Good morning…
As I journal with God this morning before our crowded house wakes up, I feel mysteriously drawn to create two lists on one page. On the left I jot the heading OVER. On the right I write UNDER. Then I allow words to popcorn into place.
OVER – Overwhelmed. Overlooked. Over-served. Overextended. Overspending. Overindulging. Overanalyzing. Overeating. Overweight. Overstimulated. Overcommitted. Over it all.
UNDER – Underfoot. Undervalued. Under-fire. Underlying. Underpaid. Under-pressure. Underestimated. Under-appreciated. Undercover. Under-the-influence. Under-investigation. Underneath it all.
When we headed into the holidays, we cut free from life’s normal, and, by the time we near New Years, we are silently sucked into the invisible undertow of OVER and UNDER. Which words on these two lists tug at your own heartstrings right now?
Pulled from our center, we come to crave the restful relief of regular routine. Our challenge today is that January 1st is still five days away and then we will need to maneuver through another weekend before Monday, January 6th settles us back into any ordinary order. How do we live these one-of-a-kind days grounded, growing, and grateful instead of frantic, frustrated, and frazzled?
God’s answer comes to me in a Scripture verse attached to the card on one of my favorite handmade Christmas gifts from this special season.
“For Sue: But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. – 1 Peter 3:4″
Beneath the OVERwhelming UNDERfoot-ness of this week, you and I are constantly in God’s sight. God sees, God knows, God understands the hidden person secreted in our soul. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7b, CSB). We are extravagantly loved, seen as “imperishably beautiful” and “very precious” by the God who sees, knows, and UNDERstands everything. As we sense the strength of our true identity, our gentle and quiet spirit gradually OVERflows amid the UNDERtow.
In this moment we may feel like Hagar hiding in the wilderness, OVER-analyzing and UNDER-pressure. Yet God’s abundant love finds her as God’s love finds us, speaking into our soul’s small secluded space. So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me” (Genesis 16:13, ESV). Instead of focusing on feeling misUNDERstood, might we rest UNDERneath our LORD’s watchful care, living in the present moment peacefully OVERjoyed?
…Sue…
