because I’ve said this before: Your identity is a gift you’ve already received rather than a paycheck you have to keep earning.

 

In an early chapter of An Unhurried Leader, I wrote, “My leadership has sometimes been a frantic attempt to establish some sense of an identity I feel I don’t yet possess. I’m seeking a God-honoring way of leading that is fueled by a secure sense of the value and identity I have in him. But I’ve too often found myself leading from a place of unholy dissatisfaction rather than from a place of holy satisfaction” (pp. 18-19).

 

Leading from insecurity puts pressure on those I serve. No matter how subtle it may be, I’m communicating that I need something from them. That I need them to be impressed by me. That I need their “Wow!”

 

By the way, insecurity doesn’t always look timid or tentative. Often, especially in leaders, insecurity is expressed in overstatement or overperformance or showy self-expression. Whenever I find myself seeking to impress others, you can bet that insecurity is at the root of that activity.

 

But at my best, I am free from needing anyone else’s “Wow.” The affection of my Father in heaven, which is given rather than earned, is all I need. And I already have access to that now, before I do one impressive thing. The delight of God over me is measureless.

 

When I’ve struggled to trust God’s words of love and pleasure over me, I find myself looking to just about anyone or anything else to prove—or even earn—some sense that I matter. And most of the time I don’t even realize that’s what I’m doing. This is one of the reasons why spiritual disciplines of disengagement are so important for leaders. They help us grow in greater self-awareness. They train us in noticing what’s happening in us right in the middle of the busyness that surrounds us.

 

When I regularly practice solitude and silence, for example, there is no one there to impress with my presence or my words. There is no one from whom I can seek approval. There is only God, and God is not waiting for me to impress him. He already knows all there is to know about me. He already knows my successes and my failures. He already knows my good work and my bad. He knows me fully, and he embraces me as I am.

 

There is a potent line in 1 John 4:16 that I’ve come to love: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”

 

When we talk about knowing the love of God, we can too easily stop at just knowing about God’s love. It’s a verse we’ve memorized. It’s a teaching we’ve heard. It’s an idea we agree with, at least in theory.

 

But John says that he has come to know and rely on the love of God for him. Relying goes deeper. It involves confident experience. God’s love can become rooted and established in us. Relying on God’s love becomes a foundation for who we are and what we do. It produces a holy security that displaces insecurity in us.

 

Knowing and relying on the love of God for us changes everything—inside and out. God’s love sends us confidently as servants into our world.

 

For Reflection:

In what ways does insecurity show up in your life or work? How might it help if you came to more deeply know and rely on God’s love for you?

UL 306: The Power of Raw and Authentic Prayer

 

Long gone are the days when I have the energy to put on any pretense when I talk with God. This has been a welcome and freeing change in my prayer life. 

 

At this point in my journey, it is much more life-giving to simply declare the way things are, rather than trying to tidy up my mess and present it in a nice, neat package.

 

If I’m mad, sad, joyous or frustrated, God already knows, and so I am free to express what is…and meet God right in the middle of it.

 

Unhurried Living Prayer Resoures:

INVISO Prayer Reflection Cards
Unhurried Time with God resource guide
The Practice of Unhurried Prayer

The Hidden Power of the Hero’s Journey

Blog by Gem Fadling

On the list of things you definitely do not need to know is what shows I like to watch in my spare time. But I’m going to share anyway. I really love singing competition shows. Yes, I’m talking about The Voice and American Idol.

 

I’m especially attracted to the mentoring aspects on The Voice. There is something intriguing about an experienced artist finding a diamond in the rough and nurturing them into a more polished performer. I never tire of that storyline.

 

The modus operandi on American Idol is slightly different. The judges aren’t necessarily looking for the best, most well-trained voice. They’re looking for someone who has star quality and a unique style point of view.

 

The one thing both shows have in common is that they tell the contestants’ backstories to draw viewers into their lives. They share a sense of personal drama so our hearts might become attached to them and we will keep watching. When we hear a contestant’s story, we are immediately drawn in and want them to succeed.

 

The show producers often choose to highlight difficulties a contestant has faced in life, and these human-interest stories build as the competition moves forward. My question is this: What is it about a dramatic hardship story that draws us in?

 

Maybe it’s because everyone loves a good underdog story. Hardship taps into our innate love of the Hero’s Journey that is built into every great story and biography. It is a through-line we all relate to because it portrays the truth of how things work in life: We won’t grow in maturity and wisdom unless we make our way through the rough times.

 

As a refresher, the Hero’s Journey can be summarized this way: 

Call to Adventure: The hero is introduced in their ordinary world and receives a call to embark on an adventure.
Crossing the Threshold: The hero leaves their familiar world behind and enters a new, unfamiliar realm filled with challenges.
Trials and Tribulations: The hero faces various tests, makes allies and enemies, and undergoes significant growth.
Climax and Transformation: The hero confronts the central ordeal, achieving a victory that leads to transformation and personal growth.
Return with the Elixir: The hero returns to the ordinary world with newfound knowledge, wisdom, or a tangible reward that benefits their community.

 

We see this play out in every meaningful story, and nowhere is it more recognizable than in The Lord of the Rings. Can you see Frodo’s journey in the description above?

 

While singing shows are not on the same level as Tolkien’s tomes, producers know that an audience will resonate with the Hero’s Journey, so they give it to us in bite-size versions of the contestants’ lives. We can’t help being intrigued by this formula, and so we are drawn into the story and into their lives.

 

The Hero’s Journey is integral to understanding ourselves. It can give us a sense of purpose and place. We are all called to the adventure of our own lives, for as we move along in years we will certainly face challenges and unfamiliar territory. No one gets by without trials and difficulties. And these ultimately move us toward wisdom, maturity, and growth.

 

We can see the Hero’s Journey throughout the Bible in the stories of Abraham, Joseph, David, and even Jesus himself as he made his way to the cross. They were called out of the ordinary and into the adventure, journeyed through trials, and finally arrived at a place of transformation. It seems to be a God-ordained progressions, like it’s somehow encoded in our DNA.

 

It is important to remember that process matters. Having a bigger picture can help us make our way forward when the path ahead grows dim or overwhelming. And holding on to the hope of future wisdom gained can give just enough light to see by.

 

Notice how the resulting wisdom isn’t only for us but for the community. It benefits the people around us. This is the stuff of epic stories—and you are living yours right now.

 

A big part of our calling in life is to “share our lives.” This is the very message Alan and I received from God over thirty years ago. We took it as an invitation to share not only information but the how, when, where, and why of transformation.

 

Your story—your actual life with all its ups and downs—is what draws people to you. Don’t be afraid to share the rough bits when it’s appropriate in a particular situation or relationship. People need to know they aren’t alone. When we share our trials, we have a chance to receive and offer compassion, empathy, and community.

 

I realize that singing competition shows aren’t of cosmic importance, and yet even they take the time to tap into the Hero’s Journey to draw us toward the contestants.

 

Be mindful of where you are in your journey. Keep your finger on the pulse of the larger story in which God has placed you and continue to cooperate with his invitations along the way.

 

For Reflection: 

Where do you find yourself on your own epic journey these days?
How might you meet God within this specific season?
How might your experience help, encourage, or inspire in others?

Taming Temptation: Slowing Down for Inner Peace

Blog by Alan Fadling

Two weeks ago I pointed out how temptation thrives on hurry. The truth is, if we were to take our time and reflect on the thing that is tempting us, we would say no to it. But temptation is like an advertisement that says “Buy it now!” Maybe you wouldn’t buy it if you paused a minute or two and thought about whether or not you need it.

 

The temptation of anxiety wants to rush you to respond. It wants to hurry you to react.

 

Remember the counsel of James, who says to resist the devil and he will flee from you. When we withstand the temptation to worry, we discover such temptation doesn’t have a great deal of endurance. If we really do offer ourselves to God rather than offering ourselves to worry-filled ruminating, we find that we can resist the impulsiveness of anxiety and Christ’s peace displaces it at the center of our lives.

 

Sometimes we may think we’re actively resisting temptation when we’re still giving it access to our minds and hearts. Inwardly entertaining temptation energizes it so it will not flee. Redirecting our attention to God-with-us will diminish the potency of temptation until it finally gives up—at least in that moment. Even in the example of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness, we read that the tempter left him until a more opportune time (Luke 4:13).

 

Another way that anxiety provokes soul hurry is the impulse to control our circumstances or even other people. We imagine that if we could make people do something (or stop doing something), we would no longer feel anxious. We think this is the path of protecting ourselves from the harm we fear.

 

But controlling circumstances is really beyond us. We may have a smidge of agency, but so many factors in what goes on around us are completely out of our control. For example, as I was editing this post, I awoke one morning to find strong Santa Ana winds had blown over a multi-trunk ornamental pear tree that’s been in our front yard for decades. What could I do about that? Nothing. How could I have prevented that? I couldn’t. All kinds of things happen in my life that I’m powerless to change.

 

Control is an illusion. Attempting to control circumstances or other people as a way to manage our own anxiety is always a losing game that will only raise more anxious feelings in us. The perfectionism that drives our attempts to micromanage everything only amplifies anxiety.

 

A far more fruitful approach to dealing with our anxiety is to look not so much for outward changes as inward ones. If we embrace peace instead, it is possible to find an eye at the center of our anxiety storm. Rather than letting anxiety accelerate our thoughts and drive us to a great deal of fruitless activity, we can abide in the presence of the Prince of Peace here and now—right in the middle of all that swirls around us. This is the strategy that Jesus and his apostles seem to recommend for us in the New Testament writings. 

 

Even as I share these insights, I’m not speaking from some plateau of peace where I never feel nervous or fearful anymore. I still often find myself reacting to unpleasant or unwelcome surprises with anxious thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. These are moments in which I can decide how I’ll respond to my inward experiences of anxiety.

 

Will I ruminate or will I pray?
Will I frantically try to control my circumstances, or will I find my way into acknowledging God’s strong presence that surrounds me in the midst of trouble?
Will I fret or will I entrust my cares to God-with-me?

 

Adding anxious commentary or writing an anxious story to accompany my anxious thoughts and feelings won’t resolve the anxiety but actually increases it.

 

Here’s another thing I’ve noticed when I’m letting anxiety run the show: I jump to conclusions. Which is just another form of hurry. I think I know what’s happening and then act on those assumptions. I take actions based on a mistaken reality.

 

A recent example of this was when I couldn’t find my wallet after we’d gone out for dinner. I immediately began to fret that I might have left it at the restaurant and considered calling them, but maybe I had left it in the car. I went out and anxiously searched around the driver’s seat without success. I frantically searched everywhere it could have ended up. I even started looking in places around the house where it really couldn’t have been…just to do something.

 

Eventually, I discovered my wallet wedged in the cushion of my familiar recliner. It had fallen out of my side jacket pocket. It really was the most obvious place, but anxiety had driven me on a fruitless search.

 

Following the lead of my anxious reactions to unpleasant circumstances does not result in wise action. All capacity for creative and reasonable thinking gets bypassed when I let myself be anxiety reactive. But if I take just a moment to pay attention to God in the midst of an unpleasant surprise, it often doesn’t take long for me to respond from a sense of God’s superintending peace that overrides anxiety.

 

As I said in A Non-Anxious Life, anxiety is not a wonderful counselor. It’s been wrong so often that I’d do better to see it as a false prophet. I don’t want anxiety defining reality for me. Jesus does that so much better!

 

I’m learning that peace really can displace worry at the center of my life. I’m learning that peace is more productive than anxiety. I’m continuing to learn how to live my life and do my work in the faithful presence of the Prince of Peace.

 

For Reflection:

How often do you find yourself rushing to respond to anxiety-driven thoughts and impulses?
Can you identify moments when anxiety has led you to make hasty, unwise decisions? How might you handle those situations differently?
Reflect on a recent time when you felt anxious. How could you have redirected your attention to God in that moment?

UL #305: Unhurried Favorites - Working FOR God, Working WITH God (Alan)

 

Over the summer, Gem and I are sharing some replays of our podcast we’re calling “Unhurried Favorites.” Today I’m sharing a conversation I had with two friends, Matt and Darrell, about the difference between “working for God” and “working with God.” It is among our most downloaded episodes. 

Why Happiness ISN'T the Ultimate Goal

Blog by Gem Fadling

There is a word that often pops up in movies and TV shows. You’ve likely heard it dozens, if not hundreds of times. It’s a word that seems to have deep meaning for those who are speaking in the fictional setting, but for me, it just doesn’t carry the intended weight.

 

The word? Happy.

 

In a storyline, people often will speak it on behalf of a friend or loved one. “I just want them to be happy,” they say, as if happiness were the ultimate goal in life.

 

The online Cambridge Dictionary defines happy as “feeling, showing, or causing pleasure or satisfaction.” And of course there is nothing wrong with wanting others to be happy. I just wonder if it stops short of an ultimate hope.

 

I have found that happiness is fleeting. It’s not something I can count on. Moods, thoughts, feelings, circumstances, and so much more can topple the sensation of happiness like a toddler toppling a tower of building blocks. Happiness is a moving target. It comes and goes depending on our situation, and it is often based in our misplaced expectations.

 

You know I’m an optimist, so I’m not trying to be Debbie Downer. I simply don’t believe happiness can be a goal. Life is difficult, and most of us are riding two rails at once. On one hand we may be sailing along, and on the other we may be carrying a weighty trial. Mere happiness is not enough to sustain us in the good and bad days.

 

So, I’d like to offer two other words that might better express the depth of hope we have for ourselves and others.

 

The first word is joy, which is a more robust word than happiness. If happiness is fleeting, joy is strong, substantial, unmoving. I know this because Paul lists it second in the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Joy is the fruit of something. Like the other fruits, it springs forth from the work of the Spirit within us.

 

Joy is not at the mercy of circumstance.

 

I recently watched the Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad documentary American Symphony. At its heart was the story of concurrent but opposite dynamics. Jon was composing a symphony, winning Grammys, traveling the world, and growing in admiration and fame at the same time as his wife, Suleika, was battling cancer and undergoing debilitating treatments.

 

They were living two extremes at once, and yet they portrayed a deep sense of joy at the center of their lives. It is in the depths of pain that the human spirit rises to the occasion and bursts forth in joy. Happiness isn’t strong enough to withstand the trials and suffering of cancer. Joy is deeper, stronger, and more mysterious.

 

The second word is contentment, and the story of the apostle Paul springs immediately to mind. Many of us are familiar with his words from Philippians:

 

“I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:10-13)

 

This passage says it all. Contentment isn’t dependent upon circumstances. Paul learned the hard way, which is really the only way truth becomes grace in our lives. Whether in need or in plenty, Paul learned contentment. This means he had to dig deeper into the life of the Spirit within, grounding himself in kingdom reality.

 

Joy and contentment are wise, solid, real, unbending, and unwavering graces. And we can partake of them freely as we continue to open to God’s transforming power in our lives.

 

So, sure, there’s nothing wrong with being happy. And I will likely use that word in the future. But I wanted to point out the loose way it gets used in the media. Happiness cannot be our ultimate goal, because life is too tumultuous, unpredictable, and uncontrollable. Joy and contentment are more helpful paths forward.

 

For Reflection:

What do you think about the word happiness? How does it relate to joy and contentment for you?
How have the difficult times in your life ultimately resulted in a deeper level of joy or contentment?
What scripture inspires you to be more joyful or content?

The Rush to Nowhere: How Anxiety Fuels Our Fast-Paced Lives

Blog by Alan Fadling

There is a condition called hurry sickness. It’s the feeling of always being rushed, as if we are lagging behind in a race, and it raises our stress levels. One sign of hurry sickness is a sense that we don’t have enough time to get everything done. We can end up feeling increasing frustration with anyone or anything that gets in the way of what we believe we have to do. Multitasking is a strategy we use to try boosting our productivity, at least in the short-term. But the long-term costs of hurry can be high.

 

In a series of emails beginning with this one, I’ll be discussing core drivers of hurry that I’ve been addressing in my own life since I wrote An Unhurried Life. Today, in the spirit of my recent book A Non-Anxious Life, I’ll unpack how anxiety drives hurry in our lives.

 

In my continuing journey of recovery from hurry sickness, it’s important for me to recognize what is driving my hurried soul. I can identify many things, and I wrote A Non-Anxious Life, in part, to explore ways that anxiety continues to drive my own hurry.

 

Anxiety can have different effects on us. Sometimes it paralyzes us and causes us to freeze. Sometimes it diverts us and causes us to flee. But sometimes anxiety can drive us and rush us and put us into fight mode. That’s a specific type of anxiety I see even in the lives of Christian leaders, and it greatly influences what we do and how we do it. It can cause us to be moved less by the holy energy of hope and joy and love, and more by a desire to feel important and valuable and productive.

 

I know I’ve said things like this before, and maybe I’m repeating them partly for my own benefit. Simple reminders can have immense value. In fact, in his second letter, the apostle Peter says, “So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have” (2 Peter 1:12). He is writing to people who are already firmly established in the truth they’ve received, and he says even they still need reminders.

 

Forgetfulness is one of the great challenges to spiritual growth. I learn something good. I grow in that goodness. But over time I can forget the goodness of that truth. Perhaps I take it for granted and begin to wander a bit.

 

Sometimes, what I need most is not a new insight but a simple reminder of something I already know. It’s good when truth is refreshed at the center of our souls. In the end, there is a holy simplicity about truth. That’s why some say that growth moves in the direction of becoming a beginner again.

 

So today’s reminder is about anxiety because it’s a basic issue in many of our lives. Some of us are more aware of it than others. Over the last decade, I’ve come to realize that anxiety is a primary driver of hurry and to recognize it as a continual challenge in my own leadership.

 

For example, when I was first drafting this post, I had a Zoom conversation that was both exciting and nerve-racking. I was talking with someone who has encouraged me in my writing and who has a lot of influence in the publishing world. I left the call encouraged but also nervous. You see, anxiety has become such a habit for me that it isn’t provoked only by the prospect of something bad happening. Even good possibilities can arouse anxiety in me. As I said in A Non-Anxious Life, anxiety can become a habit—a kind of autopilot that just feels like an unchangeable part of me.

 

The insight that anxiety is a temptation like any other has been helping me in my own struggle against it. In An Unhurried Life, I wrote a chapter titled “Temptation: Unhurried Enough to Resist.” The thing is, temptation thrives on hurry.

 

Temptation never recommends that you take your time and think things through. Temptation is all about now. Hurry up and grab what you want! Take control before somebody else does! Get busy and prove yourself! Temptation is by nature hurried.

 

Think about the counsel of James when it comes to temptation: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). How does that actually work when it comes to anxiety-driven hurry?

 

Submitting to God looks like the opposite of anxiety-driven hurry. Instead of telling ourselves, “Hurry up and grab what you want,” we lean into the invitation of the closing lines of Psalm 27:

 

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord.

 

Living less hurried involves learning to wait on God. There are things that you and I have absolutely no control over. My anxiety has often been an attempt to gain control over situations that only God can manage. Yes, there are actions I can take. There are good things I can do. There is good work for me to engage. But none of it requires anxiety. None of it.

 

Listen again to those words from Psalm 27: Be strong. Take heart. Wait for the Lord. Does that sound more like anxiety or more like peace? Don’t you hear the shalom saturating those phrases?

 

In a couple of weeks, I’ll share more about the dynamic of anxiety that underlies much of our hurry these days.

 

For Reflection:

How has anxiety fueled patterns of hurry in your own experience?
When have you listened to the advice of anxiety and found yourself in a frantic, reactive mode?
When anxiety rises up, are there ways you are learning to slow down, even for a moment, and offer yourself to the God of peace who is always present? How might you experiment with this approach?

UL #304: Unhurried Favorites - Enneagram Wisdom for Relating with Others (Gem w/Suzanne Stabile)

 

Over the summer, we are offering some episodes of our podcast we’re calling “Unhurried Favorites.” Today I’m sharing my interview with Suzanne Stabile. When we aired it last time, it was only a snippet of our conversation. Well, today, you can listen to it in it’s entirety.

 

Most of us have no idea how others see or process their experiences. And that can make relationships difficult. Understanding the motivations and dynamics of our different personality types can be the key that unlocks sometimes mystifying behavior in others―and in ourselves. Suzanne Stabile’s book, The Path Between Us looks at the nine Enneagram types and how they behave and experience relationships. 

 

We all desire healthier relationships and Suzanne can help point the way.

 

Suzanne Stabile’s book, The Path Between Us looks at the nine Enneagram types and how they behave and experience relationships.  

Unpacking the Power of Compassion

Blog by Gem Fadling

I am well past the child-bearing years. My sons are full-grown adults. But those long-ago days of pregnancy and little people are still as fresh in my memory as ever. I can still picture their little cherub faces and tiny chiclet teeth. And I can remember how their hair smelled like cookies until they were about five years old. (Yes, even dirty, stinky boys can have cookie hair!)

 

All of this brings to mind Isaiah 49:15: 

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
    and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
    I will not forget you!”

 

I love this passage because it’s such a huge, undeniable promise. The rhetorical question has an ever-present answer: Of course a mother would never forget her nursing baby! Of course a mother would have compassion on all of her children.

 

God is saying that even if a mother were to forget her children (which she won’t), God will never forget us. God is doubling down on how much he wants us to know that he will never withhold his love for us. God’s compassion is sure, and we will not be forgotten.

 

This is important for us to hold on to as we continue to make our way through life. I don’t know about you, but I’m hearing more often about the suffering of the people around me. Life is difficult in many different ways for many people.

 

And yet, in the midst of this is the good news: You are not forgotten.

 

This means you are remembered with compassion. Let’s hold on to this truth and allow it to change us from the inside out. The first person to whom you could show compassion is yourself. How you treat yourself is often how you treat others, so receiving your own compassion is a great place to start.

 

And let’s also extend compassion to those around us. We aren’t the only ones who are anxious, tired, or overwhelmed. Let’s extend this compassionate love to everyone we come into contact with in our home, our neighborhood, on social media, through a Zoom conference, or in a grocery store line.

 

The assurance “You are not forgotten” speaks directly to our hearts. We long to be seen, heard, known, and loved. And God meets us in that very place. What will it look like for you to receive today?

 

For Reflection: 

Whether you are a parent or not, think of someone special in your life—someone you would never turn your back on, someone you would never forget.
How do you feel about that person? How deeply do you love them?
Now imagine that your love is just a fraction of how much God loves you (and the whole world).
How might you encounter God today in light of his compassionate, I’ll-never-forget-you love?

 

Even if the people you love don’t have “cookie-smelling hair,” your commitment to them is sure. And even if you yourself don’t have a “cherub face” or “chiclet teeth,” God’s love for you is unquestionable. And don’t you forget it.