Faith grows through seasons; just as nature’s rhythm marches through winter, spring, summer, and fall.
We are right in that transition from winter to spring that is marked by the season of lent on our spiritual calendars. The first day of spring is coming right up on March 20.
Ready for spring.
Let me tell you, I am ready for spring. It has been a winter filled with snow and cold weather, with spring’s blooms dead to my eyes. I have trimmed the summer-beautiful rose bushes down to nubs of prickly branches, seemingly barren of the blaze of life and color that the coming season will bring.
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In a recent conversation in the office, we were laughing that no matter how many times we proof a document, it seems a typo or error will be found just after the e-mail has been sent or 1,000 copies have been printed.
“I always wonder what mistake I’ll be remembered for,” someone remarked. Light-heartedly, I said, “We are not defined by our mistakes.”
But, as I walked away I kept thinking about it. Isn’t that something we all need to be reminded of?
We are not defined by our mistakes.
Yes, some can be real doozies, and some mistakes are remembered for quite a while.
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There is something profound about stepping into a new year. Stretched out before us are months, fresh and unwritten as the blank pages of a new calendar. Waiting for us are experiences yet to be lived, adventures yet to be enjoyed, and blessings yet to be discovered.
There is such possibility in the start of a year. Some of us jump into all of this open possibility with the best of intentions and maybe even some resolutions and goals. We race into plans to organize, improve, shape up, slim down…or whatever happens to have made our hit list.
But sometimes we can get stuck.
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There are days I feel sad and unmotivated. Maybe you can relate?
Life, and what’s going on, will contribute to my mood. But, my mood is just that—the way I feel today. And today won’t last forever.
The thing about moods is, they change…and often.
While one day I might feel like singing the blues, the next day I may be humming a different tune.**
So, today, I’m sharing what gets me through the I-feel-sad-and-don’t-want-to-do-anything-days.
1) Remember that this feeling is temporary.**
So many factors contribute to how we feel on any given day…hormones, the weather, how we slept the night before, lack of exercise, illness, and more.
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Advent is the season of waiting expectantly and preparing our hearts for the arrival of Baby Jesus. We reflect on the miraculous conception, the birth in lowest of conditions, and the fulfillment of the prophecy…
…the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)
We rejoice on Christmas morning—Christ is born!
And then…Christmas is over. Or at least that’s how it feels. We put the Christmas decorations away and go back to our busy lives as usual.
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Sometimes life gets so busy, it’s easy to forget how blessed I am. Today I’m thinking about, and thanking God for His blessings I often take for granted.
The freedom to worship our one true God.
The means to feed and provide for my family.
Warm clothes to wear on cold days.
My health and the desire to exercise.
The privilege of working at my church.
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT
What blessings are you thankful for today that can sometimes be taken for granted?
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Last month, here on 5 Minutes for Faith, I wrote about the day God stopped me in my tracks. He reminded me that no matter what I think I know, only He knows the full and complete picture of His plans.
That same day, although I don’t remember what I was reading at the time, this verse was put in front of me.
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
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Are you successful? What do you feel makes you successful? How do you define it?
The dictionary defines success in this way:
• the attainment of popularity or profit: the success of his play.
• a person or thing that achieves desired aims or attains prosperity: I must make a success of my business.
• archaic the outcome of an undertaking, specified as achieving or failing to achieve its aims: the good or ill success of their maritime enterprises.
Often while praying with friends, these women of wisdom that the Lord has placed in my life, will ask Him to help me to not put unrealistic expectations on myself.
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