(no subject)
Galatians 6:1-3
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Matthew 11:28,29
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Hello friends,
I hope you are doing well! Here in Pennsylvania winter is going strong with cold weather and - at least in the city - plenty of gray days. It's this time of year that I long for the warmth of spring and things will come alive again, with no more dead trees or gloomy clouds. (Although in some ways, nature is messing with me… it's 52 today!)
While some select places do not go through too much climate change, I would think that seasons are pretty common to human experience. Wet seasons, dry seasons, winter, spring, summer fall - and so on. However, if you've been keeping up to speed with reading these emails I write to you from time to time, you know where this is going. There are more seasons that we experience than just the cycles of nature. There are seasons of joy, sadness, anger, numbness, spiritual depression, spiritual overflow, busy-ness, boredom, quiet, peace. Usually the negative seasons are seen strictly as bad times that we should avoid… but I wonder if that's really a healthy response to what is happening. Rather than AVOID the negative season, why not try to understand why it might be that we are in that season? Why not ask, "What can God teach me through this time?" I probably think of this because winter tends to be such a down time of the year for a lot of people. I have my off days too, and I cannot wait until spring comes in and the earth comes alive again with green plants and colorful blossoms. But through winter and anticipating spring, there is still beauty that can be found. The same is true about our off-seasons and cycles in life.
I reflect on the honesty of Jesus and the TRUTH God calls us often, in turn finding myself falling short when it comes to how I'm really feeling. But it is an uphill battle to be truthful about how one is feeling (if it is "negative") and going about it in a gentle and Christ-focused way. In my opinion & experience, it is very easy to hide emotions for the sake of saving face and being otherwise normal. I don't think Jesus calls us to that, or pretend everything is peachy. If something is wrong, don't be afraid to admit that things could be better. Ask for prayer! Be confident in knowing God will work you through it, and it is OK if it takes time. And ask what God could be teaching you through it. Hiding those things can be entrapping and in some ways enslaving; we are called to be free in Christ's truth! I pray that we can all find ourselves in that place, embracing His freedom for our hearts, minds, and souls.
In love and in Christ,
Your sister,
Yvonne
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Matthew 11:28,29
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Hello friends,
I hope you are doing well! Here in Pennsylvania winter is going strong with cold weather and - at least in the city - plenty of gray days. It's this time of year that I long for the warmth of spring and things will come alive again, with no more dead trees or gloomy clouds. (Although in some ways, nature is messing with me… it's 52 today!)
While some select places do not go through too much climate change, I would think that seasons are pretty common to human experience. Wet seasons, dry seasons, winter, spring, summer fall - and so on. However, if you've been keeping up to speed with reading these emails I write to you from time to time, you know where this is going. There are more seasons that we experience than just the cycles of nature. There are seasons of joy, sadness, anger, numbness, spiritual depression, spiritual overflow, busy-ness, boredom, quiet, peace. Usually the negative seasons are seen strictly as bad times that we should avoid… but I wonder if that's really a healthy response to what is happening. Rather than AVOID the negative season, why not try to understand why it might be that we are in that season? Why not ask, "What can God teach me through this time?" I probably think of this because winter tends to be such a down time of the year for a lot of people. I have my off days too, and I cannot wait until spring comes in and the earth comes alive again with green plants and colorful blossoms. But through winter and anticipating spring, there is still beauty that can be found. The same is true about our off-seasons and cycles in life.
I reflect on the honesty of Jesus and the TRUTH God calls us often, in turn finding myself falling short when it comes to how I'm really feeling. But it is an uphill battle to be truthful about how one is feeling (if it is "negative") and going about it in a gentle and Christ-focused way. In my opinion & experience, it is very easy to hide emotions for the sake of saving face and being otherwise normal. I don't think Jesus calls us to that, or pretend everything is peachy. If something is wrong, don't be afraid to admit that things could be better. Ask for prayer! Be confident in knowing God will work you through it, and it is OK if it takes time. And ask what God could be teaching you through it. Hiding those things can be entrapping and in some ways enslaving; we are called to be free in Christ's truth! I pray that we can all find ourselves in that place, embracing His freedom for our hearts, minds, and souls.
In love and in Christ,
Your sister,
Yvonne