March!! The mark of spring! There is just something about that glimpse of warm, sun-bathed weather that brings hope to every corner of life these days! When I think back on March I think of the slow but steady change that I see not only in the weather but in myself as well! I think of the days that we’ve spent learning from Scott and Edward and Eric and so many other people that have taken their precious time to share their wisdom and life experience with us, and I have been thinking about how I hope I never take for granted what a gift it is that so many people are willing to pour into us and be a part in our lives as fellows!
I also think of the moments I have been able to see what slow and steady growth looks like for me in this year, and I think about what being able to really feel everything deeply means for me. From the comfort and closeness I felt walking with the Lord through the woods on the silent retreat, to basketball games after class, trips to the Biltmore with my parents, spending the night laughing and catching up with one of my best friends from home, and the simple mundaneness of watching tv with the Vincent’s, I see so many ways that the Father is unearthing something new in me and allowing it to flourish! I’m learning what it means to really live life in the arena, being able to feel all the emotions, the joy, the stress, the longing and the hopeful! I am really hopeful that I can continue to lean in to all this goodness!
At this point in the spring it feels very easy to be future oriented and to constantly be wondering/ thinking of what our lives will look like in May and beyond, and I keep catching myself worrying about all the things I have to get done, more boxes to check off. But, in the midst of that, there is also a certain freedom I’ve felt that is hard for me to explain. It’s this feeling of excitement that I am creating a new life for myself that is full of God’s presence and undeserving grace. It’s a feeling of renewed joy for life and for the redemption of my soul to be made complete. To allow His love to seep into every corner of life, in the morning drive to Note in the Pocket, in the Tuesday night dinners with Nancy, in the after class runs to Chick-fil-a and in the Sunday morning communion, I hope to see His intentionality through every moment. I have so many dreams for my continued journey and understanding myself more and I can't wait to watch that continue to unfold in this season of spring!
I’ll leave you with an excerpt from a liturgy titled “For the Planting of Flowers”
He has scattered the evidences
of creation’s former glories across
the entire scape of heaven and earth,
and these evidences are also the forecasts of the
coming redemption of all things, that those
who live in this hard time between glories
might see and remember,
might see and take heart,
might see and take delight,
in the extravagant beauty of bud and bloom,
knowing that these living witnesses are rumors and
reminders of a joy that will soon swallow all sorrow
All the love,
Lauren