Because too often I wake up with a vision of scarcity. Never relating to food or money - those would actually be important worries to have. My worries are more to do with a feeling of scarcity of time - time for myself, time to get work projects done, time with my family and friends. Too much on my plate, not enough space in my mind. I worry about needs like meaningful connection with others, Sabbath rest, and time to create. I crowd out God and any kind of "enough" space from the moment I wake up.
So I've tried having this as my mantra lately:
God will provide.
There will be enough.
Collect manna.
Those wandering Israelites were whiners like me. But they were actually complaining about where their FOOD would come from. But every day, they woke up to fresh manna bread on the ground - enough for that day.
I look back on my last blog post which was written an age ago, and I think WHO WAS THAT HUGE SCAREDY CAT? It reminds me again of how we become what we dwell on. I was dwelling on fear, and that's what I was becoming. I was Fear. I do not want to be Fear. I want to be Brave.
There was a word that kept coming back to me, and I wrote it on this puzzle piece as part of a women's retreat that I facilitated in beautiful British Columbia: OPPORTUNITY.
[By the way, if you ever have things you need to work through in your life, just sign up to facilitate a retreat for others. It really helps! That whole thing about when I teach, I learn is so true.]
Back to opportunity, I want to seize our next Costa Rican chapter this winter as opportunity. Because it is. And now I can see it, and I'm excited about the possibilities.
I want to go into my days looking for God's divine fingerprints - looking for evidence of manna provision all around me. It's there - I know it is, when I take the time to look.
Photography helps me to seize those manna moments - pausing to consider small things in nature or in my family life, to realize that God is in these moments, and that God is providing each day - if I take the time to notice. Bottling manna moments.
Here are some of my manna moments over the past couple of months: (oh, how I love fall...)
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| morning mist |
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| plunging into a northern lake on Thanksgiving weekend |
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| lone pine |
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| caught |
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| reflecting the light |
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| gift of water |
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| I just have a thing about mushrooms. Isn't this one a beauty? |
Love these reflections and also the photos... Love that mushroom! So much symbolism too.... Can't wait to see how your time in Costa Rica opens even more to you and your family. love, Melissa
ReplyDeleteFun to read your thoughts. Just don't collect too many manna moments into a big pile and keep them hidden in your tent or they might start to get stinky. Be sure to find new ones each day ;) Good for you jumping into that lake! Brr! Some of my manna moments of recent are:
ReplyDelete1. Watching Hazel. She's such a pretty kid, and she's fun to watch. When you're watching a beloved child discover new things and radiate beauty, there's something inside that says "wow, this is so much more than enough".
2. "Do it now": When I am able to lay my procrastinating spirit on the altar and submit to what I feel God calling me take care of, it has a way of making me feel like I have enough. ie. Avoiding those pressure-crunching situations where I'm pulling your hair out trying to get something done at the last minute, or buried in a pile of stuff because I didn't take care of it as it came in.
3. Minimalism: Removing from life things that aren't necessary and are causing clutter. Sometimes that's physical stuff, like my Xbox, or certain social events, etc. And I find that the less money I spend, the more time I have -- well, sort of. I think the point is that spending money actually takes time, and energy, and often involves going places. Cutting back on that has created more time, and with that, I more often feel like I have enough time.