Hi Friends!
This time of year can get crazy busy. Check out my article in Spirituality and Health to learn ways to slow it down a bit.
You’ll be happier and healthier for it!
The Benefits of Unstructured Time | Spirituality & Health (spiritualityhealth.com)
My family loves Disney, and our latest fascination/obsession is with the movie Encanto. A miraculous house grants powers to the family members who live there. For some reason, the heroine, Mirabel, isn’t given a gift or power when she comes of age, and the story tells of her search to find meaning in life as just an “ordinary” person.
Her sisters feel a different kind of pressure as they seek to live up to the gifts they’ve been given.
Isabela sings, “What could I do if I knew it didn’t need to be perfect?” in “What Else Can I Do?”
Louisa sings, “I’m pretty sure I’m worthless if I can’t be of service,” in “Surface Pressure.”
Don’t we all feel this way? Finding out who we are is a task for the young, but it is also something we face as we age and our circumstances change. If I retire, and I’m not a doctor anymore, who am I? Now that my daughters have all begun their own beautiful lives and I am not called upon to mother them every day, who am I? And doesn’t the world call us worthless if we can’t somehow be useful to society? Ouch.
As I shared this sense of shifting identity with one of my daughters, she said, “But you didn’t mention your Christian identity.” And she was right.
My identity in Christ isn’t based on what I can do or how perfect I am. It’s based solely on God’s love for me. He doesn’t care that I’m not perfect or strong or even useful. He knows me better than anyone else and loves me anyway.
So, my friends, if you are struggling to claim your identity, or find your gift, or identify your power, remember this:
Your identity is God’s beloved child.
Your gift is his unfailing and unconditional love, and your power is his love within you.
Though the mountains fall away and the hills be shaken,
My love shall never fall away from you
nor my covenant of peace be shaken,
says the Lord (Isaiah 54:10).
I’d love to hear your comments below, and if you know someone who could use this encouragement, please share.
Sometimes my worry about the people I love makes me try to control them. But God knows better than I do what’s truly best for them, and I need to let go. Click on the link below to read more in my recent post on Pause and Pray.
And while you’re there, consider subscribing to get Pause and Pray daily in your inbox. It’s a great resource to add a few minutes of prayer and holy action to your day!
I know many of you are struggling during this holiday season. A wayward child, a dying loved one, poor health, a bare bank account, a lost job, pandemic disrupted travel creating empty seats at your holiday table – there are many challenges. Some of you are so overworked you could sleep through the holidays. Some of you can’t seem to find the joy in the “happiest season of all,” even though nothing is specifically wrong.
Whatever your situation, you are in my prayers.
A wise, dear friend died earlier this year. Her life was not an easy one. She told me once that whenever a life storm was brewing, she pictured herself and Jesus standing together just outside it. Then, as the howling wind and pounding rain started, He grabbed for her hand, and they marched into the whirlwind together. Even when it got so bad she couldn’t see him anymore, she knew he was there, holding tightly. When they came out on the other side, he was just as windblown and bedraggled as she was, but he never let go.
My friend gave me many gifts, but this vision is one of the best. It’s a striking reminder that we are not alone; God is always with us. He is a friend who will help our overworked hearts find rest. He is a confidante who understands sickness and death and loneliness- and who holds our hands even when we can’t see Him. We have a God who loves us so much he became visible in a tiny baby ready to lavish our souls with joy no matter what else we are going through. Yesterday at church, we sang, Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel. The name means “God with us.”
Dear friends, take some time during this crazy hectic week to be still… and feel… and know: God is with us.
Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God.
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand (Isaiah 41:10).
If you know someone who needs this encouragement, please share. And don’t forget to ‘like’ if you do!
Today I’m writing at Pause and Pray about finding God in the simple things. Come check it out!
