"Therefore, brothers and sisters, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."
Romans 12:1-2
Out of all the good people of the Bible, I am most compelled by the Apostle Paul. His story of transformation, of selfless pursuit of God and his people, and his indisputable love of Christ is captivating. I am nearly finished with the book of Romans and Ephesians, two of Paul's most foundational letters written to new believers in the early years of the Christian church. It's easy to take for granted the sheer magnitude of God's plan, that these letters written mostly during times of destitute and imprisonment, are letters we have in our hands today. And they didn't start as anything more than simple letters written by a changed man encouraging others to run after a life with Christ. It was Paul's freedom song, and God used his life in ways he could have never imagined on this earth. 2,000 years later, we gather all over the world, in coffee shops and churches, under trees and on dirt floors, and still feel encouraged and fueled by this man's song, in ways those early Christians likely felt, too. When you really stop to let that sink in, it's a true privilege to have the opportunity to open our Bibles everyday.
I've got a freedom song, too, but God's still working it out in me. I declared this year my year of learning to live free, to break free from the chains that bind me up in this world and live bearing the fruit God so desires for me. But the more I dig into this, the more I realize how much more I have to learn! It's truly been a process, but I'm learning so much along the way.
First, before I could get to a place where I was desiring this kind of freedom, I needed to wake up first. I needed to seek God in my life and let him in. Then, I started to see my life with new eyes and new purpose. At times, I have felt like I'm wide awake in a world that's half asleep. In the dead of winter, I felt God growing a garden in my soul. I am in the middle of Rebekah Lyon's book, You Are Free, and completely resonated with the way she talked about this:
"March rolled in with a vengeance. Three feet of dirty snow was piled in the gutters of New York City with no sign of reprieve. It was the harshest winter I'd known, yet spring budded in my heart. Roots of new life grew deep, although the green leaves of freedom would not fully unfurl for awhile. I claimed for myself the words of Psalm 1. I would be a tree planted by streams of water, and trust fruit would come when it was supposed to. I looked for clues of that coming fruit with expectation. Channeling my childhood hero, Nancy Drew, I became an amateur detective, looking and listening for evidence of what God was doing in and around me."
Once I woke up, I was not only able to see all that God was desiring to do in my life, but also all that was holding me back from the life he wanted for me. In other words, my sin, my flesh, and the darkness in this world easily took hold over the keys to a free life. Romans 13:12 says, "The night is nearly over, and the day is near; so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." Similarly, Paul writes in Ephesians 2, "We previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead. You are saved by grace!"
And this grace, this is where I'm at today. This is the freedom I'm after - truly understanding that the keys to a free life lie in the gift of grace. I'm not quite there yet, but like that tree planted by the water, I can feel God watering and pruning and growing me, writing my freedom song.
Paul reminded me this morning of the importance of writing down the things God is doing in our lives. Rebekah Lyons found writing to be a powerful form of prayer. She writes that: "When I stray from reflection, life strays away from me. I become restless and fragmented, busy and insecure. I compare, compete, and strive. My best parts become my worst parts. Then I remember Jesus' final promise to make all things new. These morning pages, for me, are a ritual of redemption."
When you write down what God is doing in your life, it's nearly impossible to not see his presence. And it's also impossible to not see how much growing we still have to do! I spent some time reflecting this week on my first two months of 2018, listing ways I have sought to break some chains and run after a freer life. I praised God for all he's done in just two months. And then, I looked ahead to the next two months, jotting down hopes and desires for more learning, growing, and loving on the people God has placed in this life. I look forward to the ways he shows me freedom this year and will continue to fumble through putting words on a page, so that his work might encourage others along the way.
Let go of the sin that so easily entangles...
-I gave up social media for Lent. This has quite possibly been the most eye-opening move of 2018.
-I'm working my way through this house. We made some big moves on the basement, found good homes for lots of old furniture, and finally have a beautiful guest room ready to welcome friends.
-I unsubscribed to nearly everything and my email inbox has never felt more free.
-I started another Whole 30, which has evolved to more consistent healthy and whole habits throughout our weeks. Sweets are enjoyed at a minimum now, we're incorporating a few more frequent staples that are easy to prepare and that our kids will eat, and meal times have felt smoother and more together because of it.
-I finished another Shutterfly book and started a chatbook subscription
-I had a super fun at-home spa day with Mila one Sunday afternoon.
-We reexamined our monthly cash budget and are practicing more disciplined spending habits
Let us run with perseverance the race marked for us...
-Beau has been bitten by the Bible bug! He started the Bible in a Year study earlier this year, which has led to big things for our marriage and our community. He was brave enough to ask a few friends to join him, and they are meeting at our house on Wednesday nights. He's also become a big fan of Andy Stanley, thanks to Kate, and is loving his current Ninety series which looks at the life of Jesus (with references to Big Green Eggs and everything!). There is nothing better than eating eggs and bacon at the kitchen island at 6 am with Beau, our Bibles open, discussing Pharoah's heart and Peter's boat and John the Baptist's awesomeness. He was the original hipster, so it's not surprising my husband is a big fan of him. ;)
-I started co-leading my very first Bible study this month with my girl, Jess. This was an easy "yes" of mine following this year's IF:Gathering. We are studying the book of Ephesians through IF:Equip's newest study, Together, with seven ladies from our church on Sunday mornings.
-An incredible IF:Gathering conference at Naz, a February IF:Table at my house, and lots of college girls here, eating our food and loving our kids.
-Celebrating Grandma's 80th birthday with a tea party, spending the night with Taylor and Kate in Des Moines, and a hockey game with the Henrichs' clan.
-We are over halfway through the Bible!
-Planned an upcoming European adventure with my hubby.
-Nominated Cruz's wonderful teacher for a Gold Star award
Goals for this month and next...
Let go of the sin that so easily entangles...
-Enjoy a Spring Break at home. I have many plans for much resetting. Laundering, decluttering, maybe even some window opening. I also have some fun plans in store for the kids that include leprechaun trap building and some adventuring right here in our own backyard. I am fortunate to have the week off and am looking forward to taking advantage of a week at home to hopefully feel refreshed and renewed.
-Continue Spring cleaning. We have plans to move on to the basement storage room, to clean the last of the dry wall dust once and for all, to go through bins that haven't seen the light of day since we were married, and pare down to what we use and what we love.
-Continue eating green and clean. And start running as soon as the snow (finally) melts.
-Develop a plan for Mila's final preschool year. We have some decisions to make about where she spends next year and want to be prayerful about that decision.
Let us run with perseverance the race marked for us...
-Plan a weekend to host the Guess clan here
-A shopping weekend with Mom
-Get outside!
-Finish You Are Free and start Emotionally Healthy Spirituality
-Right Now Media study on Ephesians with the kids
-Go on a date with each of the kids for some one-on-one time
Spring awaits and there is much to look forward to. The snow will soon melt and I'm ready to hit the pavement, running light, free, and alive in Christ. Happy Spring Break!
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