Well, yet again, I've been too busy to keep up with the blog as much as I'd like. I spent most of last week in the Hill Country for work meetings, and then over the weekend The Boy from Texas and I hit up his family reunion and then a wedding reception for some of our friends in New Mexico. No rest for the wicked, right?
 |
| Black is slimming....unless you're pregnant. Nothing is slimming. |
 |
| Group photo at the reception. |
In the meantime, thank goodness some other folks are blogging and writing excellent pieces for me to share! Do yourself a favor. Read these.
1. Saying Yes To The Wait. My friend Katy has done it yet again. Any post that kicks off with my favorite Bible verse is bound to be good. She did not disappoint. We often hear about the idea of saying yes to God, in particular with regard to being open to children. Katy discusses this from slightly different perspective....saying yes when God says you have to wait. Anyone who is in a waiting stage should definitely read this post.
"Sometimes we say yes to God -- and nothing happens, at least nothing that we can see with our limited viewpoint. Sometimes we say yes to the wait. And, honestly, I think that is the braveryes....the one that is questioned by others (did God really call you to this city, this ministry, this life?) and sometimes even questioned by ourselves (is this really what He wanted?)
A yes to waiting, trusting and seeking joy amidst uncertainty. A yes to future fulfilling of current longings and calling. A yes to obeying even without seeing. A yes to vulnerability and hope and disappointment. A yes to change, growth and repentance. A yes to brokenness, struggle, surrender and pain during the wait. A yes to reminding yourself of God's goodness even when you do not feel it."
2. It Ends With Your Warm Beer on the Table Between Us. Meg Fee is one of my favorite writers---she's amazing. This post is great for the single ladies out there who need the reminder she offers.... "It is not my job to convince a man to love me." Amen, sister!
3. Grace for this Season. My friend April should have her own tv show. No, seriously. She's awesome. She is super crafty, a great mom, does fun things on the weekend like family cooking challenges, and writes beautiful blog posts like Grace for this Season. She looks back at a time during Bible Study where a girl opened her heart with a problem, only to be offered a Christian catch phrase of "It's just a season." Now, April wishes that she could have offered her much better advice and understanding.
"Those Christian catch phrases might look good on the back of your mini van, but they do nothing to soothe a wounded soul."
4. No One Else Is Going To Do It. I can't really relate to Hannah's current situation--traveling across Europe with a class of teenagers, or her past living in Europe alone after college. But what I can relate to is the idea that sometimes, adulthood slaps me in the face and I realize that if I don't take care of something, no one else will. No one is going to clean up my mess or research my health insurance options or ensure my bills are paid on time. That's adulthood, kids, plain and simple.
"Life is full of moments where things are going wrong and we don’t know what to do. I’m not bashing seeking good advice or help at all, as those are amazing things. But sometimes, stressing about what to do is so much more painful than just deciding that YOU are the one who needs to do whatever it is, and then doing it. Sometimes it is strangely easier to decide that no one else is going to clean this up, and then doing hopping to it."
5. Supreme Court Ruling. I have zero desire to get into a political debate on the Court's ruling last week finding state's bans on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional. ZERO DESIRE. But as I've read and thought and prayed about this issue a great deal over the last several days, I've come across two articles that have done, in my mind, an excellent job pointing out the opinion I hold the strongest. That we are called to be kind to one another. That spewing hatred or condemnation or anger is not productive or helpful or enlightening. We must love one another.
My friend and Catholic blogger, Meg Hunter Kilmer put it this way in her excellent post titled #Lovewins.
"Whether you found yesterday glorious or discouraging, in the end Love wins. Our task is to live for that Love. Whatever side you’re on, drop your weapons. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. You want Love to win? Live like it."
Another blogger, who I don't know in real life, put it this way in her post "The Day that Love Won: A Response to the Supreme Court's Ruling."
"And while I have my own opinions of the Supreme Court’s ruling, you won’t find my support or my rejection voiced here. My reason is simple. It is not because I am ashamed of how I feel, nor because I am afraid. It is not because I lack conviction… because I have my own strong opinions of the ruling.
It is because I recognize that my personal convictions voiced loudly have the ability to silence conversations that I might have with people that I know. It is because I believe that one on one conversations are where hearts can be heard and where convictions can meet compassion."
