Resurrection Day

                      

                                                             Happy Easter!

Celebrating Small, Simple and Stillness

Long quiet days linked my last post to this one. 

I managed to maintain my stretching habits this week but how I miss going to the gym! The battle to overcome acid reflux has been fierce. The last thing a person wants in northern Maine in winter is too much time on her hands without exercise and energy. The result is emotional low and self introspection.

I return again and again to Emily Freeman's book, Simply Tuesday. I mentioned it in an earlier post. Her writings calm me and give me peace in these days where I feel downhearted and anything but productive. I am reminded the little everyday acts are filled with God.

 I celebrate the small insignificant moments that brought me joy.

• lunch with mom
• playing with watercolors
• yoga with Kate
• reading in the afternoon
• watching The Voice with hubby
• a phone call with a friend

I read an article today that described me to a T. The article posted by FitLifeTV talked about people who are empaths and tend to carry the emotions and struggles of others, striving to "fix it." I've done this all my life to my detriment. 

It's time for change. 

I embrace my smallness and the blessing of being in my home. I sit here Sunday morning, missing church because of the time change, basking in stillness. I listen to the wind blow outside as I think about warming soup for lunch. 

I try not to dwell anymore on the craziness in the political scene or worry about my children or stress over my husband's weariness or figure out what our future looks like...

Instead I sit quietly in the moment and breathe, allowing a smile to grace my face.

I pray a simple prayer.

Lord, heal my soul as well as my body. Enable me to let go continually, to shed all that doesn't belong to me. Let your Voice rise above the fray. Teach me your ways, the path of trust. Amen.

Where Is Your Well?

   

                         

This is where it's happening. Fresh hope is moving in. 

Last week I cleaned my office and rearranged a bit. I pulled my books and journals and Bibles from various places and gathered them here.

Here is my well. 

Early in the morning, I bring my tea and write, then wait quietly,read, ponder, listen, and pray. 

Today's reading centered in Ann Voskamp's devotional. She spoke about Hagar in the wilderness, the place where she sat with loss of the life she'd known and loss of hope.

Until God showed up. He brought hope and promises and something else. 

Grace. 

There was nothing special about Hagar to us, maybe even to Hagar herself. Yet God saw her. 

He met her at a well in the wilderness.

Hagar named the well, "Well of the Living One who sees me."

I pray for a young woman I spoke to at church yesterday. She needs to know God sees her. I pray she will meet his angel today. I pray she will know God sees her and cares. I pray she will see her well and drink.

I move into March, knowing He sees me. 

He sees you too. Where is your well?

    

Books, Seeds and Hope as March Begins

"Maybe you've prayed and prayed for the same thing, over and over... Maybe you've wanted God's will so bad. and wanted life to look different for so long... Maybe you're feeling utterly discouraged or disappointed right now and not sure why you are surprised every time the same ol' thing keeps happening again and again... " Fervent by Priscilla Shirer

Priscilla described where I have been living over the past few years in her book Fervent. I came across the book on the (in)courage website,  their Bloom Book club pick to begin the year. 

Several years ago Bloom introduced me to Ann Voskamp's 1,000 Gifts, a life -changing event. I've read most of the books they recommended and never been steered wrong. When I saw the post about Fervent, my first reaction was I don't need another book but I checked it out and felt the pull of the Holy Spirit to order it. Three chapters later, very marked up and underlined chapters, God is doing a shifting in my heart, positioning me in hope.

I pulled out a journal and began to write my prayers along with scripture. My prayer for today after reading chapter 3:

Restore my cutting edge, Lord. Bring back my passion.

Prayer has always been my passion. Praying God's Word over my family and friends and country was my calling. Until it stopped working. At least it seemed that way. 

I didn't stop praying or reading my Bible but weariness and anxiety and a sense of my own vulnerability overshadowed my faith.

Last week I prayed, "Lord, please send a season of refreshing upon my life. A long season. "

I am adding prayers to my journal daily now, writing them down, and hoping, and believing with a tiny seed of faith.

God began growing this seed in me when I read Simply Tuesday, a very different book from Fervent, yet God has deeply touched my life through her Emily's writings.

 Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman. 

 Simply Tuesday is truly what the Kingdom of God looks like in all its beautiful simplicity, humility and love. I love this book so much. Please check it out.

I pray God places a book in your hands this week, planting new seeds of hope and faith and encouragement. If He already has feel free to share in the comments below or email me.