Where are we going with this?
I feel like a bit of back history is needed. I'm the sort of girl who has breezed through life. I was the kid who got the good grade, starred in the school play and won the pyjama race on sports day. I grew up in a happy and functional home. I liked life. It's always been good. I've done well at University, happily married, blessed with children, on the property ladder... It's easy for me to praise God right? Because my life has been so straight-forward... So what happens when it all starts to fall to pieces? When your plans don't come off? What happens when your parents' 'solid' marriage breaks down? What happens when the thing you've always dreamed of suddenly isn't an option any more? What happens when your health fails? When you're declared bankrupt? What happens 'when it's a no'?
I imagine it'd be easy to stop reading right here and think I'm a bit of a stuck-up, arrogant little so-and-so who deserves to have a bit of 'reality' is life has been so sweet-smelling up to this point, you might be right. But, I've learnt some lessons in this season and I want to share them with you - in the hope that it might help you, or others you know, in your own seasons of confusion, waiting, disappointment and bewilderment.
So often in the church or at conferences we hear the 'happy ever after' story. The person who was unable to conceive now has their baby, or the person who was financially destitute now owns their own business. We hear incredible testimonies of how God has brought people through all sorts of hardships and testing times - and that's amazing, don't get me wrong - it's incredible and builds faith. But what we don't often hear is the person in the middle of the story, in the middle of the 'no' reflecting on what to do, how to be, how to approach life from the confusion and pain. How to keep worshipping, how to find meaning and purpose when their hearts have been broken or they have been denied the very thing they were working towards. I think we need to hear more of these stories of faithfully loving and serving Jesus from the middle of the 'no'.
I guess this is what this blog is about. Maybe it is just a place where God will work on and with me in processing our (my husband's and mine) 'no'. Maybe it will help others as I process the things God has been saying about living in this season of 'no', living in this season of limbo, of unknown, of "just keep swimming" Dory-style one. day. at. a. time...
And so to give you a taste of the things God has dropped into my heart for people in these 'no', 'not yet' or 'wait' seasons, here are some headers:
I imagine it'd be easy to stop reading right here and think I'm a bit of a stuck-up, arrogant little so-and-so who deserves to have a bit of 'reality' is life has been so sweet-smelling up to this point, you might be right. But, I've learnt some lessons in this season and I want to share them with you - in the hope that it might help you, or others you know, in your own seasons of confusion, waiting, disappointment and bewilderment.
So often in the church or at conferences we hear the 'happy ever after' story. The person who was unable to conceive now has their baby, or the person who was financially destitute now owns their own business. We hear incredible testimonies of how God has brought people through all sorts of hardships and testing times - and that's amazing, don't get me wrong - it's incredible and builds faith. But what we don't often hear is the person in the middle of the story, in the middle of the 'no' reflecting on what to do, how to be, how to approach life from the confusion and pain. How to keep worshipping, how to find meaning and purpose when their hearts have been broken or they have been denied the very thing they were working towards. I think we need to hear more of these stories of faithfully loving and serving Jesus from the middle of the 'no'.
I guess this is what this blog is about. Maybe it is just a place where God will work on and with me in processing our (my husband's and mine) 'no'. Maybe it will help others as I process the things God has been saying about living in this season of 'no', living in this season of limbo, of unknown, of "just keep swimming" Dory-style one. day. at. a. time...
And so to give you a taste of the things God has dropped into my heart for people in these 'no', 'not yet' or 'wait' seasons, here are some headers:
Wait well
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Forgive fast
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Keep community
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Leave snail trails
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Get humble
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Work where you are
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Cheer on
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Love deeply
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Wise up
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Face fears
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Push doors
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Ask questions
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Build faith
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Train and equip
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Never say never
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Pursue peace
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Spot the signs
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Count the cost
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You won't necessarily get posts in the above order - more as time allows and the Spirit leads, but these are the things that the Holy Spirit dropped into my mind on a long run a couple of months back and I believe there are some useful and encouraging lessons to be learned here.
Welcome to my journey of what to do when it's a no...
