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December 29 - December 31, 2021
I spent years wishing people would support me only to later realize I was waiting around for something to come to me when I was perfectly capable of going out and getting it.
Clearness Committee
If a hard decision can do all that?
He is not impatient, he is not angry, he is not overwhelmed by you.
He is not frustrated, fed up, or afraid. He is filled with compassion toward you and his banner over you is love.
MAKE A LIST OF CO-LISTENERS Think about the people in your life who have some
Savannah i
Lauren
Courtney
If you can’t think of anyone, that’s okay. Now you know what to look for.
of is presence. Part of what it means to be a person of presence is to pay attention to what is happening around you—both in the place where you live and among the people who live there too.
When an opportunity presents itself, take a little time to consider where this opportunity will actually lead and call it that, with words.
But when we get down to the details we start to see the truth of things.
“But it’s such a great opportunity.”
When we say that, what we often mean is other people would jump at the chance, and who am I to turn this down when they would love to do it?
Do you have the opportunity in mind? Good. Now finish this sentence: “I want to say yes to this because it would be a great opportunity to _______.” The phrase “It’s a great opportunity” is not actually a complete sentence, at least not here. A great opportunity to . . . what? The literal definition of opportunity is “a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something.” If it’s true that this thing is actually a great opportunity for you, you have to be able to finish the sentence. For example, you may finish your sentence in one of these ways: “I want to do this thing because it
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When opportunities come your way, you have the opportunity (ha!) to discern between your values and your vanity.
But call them what they are: a job, an obligation, or a favor. Don’t call them great opportunities.
Myquillyn,
No Mentor.
Maybe your next right thing is just to make it official.
Maybe your next right thing is to be your own No Mentor and to pray for a person to come into your life who could walk alongside you in this way.
If this horse is dead, it’s time to dismount. Christine Caine
“But we’re not gonna give her words, ’cause that’s exactly what she wants.” Shannan turns around and
“We’re not gonna give her words.”
Here’s something I’ve learned about the critics in our lives: it’s not necessary (or healthy, for that matter) to have people always agree with you, but the critiques to most seriously consider are the ones coming from those who believe in you.
This is the critic who gets to have words.
Keep us in our stillness. Quiet us in your presence. Remind us of your love.
Then be our courage as we simply do our next right thing in love.
It’s a wild and wonderful thing to bump into someone and realize it’s you. Fil Anderson
Instead of dismissing people’s words when they sincerely offer a kind word about you, or gratitude for something you’ve done or the person you are, practice listening instead and see if their words might carry a hint to your design.
As my friend and teacher Fil Anderson says, “It’s a wild and wonderful thing to bump into someone and realize it’s you.”
Think of a time when you felt most like yourself. Now think of words others have said that have affirmed this in your life.
Psalm 139:
(vv. 1–3)
Succulents have the best names.
Shame in the garden center is evidence of shame in other areas as well. If my knee-jerk reaction to a simple decision like picking out plants is shame and feeling overcome, then can you imagine what my knee-jerk reaction must be in areas of life that really matter and have consequence?
For now, this is what we know. Fear, we see you. We acknowledge you. But you don’t get the final say.
Pick what you like, then see how it grows.
Pick what you like, then see how it grows.
What if it blooms?
Instead, pick what you like, then see how it grows.
“If a discipline is not producing freedom in me, it’s probably the wrong thing for me to be doing.”
It’s about becoming the person I already am in Christ.
I started to make a pile of pants and a few shirts that either physically hurt me to wear or caused me to feel bad about myself when I did. As the stack grew, so did my confidence. In those few minutes in my bedroom, I was profoundly aware of the kind presence of God with me.
Any small thing counts if it helps to place you in God’s presence and reminds you that you are loved.
PICK A QUIRKY SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE
When this scattering happens, it’s often a clue that I’m living out of my false narrative fed by the temptation to be spectacular, relevant, and powerful.
It’s easy to believe the myth that we are in control, especially when we have a decision to make. Turn your head from the illusion, the kind we often have when we are considering our next right thing, and see a different reality on the other side of the glass.
For years after I first heard Sarah Masen sing that night in the youth group room of Highland Park Baptist Church in Southfield, Michigan, I found odd ways to use short lines from her lyrics as headings in my own journal and as subject lines in emails.
As we make plans, fill out lists, and do the things that need doing, may we remember still to remain open to surprise. Instead of insisting on clear plans, may we be willing to settle in and take the next right step even though it may lead someplace we didn’t quite pack for. May we stop insisting that everything have an explanation.
I’ve decided if I had my life to live over again, I would not only climb more mountains, swim more rivers, and watch more sunsets. . . . I would not only go barefoot earlier in spring and stay out later in the fall; but I would devote not one more minute to monitoring my spiritual growth. . . . What would I actually do if I had it to do all over again? . . . I would simply do the next thing in love.
Maybe you’re a student and you struggle with the tension between the adult you are becoming and the kid they all remember.
