Let there be light...BRING IT!
Hello friends!!!
Here we are in the middle of March, exactly one year after the arrival of the virus that changed the face of our days. Spring of 2020 slowly crept by with what we thought might be a short hiccup in the way we would live. Many of us, naively thought, this is gonna be a nice break from the usual routine. Forced time home to do projects that had been put on the back burner, to try new recipes, and to organize our long overdo cluttered closets. But then, before we knew it, we were at the end of summer, with continued hopes for an end to this long, crazy, and lonely season. And then, believe it or not, we were approaching the holidays, with the hopes that things would change. Instead, there we were experiencing the same limitations, and now having to navigate all manner of conversations with friends and family about the "right" thing for us do in order to keep everyone safe.
All in all I think we can all agree that, now, one year later, we’re tired.
Weary.
Irritable even.
And even with the best of intentions in our hearts, we blow it with one another. Our fuses are short and we’re can’t seem to get a handle on exactly what it is that has us in a fuss. We’re getting angry and frustrated at the things in front of us, when really our frustration is about something entirely different.
Or is it just me???
But now, as we approach my favorite season, I’m finding my hope growing. I mean, not only are we close to exiting the bleak mid winter, but we just turned our clocks ahead. WooHoo!!!! This is one of my favorite times of the year, because it not only means more hours of daylight, but also that sunshine-y days are almost here to stay as the norm, rather than the exception. And not only sunshine, but along with her, we get those wonderful higher temperatures!
Glory!!!
I don’t know what it is about sunshine for me, but it literally changes so many things about the way my heart feels. It just makes it feel lighter and more of life feels fun! Bare feet and boat time, BBQ’s with friends on the deck, vacation with family and of course usually a cold adult beverage or two.
But more than all of the things that the summer brings, it really comes down to the fact that more just light just changes things for me.For us.
Light has a way of making things that feel dreary and hopeless, take on a new shape or form. It illuminates. Funny thing right, that’s exactly what Jesus says.
Light shines in the darkness and darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5…and we know that He Himself is the Light! John 8:12.
For me, even practically speaking, when I am alone in our home, the minute I flip on the light, many of my fears begin to shrink. Or when I’m struggling to stay clear in my head, getting out in the sunlight or making sure I don’t retreat into dark places alone makes a giant difference in how I continue to experience my days.
But beyond that, as I press in, with honesty and vulnerability to the One who IS the Light, it always has away of not only diminishing the darkness in me, but lightening the load. I’m no longer alone in the thing. And then there’s the added bonus of community, when I will choose to reach out and ask a friend to go with me into His presence through prayer, I usually always feel markably better.
Lighter, not only by way of brightness, but weight as well. The load I've been carrying doesn't feel quite as debilitating. And this often ushers in fresh hope and vision for my day.
Sometimes I wonder if we choose darkness because we think its what we deserve. But what if we stomped out that lie and chose something radically different? What if we tried something new, through faith, and asked God for help as we do so like the man who said, “I believe, help my unbelief!”, in Mark 9. How would our lives be different if we adopted the regular rhythm of taking the places that we are timid and maybe even fearful and asked him to enlarge the kernel of faith that we own for today, growing it into something spectacular!
Something supernatural! Something that far exceeds our greatest expectations!
What if we decided, rather than do what is most familiar or comfortable, we chose a different way. A way that might actually become a portal into the brightness of living in the presence of the One who formed us, sees us, delights in us and longs for us to lean in just a little more closely—-one baby step at a time, simply because we're deeply loved.
For me, this has, at times, felt complicated, but in reality the choice is rather simple. Taking baby steps of vulnerability. Choosing honesty, rather than surface conversations that say nothing about what’s really happening in me. Deciding to live authentically with those who are my safe people.
So what about you???
Where are the places in your heart and mind that feel like they need a good dose of light and life right now? Can you be specific? Who can you invite into that space with you? Is there someone who is a safe, good listener that you can share a phone call or a chat over coffee?
And maybe you could both share what are you hoping for/asking God for/expectant for as we move into a different way of being, in the next season, with our God who stays the same, yesterday, today and forever!