Last time, we discussed boundaries and how they can be necessary – and Biblical. If this is a topic of interest to you, I hope you’ve had a chance to explore (and commend yourself for!) the strong boundaries you have in your life, and take a closer look at the ways in which some may need to be strengthened.
We need God, and we need boundaries, because since the Garden of Eden, we’ve been faced with the shortcomings within ourselves and those around us.
We know imperfections have existed throughout human history, and right here in 2023. We simply live in a world that is filled with delight and heartbreak, and everything in between.
I admit, part of my personality wants sunshine and rainbows and all the sparkly, upbeat things every day! Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could craft our story to look just as we please?
The reality is, we may have some days just like this, or days filled with storm clouds pouring buckets. But, what if we didn’t have to vacillate between the extremes of good days and bad days? What if we expect that each day – sometimes, even each hour – can be a mixture of both?
A friend recently recommended the book to me, “The Lives We Actually Have,” by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie. I am so grateful for this book suggestion, as my early journey through the pages has left me thinking, pondering, and reflecting.
The book, structured like a devotional, is filled with “100 Blessings for Imperfect Days.” Blessing 9 is entitled, “for stretching your heart.”
In this blessing, the authors state, “Let today be a divine exercise of yes … and.”
“Yes, I have so much to be thankful for, and this hasn’t turned out like I thought it would.”
Yes, I feel moments of joy, and I have lost more than I could live without,” the authors relate.
How straightforward, yet profound is this frame of mind? While our hearts may ache for perfection, God is here for us in the hills and valleys of our lives.
We can rejoice in gleeful circumstances and concurrently lament shattered hopes. I have encountered a plethora of blessings, and had my heart has been handled carelessly countless times. Simultaneously, I ache at the thought of how I have been the careless one at times.
I’ve been fortunate to have cherished relationships, and lost those so very dear.
Through it all, God’s never left my side, however. I am more resolute than ever that my faith has grown not just for all the ways I’ve seen God show up in the magnificent moments but also through witnessing how He has patiently walked with me through the pits. I’ve seen Him in circumstances and people who have offered a hand to hold, a cold glass of water or a warm conversation in just the right moment. It’s so very beautiful to see the rain and the rainbow all at once.
The days to the cross are edging closer. As we anticipate Good Friday and Easter Sunday, how can we endeavor to adopt a yes…and mindset? How can we structure our prayers and conversations accordingly? It is my prayer we will have a renewed approach to our everyday lives, seeing or seeking God in every moment woven into our stories. We can, and, with God’s help, we will.
Rooted in Grace and Grit 