Comfort Zones

It is nice to be back with the Spiritual Journey First Thursday crew. Pat from A writer on a Horse and Dog has the round-up this month with the topic of "getting out of our comfort zone."

"We all have those moments in our life that fill up time and space with both darkness and light, both happiness and sadness, and it is in those moments that we are all defined and changed.  We can look at those moments, those minutes and hours, and come to the realization God changed us and marked us in those moments."

These words appeared in a column in our local newspaper this week.

My community shuffled in and out of their comfort zones this week as they laid to rest a young man whose life of 15 years was cut too short. I know of his family, and my husband has worked with his grandfather for many years.  But neither of us knew Jacob.

What we have learned was that Jacob had a very strong and visible faith. He shared his faith with others, and many described him as a true servant. When it came to his faith, he was in a comfort zone where many teenagers, as well as some adults, find themselves uncomfortable. Openly sharing their faith at a young age is not an easy thing to do, but Jacob lived like Jesus. Jacob found his comfort zone.

And that is how he is remembered.

His mother told my husband at the visitation, "Tomorrow, I will be one day closer to him."

That is faith. That is truly living in a comfort zone.

Living my faith is something I have struggled with several years for many reasons. That is one of the reason why I started this blog.  Seeing my community go through this experience has made me think not about getting out of my comfort zone, 

but finding it and living it instead. 

Rise Up and Pray

Well come to our second Spiritual Journey First Thursday!  I am hosting the round-up today, and I thrilled that you are here to share about my one little word RISE.

This is my fourth year to choose a one little word, and is something I have fully embraced each year.

When I chose RISE for my OLW and "Embrace Challenges" for a monthly motto, I had no idea how it would play out so quickly in my personal life.  I began to think about God's influence in the choosing of our OLW.

Does He put those words on our lips and in our minds?  Does He place us in experiences that cause our words to choose us?

Each year that I have chosen a word, I believe He led me to those words.  This year is no exception.  Just a few days after I posted about my word, I learned that my sister had cancer.

I believe that God knew what was going to happen and led me to that word.  

I believe He knew that I was going to have to RISE for my sister.

I believe that he knew this was a challenge that I was going to have to embrace, and he wanted me to TURN toward him in these times of trial.  He wanted me to RISE up and pray.

Image from I Will Trust in You

What part has God played in the choosing of your one little word?

Rise - One Little Word 2017

It is hard to believe that almost a year has passed since I posted on this blog, which was created when my one little word was turn.  I wanted to turn more toward God, but that is a constant struggle for me.  That is why I appreciate the small community of bloggers who write for Spiritual Journey Thursday.  Holly Mueller at Reading, Teaching, Learning began the community, and it slowly grew.  We took a hiatus for awhile, but Irene Latham at Live Your Poem has brought the group back together.  Each month will feature a different topic from a different blogger.  This month's roundup about our One Little Word is hosted by Carol at Beyond LiteracyLink.

When I chose Rise as my one little word this year, I knew I wanted to make a positive difference in the lives of others.  I knew I wanted to..

Rise each day with

love on my lips

hope in my heart

thankfulness in my thoughts

...always in my actions.

At Catholic mass we make the sign of the cross on our heads, lips, and hearts before the reading of the Gospel.  This is a way of praying and inviting the Word of God to be "in our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts."

I was not thinking about this part of mass when I wrote my words.  (Honestly, I wrote "hope in my heart" and was trying to use alliteration.)  It wasn't until much later when I realized the connection between being positive and opening my heart to the Word.

My first day back at school I became frustrated with a colleague about being negative.  As I was talking about it with a different colleague, I realized I was doing the same thing.  If this had been a resolution, I would have broken it four days into the new year.

This is the power of one little word.  It is a guide, and we do not have to feel as if we have failed when we have a set back.

I also have created a purpose for positivity for each month.  This gives me ways to use words other than rise.  

January is "Embrace challenges."  I think back to the book of Exodus when the Israelites were escaping the Egyptians.  When God led them out of Egypt, he didn't make the journey easy.  They experience challenges as they traveled through the dessert and reached the Red Sea.  And when they were being chased by the Egyptian army, they were afraid of what may happen if they were caught.  But Moses told them, "The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still."  Exodus 14:14

It is when we meet these challenges with God's Word is in our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts, that we can Rise above them.  I ask you to embrace the challenges with me, knowing that God will fight for all of us.

My 2017 Manifesto

Present

Today is Spiritual Journey Thursday, a day to spend some time turning toward God.  Please feel free to join me on this journey each Thursday with Holly Mueller and friends.  For the next several weeks, Holly will be featuring the spiritual aspects of our one little words.  This week we are writing about Margaret's word, present. 

Last week Holly mentioned on her post how "there was never a time when I can't remember believing there was a God."  I am the same way.  Each week we would recite the Nicene Creed at Mass:

I believe in One God, the Father almighty...

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ...

I believe in the Holy Spirit...

I have always believed, but how often do I acknowledge His presence?  

I know the answer.

My first response would be during the "big life" times, those times of trouble or times of need. Sometimes it is in those times of great joy.  Many times I have looked back and I have noticed His presence, but it is usually in hindsight ~ not in the present.  For me, believing in God and acknowledging His presence can be separated by a wide distance.

How often do I acknowledge His presence in my every day?  Those mundane times when we are just going through the motions of another day.  Those times of daily chores such as washing dishes, preparing meals, or doing laundry.

I know the answer.

I live in a world of distractions and obligations.  I do not want to turn these into excuses.  I know I must not allow this world to separate me from God's presence.  I know I need to turn toward him more than what I do now.  That was the purpose of this blog.  But have I honestly taken the time to be  truly present?

I know the answer.

I recently found a new blog, While I Ponder, by Karlene Arthur.  She wrote a post on three ways to maintain devotion time.  She lists:

                           1.  Choose devotion resources you LOVE.

                           2.  Find a routine that works for YOU.

                           3.  Relax and be kind to yourself.

All three of these steps are tightly wrapped in being present.  I know it is time for me to look at and to reorder my priorities.  It is time for me to shorten that gap between believing and acknowledging. 

I know many of us in the original group have referred to this verse many times, and it is a constant reminder of what I need to do:

"Be still, and know that I am God." ~Psalm 46:10

I hope all of us find time in the coming weeks to be still and be present.  I think He has something important to say if we just listen.  How will you be in His presence this week?

I Believe

Today is Spiritual Journey Thursday, a day for me to spend some time turning toward God.  Please feel free to join me on this journey each Thursday with Holly Mueller and friends.  For the next several weeks, Holly will be featuring our one little words.  This week our word is believe, the one little word by Carol from Beyond Literacy.

"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." ~ Hebrews 11:6

Today I write with a heavy heart.  We received word today that a student in our community unexpectedly passed away.  She was a second grader.  Her sibling is a student in Megan's class.

It is so hard to believe when things like this happen.  Why would God take a beautiful little girl when she still had so much life to live?  We do not have the answers; we are only asked to believe.

I know that difficult times are not meant to make us stronger, but are meant to strengthen our faith in God.

This is not easy, but we are asked to just believe.  

Below are the words from a song by Brooks and Dunn. I have included the video, but the words really say it all.  It is a song about believing when we really have more questions than answers. When we are trying to sort out this thing called life.

When I raise my hands, bow my head

I'm finding more and more truth in the words written in red

They tell me that there's more to this than just what I can see

I believe

Oh, I believe

An Unlikely Gift

Today is Spiritual Journey Thursday, a day for me to spend some time turning toward God.  December's theme has turned out to be gifts.  Please feel free to join me on this journey each Thursday with Holly Mueller and friends.

Dear Spiritual Journey Friends,

These past five months have been a true test for me.  

A test of strength. 

A test of faith.

As you know, Megan started her first year of teaching in August.  It was during this time when I had never felt so helpless as a mother.  Megan was miserable, and I would say a little bit scared. She had just spent the last four years of her life preparing for a career in which she now hated. She threw her hands up in the air and wanted to quit so many times.

I didn't know what to do; so I prayed.  I left the house each morning with a pit in the bottom of my stomach.  And I worried all day long.  During our moment of silence each day at school, I prayed a mother's plea, "God, please help her."  

I felt like my own prayers were not enough, so I called on many of you to pray for her too.

And you did.

Little by little God started to reveal His answer in an unlikely gift.

Megan has one student in particular who has some difficult emotional needs and who is Megan's biggest challenge as a teacher.  

One day, Megan showed me a picture of her student, "J," and she had completely surrounded herself with cardboard dividers.  I knew then there was more to this little girl than neither Megan nor I could imagine.  But what I didn't know was that she was the very person who would save Megan.

One day Megan came home and told me about a letter "J" had written her.  She looked at me and said, "Mom, she just wants to be loved."  I wrote about that letter here.

God's answer was being revealed day by day.

Then another time, Megan and "J" had  lunch together.  "J" confided in Megan and told her that she trusted Megan because she was her teacher.  I wrote about that here. 

I knew then that God had answered my prayers, our prayers.  He has placed in Megan's hands a gift, a gift which Megan never expected and a gift which helped her to realize she was called to be a teacher.

Thank you my friends.  I think she is going to make it.

Again

Today is Spiritual Journey Thursday, a day for me to spend some time turning toward God.  December's theme is gifts.  This post is not about gifts, but a post that needed to be written.
Please feel free to join me on this journey each Thursday with Holly Mueller and friends.

I knew it had been awhile since I occupied this space, but I didn't realize just how long until I began writing this post.

There are many reasons why I have not been here.  One is that I didn't feel like I belonged here.  After reading so many of your posts, I felt I wasn't good enough, or I wasn't a "Christian" writer.

The joy thief came.

My faith seemed so small compared to many of yours.  I was no longer strong enough to put my words on these pages for you to read, to compare my words to yours.

And he came again.

Weeks turned into months, and after not writing for so long, I felt like a failure.  This space became a mockery of what I called my faith.  I was just writing words, I was not living them.  And all of you were.

And he came again and again.

Every time I tried to write.

My faith became weaker, and I stopped writing.

Last night as I was watching a preview clip of "A Coat of Many Colors," Dolly Parton's mother said these words.

"Love ain't just a feeling.  It is an action."

I immediately wrote these words down and they kept repeating themselves to me, again and again.  I began thinking about why I started this space.  I wanted to TURN toward Him.  Turn is an action.

This space was meant to be a journey.  A journey is an action.  It is the act of getting from one place to another.  I am not there yet.  I may never get there.  

When I think about the twelve men Jesus chose to come along on His journey, I see me.

I see weak faith.

I see doubt.

I see struggle.

But I also see love.

Love as an action, not just a feeling.  Their faith was tested again and again, but they continued the journey.

My love for God cannot just be a feeling, it needs to be an action.

And so I begin...again.

Maybe this post was about a gift after all.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. ~ Colossians 3:7

Easter Cinquain

Today is Spiritual Journey Thursday, a day for me to spend some time turning toward God.  Please feel free to join me on this journey each Thursday with Holly Mueller and friends.  This week's theme is Easter

Easter

the stone is rolled

to find the tomb empty

"Do not disbelieve, but believe"

my Lord

Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." ~ John 20:29

Eucharistic Love Story

Today is Spiritual Journey Thursday, a day for me to spend some time turning toward God.  Please feel free to join me on this journey each Thursday with Holly Mueller and friends.  This week's theme is Maundy Thursday. 

Today I am connecting my spirit journey with poetry as I participate in National Poetry Month. Last year, I was introduced to a Fibonacci poem by Margaret at Reflections on the Teche.  A Fibonacci poem is based on a series of numbers where the next number is found by adding up the two numbers before it.  For example, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8...  Today I share some thoughts about my Catholic faith and the  importance of the Eucharist.

This 
is
my body,
the bread of 
everlasting life, 
be filled with spiritual joy
and share my Eucharistic love story with others.

"And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." ~ Matthew 28:20

My Faith is Weak

Today is Spiritual Journey Thursday, a day for me to spend some time turning toward God.  Please feel free to join me on this journey each Thursday with Holly Mueller and friends.  For the next several weeks, Holly will be featuring our one little words.  Today's featured word is Exercise by Mary Hill.  

I have been away from this blog for awhile.  I could list excuses, but I won't.  I wasn't planning on writing today, but God had other plans.  My words tonight are raw; my hurt is fresh once again.

Last fall my trust and my faith were shaken by a dear friend.  

He made a mistake that has lifelong consequences for him, his family, his friends, and a young girl.

Tonight I saw him for the first time since the incident.  

I had to make a split-second decision 

~do I speak or turn my back.

I chose to speak.  

It was awkward.

I asked him how he was doing and he replied, taking one day at a time.

He said, I read your blog post.  You have no idea how much your words mean to me.

I said thank you.  Take care.

He touched my arm like old friends do, and I tried to make it out of the store 

~without breaking down.

My heart aches.  

My heart hurts.  

My heart weeps.

    ~ for him, his sweet family, and the young girl.

Through all the hurt and attempts at forgiveness, 

I can't forget her.

I want to understand.  

I want things to be back to the way they were.

They can't.

~My faith is weak.

My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness. ~ 2Corinthians 12:9

DIVE Into Scripture

Today is Spiritual Journey Thursday, a day for me to spend some time turning toward God.  Please feel free to join me on this journey each Thursday with Holly Mueller and friends.  For the next several weeks, Holly will be featuring our one little words.  Today's featured word is DIVE from Greg Armamentos at Dash - Life Between the Numbers.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent for many of the world's religions.  It is a time of penance, fasting, and prayer for forgiveness.  As a cradle Catholic, many discussions in our house at this time of year was about "What are you giving up for Lent?"  I don't necessarily agree with this because I don't think giving something up changes me.  Instead, I always wanted to add something or do something to change me to help me grow closer to Jesus and to deepen my faith.

Keeping this in mind and reflecting on what this spiritual journey really means to me, I have decided to focus the next 40 days on scripture.  Or to keep with the theme of the OLW - I am going to DIVE into scripture.  As a Catholic, I am not as well versed in scripture as I would like to be, which is another reason for me to DIVE in.  

"All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in the righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." ~ 2Timothy 3:16-17

Each day I want to spend time reading the Bible and focusing on one scripture verse.  My routine will consist of the following:

1. Prepare my heart and my mind to listen to the voice of God.
2. Call on the Holy Spirit to help me pray (because this is another weakness of mine.)
3. Read the scripture, taking time to think and meditate on how I can respond to the verse.  
4. Finish with a prayer and a resolution to follow Jesus more closely each day of Lent.
5. Write in my journal or on my blog my thoughts and response.

Please check back during the next 40 days and DIVE into scripture with me.  I would love for you to join me.  

Outstretched Hands

Today is Spiritual Journey Thursday, a day for me to spend some time turning toward God.  Please feel free to join me on this journey each Thursday with Holly Mueller and friends.  For the next several weeks, Holly will be featuring our one little words.  Today's featured word is REACH by Margaret at Reflections on the Teche.

I opened my laptop, ready for inspiration.  But the words didn't come.  

I took a shower, hoping for inspiration.  But the words didn't come.

I perused through my "faith books" on my shelf, searching for inspiration.  But the words didn't come.

How was I going to write about reaching for God, when the words just wouldn't come?  

I picked up The Power of Praying Through the Bible by Stormie Omartian.  I was getting desperate now.  As I began reading, I noticed that verse after verse was not about me reaching out to God, but Him reaching out to me.  

From the beginning of time, God reaches out through His breath. "The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." ~Genesis 1:26-27

He reaches out by sending us the Holy Spirit.  "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." ~ John 14:26

He reaches out by telling us simple stories, by teaching in parables.  "This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, not do they understand." ~Matthew 13:13

He reaches out through His Word.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ~John 1:1

My thoughts today center around God reaching out to me, 
                    
                       his hands outstretched, 

                                        calling me to reach out to Him.

My Road to Here

Today is Spiritual Journey Thursday, a day for me to spend some time turning toward God.  Please feel free to join me on this journey each Thursday with Holly Mueller and friends.  For the next several weeks, Holly will be featuring our one little words.  Today's featured word is TURN, my one little word. 

My road to here has not always been a straight path, a safe drive, nor have I taken the scenic route.  Along the way I have encountered...

roadblocks

curves

wrong turns

speed limits

detours

roadmaps

traffic jams

caution lights

stop signs

one-way streets

speeding tickets

u-turns

construction zones

speed bumps

dead ends 

I have met roadblocks along the way.  But God placed them there not to make me stumble, but to make me stronger.

I have taken curves, a different path than what I expected.  But this is when I learned that it is God's plan, not mine.

I have had detours.  But this is when He taught me patience.

I have gone over speed bumps.  But this is when He told me to slow down and be thankful.

I have have been given the wrong directions by people I trusted.  But this is when He taught me about forgiveness.

I have made some wrong turns, turning left when I should have turned right.  But this is when I learned about grace and mercy.

I have been lost.  But this is when He taught me to follow Him.

Looking back down the road to here, I realize that God was always the yellow dotted line in my road.  He was what I needed to focus on to keep from veering away.  On the sharp curves he was the double line telling me not to pass and to stay in my own lane.  To trust in Him.

As I make my turn toward Him, He has given me a roadmap, His word.  There is never a dead end when we take the right turn, a turn toward Him.

I leave you with my devotion from Wednesday.

Trust is a golden pathway to heaven.  When you walk on this path, you live above your circumstances.  My glorious Light shines more brightly on those who follow this path of Life.  Dare to walk on the high road with Me, for it is the most direct route to heaven.  The low road is circuitous: twisting and turning in agonizing knots.  There the air hangs heavy, an dark ominous clouds predominate.  Relying on your own understanding will weigh you down.  Trust in Me absolutely, and I will make your path straight.

He Listens

Today is Spiritual Journey Thursday, a day for me to spend some time turning toward God.  Please feel free to join me on this journey each Thursday with Holly Mueller and friends.  For the next several weeks, Holly will be featuring our one little words.  Today's featured word is Listen, the one little word from Carol at Beyond Literacy.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11

This is probably a familiar verse for many.  It is certainly one of my favorites.  As I continue to read Spirit Hunger by Gari Meacham, I am inspired once again.  I wrote last week about God's timing and how hard it is to wait for an answer.  It is during those long waiting times when many of us get discouraged or disheartened, and sometimes the spiritual journey takes a pause.  We start doubting and thinking God doesn't hear us, and He doesn't listen.

I find comfort listening to this verse, to know that yes, God does have a plan for me.  Even if that plan is not our plan.  But Gari says the words that follow this verse are the ones that "hold the punch."  

"Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me when you search for Me with all your heart."

We need to remember that a future filled with hope doesn't just happen.  We have to do our part in seeking God and praying for our future.  The real comfort lies in that He is always listening to us, even when we think He isn't.  In turn, we need to listen for God's voice to guide us along the way.

We seek.

We search.

We pray.

He listens. 

Update - I just returned from our teacher devotional/Bible study this morning and the lesson was about listening to God's whisper.  I love God moments.

Even the Disciples Lost Focus

Today is Spiritual Journey Thursday, a day to spend some time turning toward God.  Please feel free to join me on this journey each Thursday with Holly Mueller and friends.

For the next several weeks, our topics will be each other's one little word   Today's topic is Holly's word - focus.  I had a post ready to go, but another idea surfaced the other night as I was reading Spiritual Hunger by Gari Meacham.  I was reading a chapter on engaging God with prayer.
This particular section was "Lack of Stamina or Staying Power in Our Prayers."

I am a cradle Catholic, so most of my prayer life has been ritualistic, traditional prayer.  I can say a decade of the Rosary with no problem.  But it isn't long before I am rote praying, and my mind easily becomes focused on everything but the Our Father or the mysteries.  It is easy for me to lose focus when praying this type of prayer.  Or as Gari puts it, I have "...Attention Deficit Disorder when it comes to prayer."

As I kept reading, I realized the disciples, Jesus' closest friends, struggled with staying focused while praying.  

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."  He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.  "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them.  "Stay here and keep watch."

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping.  "Simon," he said to Perter, "are you asleep?  Couldn't you keep watch for one hour?  Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

The last line is key to understanding that sometimes no matter how much we desire to be focused on God and want to have engagement with him through prayer, we are still weak.  He knows we wander and through His grace continues to center us.

It Begins...

A new year

A new journey

A new turn

A turn toward Him

Today marks a new journey for me.  It begins with my one little word for 2015.

TURN

I was roaming on Ann Voskamp's blog, A Holy Experience and once again, found my word.  I wasn't looking for it.  It found me.

When I read her words, "How when you are turned away from God, life turns ugly, but when you are turned toward God, life turns lovely." I knew TURN was my word.

I am ready for a lovely life.  Last year was a wonderful year for me.  I REACHED places beyond my expectations.  Most of my accomplishments involved my professional life.  It was great, but I was still missing something.  

I have a wonderful family and I love being a mom, a wife, and a teacher.  But I am missing that spiritual something.

This year, it is my turn.  It is time to focus on me through Him.  It is time to turn toward God.  It is time to turn toward His word.  

His light beckons me to

follow

listen

hear

obey

love

His light beckons me to

turn toward him

For you are my lamp, O Lord,

and my God lightens my darkness ~ 2Sa 22:29

This is my new place for my spirit and soul.  I hope you like it here, and I hope you come back.  Please feel free to join me on this journey each Thursday with Holly Mueller and friends.