Grown-Up Goodness: Allowing Space for the New
Hi friends! I'd like to share a little something that's been on my mind. It's called:
THE NEW
Are you ready for something new? A breath of crisp, cool air to offer a new vibrancy to your life?
The start of the school year and the beginning of Fall have always been a time of renewal for me. The cycle begins again, and we have a myriad of opportunities for a fresh start.
One of my coworkers and friends, Ricky, shared this reflection with me last week (thank you!) that has had me thinking ever since. The theme was simple...new beginnings.
The idea (from the book of Revelation) for each of us to take to heart is that God promised to make all things new again–no matter where we are, what we're fighting right now, or what's holding us back.
Whether I recognized it or not, I've typically imagined recharging and regrowth as these first two:
And, therefore, I've sometimes felt renewed one moment and totally frustrated the next.
What if I can't just start fresh??
Life and relationships are complex and just because I try to begin something with new perspectives, does not mean I can always set out a blank canvas. Challenges and trials leave their brush strokes.
Perhaps these other two ways of seeing a new might evoke a different response:
Perhaps, with grace, our ugly, tired experiences help shape the new life we are meant to live.
Perhaps it's not so much about striving to create the nearly impossible, bright shiny and new.
Perhaps we are to refashion and reforge the almost hidden goodness, disguised as the big, fat problems that we've been offered.
What are you starting new? Do you have enough space in your life, mind, and heart to try something? If not, how will you make that space?
Here are two that I'm thinking of today:
1. Living a creative life with structure and finding ways to form habits so that new life and ideas might grow.
2. Ending a few good involvements to make way for the life-giving, amazing ones on the way.
Are you ready for something new?
XOXO, MJ