Good morning…
This post will reach us after 8:00 am when fresh morning messages are normally scheduled to grace our inbox at 3:00 am. Why? Why is this post late? Because sometimes it is difficult and time consuming for me to put words to God’s new morning light dawning from within me. Today is one of those late blooming sunrises.
Recently a friend said, “I have no idea how you do all you do, caring for your husband and four kids, your faraway family and various friends, your written word ministry and work at the church, and you still have time to pray for the needs of the hurricane and forest fire victims you may never meet.” She admitted, “Sometimes I just get overwhelmed by my own life and I cut off, retreat into myself, and disconnect from the hard things happening in our world.”
Admiring my friend’s honesty, I heard myself share wisdom birthed inside from up above.
“Actually, I think it is because I prayerfully ponder the pain of others that God is growing in me a stronger capacity to genuinely love everyone. It is like the deeper I go into the needs of all people, the wider the circumference of my soul expands. Finding myself in an overwhelmed state, when I cut off, retreat, disconnect, the circumference of my soul shrinks.”
“Will I one day grow weary of breaking up my life into little pieces, always responding out of fear?” A quote from Paula D’Arcy now surfaces from within. “Instead, will I meet fear with something from within that is greater?” (147) Honestly, I think I am growing weary of shrinking my soul’s circumference, breaking my life into little pieces, protecting myself out of fear.
“Will I understand one day that there is no ‘protection’? There is God,” Paula challenges me. “And all of the circumstances of my life are only pointing toward something. Toward the greatest thing. What matters is not the circumstances, but what’s breaking through them, pushing through them, pushing through me, moving me toward a different birth. I have to decide for myself, will I, or will I not, let this Love show me what is possible?” (146) With my pen and my journal I wrestle my resistance, “Will I, or will I not, let Love show me?”
Jesus answered… “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, MSG). As my soul’s circumference is deepened and widened by the greatest Love, I see and experience the kingdom of God expanding in my everyday life, expanding on earth as it is in heaven.
…Sue…
P.S. Thank you Gina MacFarland for today’s gorgeous photo.
