wednesday, September 27, 2023 Quote of the week

"Never underestimate the power of hope. Hope fuels us with the energy and courage to go forward."

Adèle Basheer

No one goes into a life event or situation thinking they will fail. No one commits to a marriage thinking it will end in divorce. No one gets a new job thinking they will be terminated. No one has children thinking they will not outlive us. Instead, we enter into each day, each newness, each change, with hope.

Hope is not a passive word; I feel wish is though. Wishing for something is flimsy because it resides in the fact that we have no gumption to make it happen. Hope, on the other hand, suggests that we are reaching for something tangible. It is only tangible, however, when we take an active approach to move forward with it. Even though we don’t know what lies ahead, we continue. Sometimes with only one dim headlight shining into the darkness, but at other times with both headlights on bright foraging on into the unknown!

George Iles said that, “Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark.” Think about that and how it applies specifically to your life and how often you’ve done it. You choose to add a puppy or a kitten into your home knowing you will most likely outlive it; but you do it anyway. You marry your best friend and soulmate knowing one of you will be left behind; but you choose love anyway. Couples choose to have a family knowing that the life of their unborn is held delicately in the hands of the Creator; but they conceive a child anyway.

Faith is hope, and in the poetry of Emily Dickenson, (this is for my friend, Bernie!) “Hope is a thing with feathers.” It is up to each and everyone of us, in our own time of healing, to spread those wings of readiness and trust what we cannot foresee. In chapter 6 of the book of Hebrews, it is written that, “... hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.”

Maybe before we blow out our birthday candles, we should Make a Hope instead of a wish…just saying.

wednesday, September 20, 2023 Quote of the week

“Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.”

1 Corinthians 10:14

I remember learning the Bible lesson on idolatry, but I was too young to understand the breadth of the lesson. “Thank goodness there are no golden calves around anymore,” my seven-year-old self said. Living on a livestock farm, I was certain this issue was not to be a concern to my spiritual development. Leaning into more non-linear thinking as an adult, however, I recognize that golden calves are very dominant in our lives today.

Before we begin to relearn how to do life after loss, grief is a heavy process. Death sucks the air out of our lungs, it paralyzes our physical being, and it clouds our thinking. For a time, it is all-consuming. If we fail to give grief attention, though, it will continue holding us hostage in its grip. It’s all we can think about…it eventually becomes an idol in our heart.

Although we do not worship grief, it has become an obsession. In the article, “Dangers of Obsession,” author PV Vaidyanathan writes that, “People, who get obsessed with any problem, be it related to office, relationships, examinations or success, tend to be in a world of their own.” But even on our messiest days, we are not of this world, for this world will pass, so we must not let the clutter become our idols. Instead, let’s focus on rearranging the chaos and looking towards God.

When we are ready to leap from grieving to healing, the permanence of joy begins seeping back into our hearts. In 1 John 5:21, he writes, “...keep yourselves from idols. Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts.” Grief is obscurity whereas love and joy are clarity.

Sure, we will be uncomfortable at times because it is never easy to do hard things. But we have to ask ourselves, Is this challenge going to make me stronger with Christ? Will this help me grow closer into the image Jesus wants us to be? If we can answer yes, then we are listening to the voice within.

Holding onto anything that prevents us from reaching higher, reaching to our calling, reaching to God, is idolatry. Unlike the seasons, which are predictable, our seasons of grief and happiness do not follow a format. The challenges life grants us is ever changing, but one thing that never changes is God.

Give your gratitude to the grief in your heart, for it proves you loved greatly. Invite in joy to take its place.

wednesday, September 6, 2023 Quote of the week

“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.”

John Maeda

Ah…it’s September. This month heaves a heavy sigh inviting us to kick back and begin to slow from the hastened pace of summer. September…there is a relief, a tranquility, a serenity. Pulling back, resetting, restoring.

On an early morning September walk with Phoebe, my Goldendoodle, the reverberating chirping of crickets brilliantly echoed around every corner but quickened to silence at the threat of a predatory toad or small bird. I could still smell the smoldering ashes from the previous nights’ fire. Images of families and friends who gathered around it popped into my mind’s eye, stories and laughter still resounding. The air was thick with the heavy aroma of bacon frying, which drifted out from another neighbor’s kitchen screen door. For a moment, I stood in complete silence taking in all that was good…all that was so miraculously simple.

Confucius said that, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” Being in that moment, completely in the moment, I discovered the abundance of simplicity. There were no bells and whistles, no memes capturing the moment, no advertisements, just simple simplicity.

Submerging into simple is difficult when so much of our lives demand immediacy, so it is worthy of attention to nurture its importance. “Simple can be harder than complex:” Steve Jobs noted, “you have to work hard to get your thinking clean and make it simple.” As a society, we have been wired for productivity and goal setting, and to account for streamlined agendas. However, maybe we should look at purpose more often than productive. Simple more than complicated.

The great philosopher Socrates asked, “Why should we pay attention to what the majority thinks? Shut off, unplug and recharge into what you need instead of what the world is demanding. Allow time for yourself, while extending the grace to others to step away from the grid. Notice the breeze as it tickles the treetops nudging ever so slightly a few early autumn leaves to fall.

Notice all that goes unnoticed from where the scurry of life so rapidly wants us to go.

Storylight A transformational journey SHARON M WIBLE

wednesday, September 27, 2023 Quote of the week

wednesday, September 20, 2023 Quote of the week

wednesday, September 6, 2023 Quote of the week

This website uses cookies.