“Trust is our gift back to God, and he finds it so enchanting that Jesus died for love of it” — Brennan Manning
With the recent tragedies and injustice plaguing our country, I’ve found myself experiencing increased internal tension about how to respond. How to engage. It seems like the fight for justice can become so polarized, adding unnecessary complication and encouraging self-doubt, especially as a white woman.
“In a real sense all life is interrelated. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the inter-related structure of reality.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
As we’re in the midst of a global crisis, not knowing when the end will be, I’ve found myself so easily lost in feeling out of control (being in quarantine sure doesn’t help). During this unprecedented season, Jesus has been teaching me a lot about myself and who He is. He’s reminding me of how powerful we are, if only we’d recognize where our power comes from. While I believe He is the source of our power, how that power get’s manifested in and through our lives is by our choices.
I wish I could say I'm a "Mary", but I'm not. I care more about my to-do lists and performance than I'd like to admit. And at times it comes at the cost of pursuing God's presence and tuning into His Spirit.
After David was anointed to be king, his destiny declared over him, he found himself in situations that seemed contradictory, if not defiant, to the words spoken over him. Not just for weeks or months, but for years. Decades. At face value, his circumstances were in stark opposition to God’s promises over his life.
For me, life in “the arena” means spending more time on my knees with my face in the mud than parading around in victory laps. It feels like I’m getting my ass kicked more often than not, and in-between punches to the gut I catch quick glimpses of everyone else celebrating their triumphs. Or so it seems.