Coming Back

Tomorrow Moe is three weeks old.  I'm starting to feel more myself again physically.  The kids and I are fairly settled in to the rhythm of me being home with them again.  I showered two days in a row.  All good things.

So tonight, to take advantage of the gloriously windy warm night, I walked Emilia's invitations down to the mailbox.  Before I left, Chris said, "Be careful."  Good advice at nearly 11pm.

Detour.

All through September and October, I've been experiencing this strange deception in which I step outside (of school, a store, my car, the house) and sniff the air and think "Ah, I'm so glad spring is here!"  ...Then, soon enough, reality sets in and I realize that what I'm smelling in the air are the last gasps of summer and that any day now, winter will set in, cold in my bones.  Even in the snow and hail at Emilia's soccer game Saturday, I stood shuddering in denial.  I think, after the most trying and emotionally exhausting summer of my life, something in the back of my heart wants a do-over so desperately that even the scent in the air sends me running headlong into the deception that spring is here and summer is coming.  Either it means I get that magical do-over or it means that winter's already over and the next summer is coming.  A different sort of chance at redemption.

Tonight on my walk, the neighborhood was mostly quiet aside from the traffic sounds and the intermittent bursts of laughter and shouting from the new neighbors a few doors down.  I was walking alone for the first time since the baby was born.  Walking at night, my favorite walking time.  Walking with mail in my hand.  The streetlights in our neighborhood cast a warm amber glow on everything, making it feel cozier and safer. Things felt right at home, like everything was in its place.

I wondered if perhaps I was involved in another strange deception.  In the last two months, kids were shooting guns at the end of our street in broad daylight, our car was broken into in the middle of the afternoon, and once again we considered moving away.  But tonight, it felt so comfortable and peaceful to walk through my neighborhood alone in the dark, I wondered if we were wrong to consider getting out of town.  I looked around for an answer, but all I heard was the leaf song of the oak trees on the boulevard, the lush ocean-roar of their summer sound giving way to the raspy rattle of their browning foliage.

God's Love

For the love of God will transform you.  When the love of God is through with you, you will be shot through with his light.  You will be changed into something you never expected to be. You will be what he planned you to be from the beginning-- the only one of you in the universe. (166 Mathewes-Green).  

I'm loving this message today.

A Timely Reminder

'Do what you can calmly and gently. Do not be disturbed about what you cannot manage yourself. God is well pleased with the earnestness and moderate anxiety with which we attend to our obligations, but He is not pleased with that anxiety which afflicts the soul, because He wishes our limitations and weakness to seek the support of His strength and omnipotence, with the trust in His goodness He will supply what is lacking to our weakness and shortcomings.'

-St Ignatius of Loyola

Moe

Moe's first little walk in the park!

Project Building Others Up

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. - Philippians 2:3

This has been a great week of challenge and inspiration on SheReadsTruth.  In all our discussion of humility and those who labor among us, I was given the idea to try to look outward more and promote that via social media as a counter to the selfie-culture we're in.  And yeah, I'm guilty of that desire to self-promote too.  So this week, we're going to try an Instagram project to promote the good works of others.

The idea of good words is intentionally broad, so I'm excited to see what sorts of good works people notice and share.  The big goal of this is to look for the good in others rather than promoting the good that we ourselves do.

Philippians 2:25 (ESV)

25 I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need,

I like the words Paul uses to describe Epaphroditus:  brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, messenger, and minister.  This description emphasizes the many ways people can do good works to build God's kingdom.

Sometimes this good work might be others soldiering on like we are, in whatever walk of life we're in.  Are you a pastor's wife?  Running a minstry of your own?  A college student trying to live righteously?  A fabulous mama raising some righteous little people?  A teacher?  A volunteer?  A person who goes to work each day and brightens the life of the people around here there?  A writer?  A messenger?

No matter what we're doing or what kind of life we are leading, we are all fellow workers and fellow soldiers.  I think there are also a lot of people, Christians or not, who are doing this kind of soldier's work with us.  This #buildingothersup #philippians2v3 project is to celebrate the work of these other soldiers.

In Hebrews, we're instructed to stir up one another.  My feisty side is all about stirring things up!  This is a good chance to stir up others to love and good works.

Hebrews 10:24–25 (ESV)

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

 Encouraging one another.  Yes, please!  Because often appearing strong and righteous from the outside masks the constant struggle and the constant need to draw strength from somewhere.  The community on SheReadsTruth is filled with good people.  Strong women.  And the more time I spend in this community, the more I see the beautiful reality of each of our struggles.  I know I am more open there than I am in other communities because it feels safe there.  We build each other up.  Now it's time to take that spirit of building up and look outside of ourselves and our community.  I'm excited to look for the work of my fellow soldiers.  Join me!

#buildingothersup #phillipians2v3 #shereadstruth