Some Fresh Perspective
Several weeks ago I spent three days with four beautiful women. Four strong, independent, brilliant, creative, lovely women. I listened...I absorbed...I breathed their various perspectives and invaluable wisdom on work, motherhood, faith, and family. And I, like Luke to his Obi-Wan, began a journey of...let's say....rediscover.
In the last twelve years, I've become a wife, a mother, a widow, and a wife again. All good....all beautiful, even in its challenges. I think maybe as I've entered middle age, I can honestly say I comprehend the great calling of being a wife and mother.
Loving, serving, and caring for my husband until he entered the gates of glory taught me the fragility of human life and the acceptance that I am not in control of my universe. Being a widow taught me how strong I can be and how God made women with great purpose. Finding love again taught me about grace. The grace to love and be loved. The grace to trust. The grace to belly laugh. The grace to be honest, even when my graciousness is absent.
And being a momma has shown me a little glimpse of the breadth and depth of God's love for humanity. Sort of puts the cross a bit more in perspective for me, as I do another load of laundry, mop the bathroom floor after a bath, and rub a back as a little one falls asleep.
But one thing I've never really explored is what did God design me for--besides being a wife and mother? What gifts did He give me and how does He want to use me in the grander story?
My friend Sara once told me that being married is much like looking in a mirror. And though I would like to divert my eyes from the reflection and pretend there is no mirror, I can't. In my dream world, the whole "mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" scenario would unfold with Todd saying, "you, my dearest, are the fairest of them all." But if I remember correctly from the fairy tale, the mirror doesn't lie. Instead, my sweet and honest husband says, "Sweetie, I think you worry too much about what people think of you."
Ahhhhh! He knows!!!! (As if it was that hard to figure out...)
I've always been inspired by Naomi. And how God used her hardships to transform her heart from emptiness to fullness. As I read her story, my guess is that she didn't worry too much about what people thought. She was in survival mode. She followed her heart, even in its broken state.
Yep, I'll say it. God wants us to follow our hearts. He created us with desires, with passions, with talents, and with loves. Knowing Him more deeply and trusting Him allows us to discover so much more about the person God created us to be. It's a bit like Anton Ego. Yes, the critic from Ratatouille. Anton has a bit of God-like presence--his character has power and insight and control (Gusteau's did lose a star because of his review) and I love the way he responds to Remy's creation:
"The world is often unkind to new talents, new creations. The new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new; an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking, is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto, "Anyone can cook". But I realize — only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere."
I know, I know, a rat movie. But a fresh perspective nonetheless.
Embracing the artist within.
Banning the world of preconception.
Extraordinary....unexpected.
Yep, the journey has begun.
FYI:
In the last twelve years, I've become a wife, a mother, a widow, and a wife again. All good....all beautiful, even in its challenges. I think maybe as I've entered middle age, I can honestly say I comprehend the great calling of being a wife and mother.
Loving, serving, and caring for my husband until he entered the gates of glory taught me the fragility of human life and the acceptance that I am not in control of my universe. Being a widow taught me how strong I can be and how God made women with great purpose. Finding love again taught me about grace. The grace to love and be loved. The grace to trust. The grace to belly laugh. The grace to be honest, even when my graciousness is absent.
And being a momma has shown me a little glimpse of the breadth and depth of God's love for humanity. Sort of puts the cross a bit more in perspective for me, as I do another load of laundry, mop the bathroom floor after a bath, and rub a back as a little one falls asleep.
But one thing I've never really explored is what did God design me for--besides being a wife and mother? What gifts did He give me and how does He want to use me in the grander story?
My friend Sara once told me that being married is much like looking in a mirror. And though I would like to divert my eyes from the reflection and pretend there is no mirror, I can't. In my dream world, the whole "mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" scenario would unfold with Todd saying, "you, my dearest, are the fairest of them all." But if I remember correctly from the fairy tale, the mirror doesn't lie. Instead, my sweet and honest husband says, "Sweetie, I think you worry too much about what people think of you."
Ahhhhh! He knows!!!! (As if it was that hard to figure out...)
I've always been inspired by Naomi. And how God used her hardships to transform her heart from emptiness to fullness. As I read her story, my guess is that she didn't worry too much about what people thought. She was in survival mode. She followed her heart, even in its broken state.
Yep, I'll say it. God wants us to follow our hearts. He created us with desires, with passions, with talents, and with loves. Knowing Him more deeply and trusting Him allows us to discover so much more about the person God created us to be. It's a bit like Anton Ego. Yes, the critic from Ratatouille. Anton has a bit of God-like presence--his character has power and insight and control (Gusteau's did lose a star because of his review) and I love the way he responds to Remy's creation:
"The world is often unkind to new talents, new creations. The new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new; an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking, is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto, "Anyone can cook". But I realize — only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere."
I know, I know, a rat movie. But a fresh perspective nonetheless.
Embracing the artist within.
Banning the world of preconception.
Extraordinary....unexpected.
Yep, the journey has begun.
FYI:
Comments
christan