November goodness!! I wish I could write down every single thing that made me laugh this month.. But this post would go on for pages and pages!!!!
There are so many moments of joy that I find myself recalling when I look back on this November. There was just simply so much to celebrate! I’m talking hoedowns at the Micah 6:8 retreat, birthdays, weekends in the snack bar at Windy Gap, denim parties and alllll the laughter in between!!
Within the celebration there were also moments where leaning in felt very hard, and a few moments that ~made my brain hurt~ ( in a good way) from all the new things we learned !!!
When I tried to think of a word that summed up November I kept coming back to stretching.
Stretching to me is not a bad thing, but rather a difficult and wonderful thing all in one. God is stretching me and allowing space for me to grow! He is creating space for me to use all of the wonderful tools I’ve been given to see how far and wide and deep His love and His mercy is for me! One of the most beautiful parts about this stretching is that God stretches us but would never break us. He knows that there is so much work to be done in my life and allows me to see this without giving me too much!
Morgan Harper Nichols sums up stretching so adequately for me when she says:
“May each of us soften our hearts to look for moments where coming alive means going beyond what is comfortable, safe, and known. May we allow ourselves to see that when we open up to the possibility of how things could change, we grow.”
yeah!!
Another thing that has been recurring in this November is this simple statement:
“it’s okay for you to be yourself”
I feel relief wash over me when I rest in these words.
It may feel like a simple statement at first glance, but to me it represents the courage and self- understanding that continues to grow as I release the expectations I pile on myself.
I’ve found that one of the hardest things to remember when I am lost in these expectations is:
I am under the Lord’s protective care. He is the lifter of weights. He is the untier of knots. His speciality is in redemption.
He is the holder of all of my fears and anxieties!
It’s ironic isn’t it? That even in a time where I am consistently learning and meditating on the practices and teachings of God.. I forget to let Him do the heavy lifting!
I see reminders of his strength and his protective care through one of his greatest gifts: community!
It’s the Christ in me seeing the Christ in you!
It’s the most beautiful picture!
I see it in Kris’s humility, Noah’s authenticity, Kayley’s joy, Austin’s strength, Kassie’s gentleness, Brendan’s patience, Hayden’s loyalty, Dylan’s empathy, Mary Ellen’s courageousness, Jacob’s wisdom, Luke’s intentionality, and Ashley’s leadership.
I see it in the people I love, family and lifelong friendships that are far away physically but so close to me in heart.. They each direct me toward the way of Jesus in so many ways.
My hope is that we can all see the beauty of the Father’s creation through His people in the joy and in the stretching!
All the love,
Lauren