I love blogs. I especially love photography blogs. I have a few staples that I check an unhealthy amount of times in a week. I think it's the stories that attract me to these places and then seeing beautiful images of people that I most likely will never met in my life but the emotions, the love, and the stories on those pages are so real.
Usually the authors will leave links to other photographers, musicians, non-profits, or just really cool people on their posts. One of these stumbled upon links led to me to Alyssa Joy's blog - http://blog.alyssajoy.me (she's married to Jefferson Bethke, the genius poet and youtube preacher of truth). Alyssa once mentioned the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Lady friends, go to a bookstore tomorrow and purchase this book and/or devotional. I decided to give the book and devotional a try. Alyssa raved about it and I'm all about trying new things. What I didn't expect was that God would use these books for an immense amount of healing and walk me through a season of my life with them.
Ann's life is like your's and mine; full of hurt, darkness, and lament. But she has a hunger to live her one life well, with joy. She is transparent with her emotions and speaks from the depths of her hurt. Her life is an example of thankfulness. She invites her readers to wake up to God's everyday blessings, to intentionally embrace a lifestyle of radical gratitude and slow down and catch God in the moment.
Here is possibly a new word for you, but one of deep joy and healing for Ann: eucharisteo. It means thanksgiving. Not the once a year turkey feast or a polite manner to follow. Eucharisteo is the deep thankfulness that brings about a joy only Jesus can give. Grace. Gratitude. Joy = eucharisteo. It's my new favorite word. Ann wrote this in her book:
"This fallen world never stops dis-membering who we are. We're all breaking a bit more every day, even in small ways. And there even as we ache, is the gentle whisper of God. With the quiet urging to give thanks anyways, to do this in re-memberance of him. But why in the world should we give thanks? Because when we remember how He blesses, loves us, when we recollect His goodness to us, we heal - we re-member. We are giving thanks to Him, who let Himself be broken to make us whole.
In remembering to give thanks, our broken places are re-membered - made whole.
Giving thanks is only this: making the canyon of pain into a megaphone to proclaim the ultimate goodness of God.
Our thanks to God is our witness to the goodness of God when Satan and all the world would sneer at us to recant."
and this truth was laid on my heart and told to my ears this week:
"That which I refuse to thank Christ for, I refuse to believe Christ can redeem. His perfect love casts out all fears and leaves only thanks."
Fear is the worst. I have had my fair share of fear this past year. I began to live in it and it wrecked havoc on my heart and mind. But God redeems. He heals. He never leaves. I have walked through darkness and witnessed what life without grace, gratitude, and joy looks like. My friends it's not pretty. Then God placed me at Youthfront Camp West this summer with 50 brothers and sisters and 35+ high schoolers each week for 10 weeks. He showed me my worth through them. He showed me his joy through them. He knocked down 12 inch think walls built around my heart. I allowed Him to begin to heal me. I learned how to become thankful for my hurt because there was no way that I would deny his redemption. I needed it. I yearned for it. Not only can the Lord redeem, but He will redeem. No if's, and's, or but's about it. That's how stinkin' sweet our Father is.
Ann challenges you to write a list of 1000 blessings, 1000 ways in which God is telling you "I love you." I'm currently on 323 - "the joy on my gphi sisters' faces when I walk into the house." What would be on your list?
On the night before Christ's death, he gave thanks. He broke bread with his friends and gave thanks. He didn't try to complete his bucket list or hid from the trial he knew was ahead. He spent his time in thanks. Thanks to his father for the life (and every thing that included) that he was given, the purpose he was asked to fulfill, and for the filling of his cup by the Creator of all.
Grace. Gratitude. Joy. Eucharisteo
my dearest friends I leave with you this truth written by Ann, but told to her by our heavenly Father -
You will never be alone or need to be afraid..."for in HIS GRACE there is life... (Psalm 30:5)"
No comments:
Post a Comment