Robin's Nest

“Peace comes not from the absence of trouble but from the presence of God.” ~ Alexander Maclaren

 

I woke from  a dream and heard myself whisper, “Jesus…Jesus…Jesus…”

And I hadn’t felt that much peace in months. Actually, I hadn’t felt much of anything.

That was over a year ago and it was the start of my journey out of a long, sad season.

Maybe you can relate.

And now, in these difficult days with pain and chaos and injustice, it’s hard not to worry and over-think and get pulled under.

Our brain wants to self-protect. It attacks our problems and tries to make sense of everything. But, it can’t. We want to fix, control, and explain. But we can’t. Our heart wants what is right and fair or things to go our way. We want to keep life comfy.

But, we can’t.

We weren’t designed to process all this: The challenges in our own lives along with all the global pain and information. It’s all just too too much.

So, we have to create our own quiet.

We step away from our screens and our people to make space in our day to just.be.still. To center in on God’s Presence. Where we can unload everything and fill up with peace.

We find surrender and trust. We accept what we can’t change and ask for courage to change what we can.

“Search me, God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive [wicked, hurtful] way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

With peace and humility, we are teachable and empowered to listen to God and to others. We walk alongside each other and remember we’re all on a learning journey.

Not long ago, I woke to sunshine and chirping birds in my safe Chicago suburb. A stark contrast to the turmoil just miles away. Had the riots stopped? Familiar fear and sadness tugged.

And I whispered a prayer:

Jesus…Jesus…Jesus…

It doesn’t make our problems disappear but it’s where we find true peace and strength to press on. Because our families still need us. And the world’s always been wonky. So, in the midst of these incredible challenges, we won’t give in or give up.

God, we are grateful. Without You, we are undone. Our mind is scattered and our peace is shattered. Calm our thoughts. Change our hearts. Change our conversations. To think different. To love different. May we listen and learn. And may our peace be contagious. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“Come to me all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace],  and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest [renewal, blessed quiet] for your souls.” ~ Matthew 11:28-29, AMP

 

 

Photo borrowed from Pixabay.com

 

Our first daughter, Ashley Nicole, was born on May 1st and was with us for only nine days. Though she’s always with me, those first couple weeks of may are an especially tender time.

We all experience loss. It’s our common and unavoidable human experience.

Grief is the strangest emotion we’ll ever encounter. Often subtle, yet strong. And so personal, yet universal.

I was a whopping twenty years old when Ashley died. It was before I rooted my life in Jesus and I was lost under multiple layers of pain. They just about killed me, mentally and spiritually.

When I stepped into this new life in Christ, I embraced it. With an “all-in” determination, I tapped into the power to free my mind and spirit.

Best decisions ever.

But grief doesn’t just go away, does it? It still shows up. Some days, we’re Super Woman punching pain in the face. Some moments, grief whispers a sweet memory and we simply smile and sigh.

But oh my friend, I hear you. Sometimes it requires us to breathe deep and make a raw choice to stay in it and above it. This takes a ton of grit and grace.

We remember and feel and sit with sadness. We don’t rush to the next thing to distract us. We let tears release what our minds can barely accept and what our bodies should not hold on to.

Because we know that unprocessed emotions literally get stuck in us. Scripture and science agree on that. They wreak havoc on our systems and create dis-ease of body, mind, and spirit. So, we choose to keep them moving up and out and forward.

Then, at some point, we get up. We wash our faces. We live. We worship. We even delight.

We get to redeem it all for good. For us. For others. For abundant Life.

Does this make you cringe? Maybe it’s too soon. Maybe this is  hitting home … hitting your heart …  deeper than ever.

Please know:  I see you and I hear you. It’s all too new and too heavy. And that’s okay because you’re right where you need to be.

We just came through the strangest of seasons. The pandemic illuminated our global grief experience. Quite personal, yet so weirdly universal. Maybe it’s weighed on loss that was already as “heavy as wet sand.” *  Maybe it feels a bit like quicksand.

And quicksand sucks. So, hang on.

Grief is a lot to process. We can’t always do it alone. It might be more than your friends and family can understand. Only God truly knows, hears, and sees you. And it may be time to talk to a counselor.

Wherever you are today, pray for wisdom and comfort. Scripture says God sings over us so ask to be awakened to the  Spirit’s calm and comforting Presence. Be wrapped in it like a big warm, snugly blanket.

For your journey, may you find Peace, Love, Grit, and Grace. ☮️❤️

*Job 6:3

 

Photo from Pixabay.com

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. Listen carefully; I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness, and streams in the wasteland.” ~ Isaiah 43:18-19

Okay, so this is weird.

It feels a bit like we’ve tumbled into the Twilight Zone. The whole globe has slowed, and stopped, and shifted.

I write a lot about pausing, slowing down, and being in the moment. But sheesh. This is epic, isn’t it? The greatest pause ever.

So, here we are. In this mind warp.

If only I could make soup and casseroles for everyone. I wanna send cards and clean your yards and deliver groceries. But, I can’t reach all of you. So I wait for words in this brand-new experience.

How about wonky and discombobulated?

Unsettling. And raw and awful and awkward.

And there’s all these new and strange questions:

How do I shop? How do I make a face mask? Where do I get toilet paper? How do I safely connect with family and friends? How does an introvert find quiet when it’s suddenly so darn people-y in the house?

For some of us, it’s a bit too quiet.

Author C.S. Lewis lived through epidemics and the 1918 pandemic. Throughout his life, he wrestled with discombobulating situations. He wrote a lot about doubt and faith, joy and grief. Here’s one of my favorite quotes:

“Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.”

Yep, for sure. This “flattening the curve” is a learning curve.

It’s our messy, unpleasant opportunity. To grow. To trust. To flip this stuff.

Ugh. Come on. Can’t we just eat Cheetos?

I wish. Stuffing and avoiding stress will just eat us from the inside out.

Remember Job? He has a whole section of the Bible to himself. It’s his raw and bleeding story of wrestling with extreme loss and gut-wrenching questions. He lost everything: family, friends, wealth, and health.

Then he lost hope and asked God to let him die.

“But even in the most calamitous circumstances, Job had a very thin thread of joy.” ¹

He found comfort and reassurance because he still believed the words of God. Though he despaired, even to the point of death, his faith was tenacious. Stubborn and persistent. And we can know this rare and extreme joy.

“It’s a joy that doesn’t deny reality, but it does defy it.” ² It wrestles and wins in the face of staggering loss.

This joy literally means, “to leap like a horse so stones spark. It’s not just jumping for joy; it’s dancing on disappointment.” ³

Now that moves me.

“Somehow, Job took a small measure of pleasure despite the pain. Would he have changed the circumstances if he could?  In a heartbeat. But he found joy in one simple fact”: ⁴

He didn’t forget or deny his Creator’s presence or promises. Though it may have felt like it, God had not deserted him.

After Jesus died, his followers were discombobulated too. Fear, grief, despair, and confusion rocked their world. Some hid; some went back to their old way of life. But then, Hope rose.

And Jesus changed everything.

Death becomes  Life. Dark becomes Light. Fear surrenders to courage. Despair holds on to hope.

And grief makes room for joy.

Jesus’ darkest days were the birth pains of a whole new era. His Story split history. And it’s about to happen again, my friend. This power to create new beginnings changes our story too.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. But I have come so you may have a full, abundant life.” ~ John 10:10

What if ~ in this epic interruption ~ we focus more on God’s presence and promises? What if ~ as earth exhales ~ we take a deep soul-cleansing breath? In this pregnant pause, let’s take bubble baths and eat chocolate. Let’s re-group and set new intentions and priorities for our lives. On the other side of this, What will be essential? As the world opens back up, What will we let back in?

Because Hope rose, every brutal life lesson is a beautiful opportunity. Shall we dance?

Unchanging God, because you’re already on the other side of this, we know we’ll be okay. Teach us to trust, remind us to breathe. Show us who we’re created to be. As we seek a new self, a new community, a new world. One day at a time, one neighbor at a time. ~ Amen

 

1-4; Mark Batterson, Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God

 

Photo from www.Pixabay.com

 

 

 

 

I want to share one of my favorite passages from Isaiah. I needed to read it today and soak it in. I pass it on to you and pray you’ll take a quiet moment to breathe deep and own it for yourself. It is true for you, Child of God. It reminds us that we’re capable of more than we know.

Look at what we’ve already walked through. So whether you feel strong or weary today …

Rest in these Promises.

Our Peace for difficult days.

Our Steady Hope in the unknowns.

God’s Unchanging and Unconditional Love on the days we feel we’ve totally blown it.

And Pugs. Just because 😊

 

“But now, [Child of God], the Lord who created you says:

Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.

I have called you by name; you are mine.

When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you.

When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown!

When you walk through the fire of oppression,  you will not be burned up;

the flames will not consume you.

For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior …

Do not be afraid.“ ~ Isaiah 43:1-2 & 5

                                                                                                                  ☮❤🙌🏻✝🙏🏻

 

Photo from Pixabay.com