A FEW WORDS ABOUT SUNDAY NIGHT INSPIRATION

I started this series almost four years ago over on my other blog before I switched things over here. I gave it a go for months as I felt I was led to and then after about 6 months, the desire and the passion or felt need to continue with the series fizzled and I was on to other things.

Just recently, I’ve felt the urge to offer encouraging reading once again on Sunday evenings so this is my attempt to lighten your load with a bit of inspiration and encouragement to carry you through your week and to help start it off just right.

I’m not sure what this will become but my hope is that this will be a space where you feel free to come, take deep sighs of relief, breath a bit more lightly and create community around one common goal and thread: freedom. This Sunday space is a place where I hope you leave feeling revived and ready to face the week ahead. It’s a place where I believe you will be able to release your anxieties and your worries and your fears and hopefully connect in ways you would normally not online. So, without further ado…

A SAFE PLACE TO LAND

Oh, you guys. I’m not sure about you but this week has been a doozy for me. Without getting into too much detail cause I don’t want to get too heavy here but let’s just say it’s been dark. Actually, the beginning of this week was just fine. It felt like heaven. Then, the dark day hit and it seems as though it really never went away. As a matter of fact, even as I type, I’m knee-deep in a swirl of emotions that can’t seem to find their rightful place.

I’ve swung from out of control thoughts that seem extremely unreasonable to downright absurd and borderline scary to shifting back to the other side of things where life is wonderful once again.

Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’m not just saying that because I think it’s what you need or want to hear but because I have assurance that the voice of God will always be louder than any fear or lie could ever scream into the ears of my soul. I’ve also been here too many times to count. And, if you’re here and human, I know many of you are already reading this and relating. Perhaps you’re leaning in as these words penetrate and resonate with what you have been experiencing over the week or months or maybe even the year.

I would like to take a moment to say this: “It’s gonna be ok.”

That’s not an empty promise.

I know this from my own experience but I also know that our God is One who is faithful to His word and to His promises. These past few weeks have left me feeling attacked and wondering where in the world my Creator is in the midst of what feels like the most chaotic and tumultuous week of all.

This week I watched our 6-year-old jump from the sofa to the ottoman to the chair over and over again even though I know and he knows it’s against the rules. He’s not being willingly defiant. I honestly believe he just forgets that he’s breaking “the law”. (Or, maybe he just gets all the grace because he’s the youngest but that’s beside the point) In any matter, he jumps freely until I remind him that not only is it not okay for the furniture and it’s inability to continue to support his energy but it’s also just not safe for him. Usually he gives me a bit of a confused look and stops and moves on to something else that’s either equally as unsafe or altogether worrisome.

As I watched him shift from spot-to-spot, I noticed something. He didn’t seem concerned or worried about where or how he would land, he just jumped. He did it with confidence knowing that the stability of our furniture would support the weight of not only his body but the pressure of his leaps.

I know what you’re thinking. You think you know exactly what I’m about to say or the connection I am attempting to make. There is a slight (okay maybe bigger than that) that you do but just in case you don’t I will say it anyhow:

Jesus is our soft place to land.

There, I said it.

The beauty in this statement is that it holds profound truth and is much more than just a catchy phrase or cliche phrase to get your through your moments and days.

This past few days have truly been a test of ALL of my faith and ALL of my endurance and ALL of my trust in Him but at the end of my days, I know, just like Grayson, even in my darkest moments, God is there. He is not just some cute, cuddly, cozy soft place but He is my rock. He is the place that I can always turn to to support me in my darkest hours and will always be there to catch me when I fall or when I don’t see an end to the misery and turmoil I experience inside. It’s a simple reminder that has profound implications, friends.

I tend to let my emotions to lead me. Seems like the more I have responsibility over, the heavier the weight of that becomes. Thoughts swirl and waves come crashing but I’ve found that if I keep my mind focused on the simple goodness of His truths, my ability to “return to sender” on the thoughts that have held me captive, becomes much more strong.

This is my prayer for you (and me) as we head into the week: I pray that your heart and mind would not be held captive by what you see and that in your darkest hours and moments the simple goodness His truth would shine a light so bright that you would become captivated by it all.

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.

Isaiah 26:3