Discernment is a tool in our spiritual arsenal – one of the Holy Spirit gifts to us. It guides us to the will of God, which is to say the best possible outcome for us.
This year I choose blossom as my Word because it represents my intention to grow from the roots I planted as a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5) and build back what was broken through the vehicle of relationship.
It was the morning of the most important interview of my career; with emotions running haywire and hormones adding a dizzying effect, I decided that I just couldn't go to my interview that afternoon. The fear shouted so loudly that I couldn't hear the voice of wisdom that knew to show up despite the very big feelings. This was my dream job, after all!
God recently revealed to me that I am holding onto the weight of my past. By holding onto my past, I’m not only carrying around a weight I was never meant to carry, but I am blocking the blessings of God’s plan for me in the future. So today I ask you: What weight are you carrying that is hindering your upward momentum?
Covid-19 caught nearly all of us by surprise, leaving us ripped of our routines, schedules and normal circumstances — everything we typically rely on for stability and consistency. If we weren’t already prone to or struggling with depression, COVID-19 certainly stirred up prime circumstances for depression to show up (many of us without any prior experience with mental illness or the coping skills to deal with it in healthy ways).
Last week we spoke about the sneaky feelings that cause those very bad, no good days; but what about the absence of feeling? I’m talking about apathy, a symptom of depression, when we feel nothing, care about nothing and want to sleep all the live long day. What I’ve learned about depression is there’s an antidote to apathy and it’s called action. Of course, action is the last thing we want to do when depression robs us of our zest. But it is also the solution to our apathetic state.
I recently found myself experiencing more “bad” days than “good ones,” a natural response given certain circumstances in my life. As a bonafide optimist, with a motto like “No bad days” lingering in my mind, I had to remind myself that those tough days are normal, expected even, especially given the seasons we might be swimming through.
I am saddened and heartbroken today over the acts of violence in Charlottesville. I sat with the news written on my heart looking for words that could overcome frustration and focus on love and social justice on a deep level. This is what came through when I prayed for the right words.
God calls us to love with compassion, tolerance and acceptance, so we must try to look past acts of hatred and violence to see a person that clearly learned to hate.
